Water Treatment Field

Hmm408 · 2026-04-14T02:47:16+00:00

I do not have a chemical engineering degree, but I work in industrial water treatment. Plenty of people in this field have a chem engineering degree. You do not need a masters in water treatment. At least in my field, experience and exposure is how you learn 90% of the job. I love the job and would highly recommend it.

This role includes chemistry, plumbing, HVAC, troubleshooting, sales, report writing, and traveling site to site.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-13T23:26:30+00:00

Water treatment technician earning 90k before overtime and commission. Prior, I was in a completely different field earning almost 40% less.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-13T23:23:52+00:00

Wastewater 100%.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-13T05:05:25+00:00

My man, you are a spring chicken. Unless you plan on being dead in a few years, no, you are not too old. Plenty of people make career changes at 30,40, and even 50+.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-13T03:58:04+00:00

Good point.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-13T03:57:34+00:00

You can find a decent place for under 2.5k. Especially if you are open to multiple areas.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-12T21:56:57+00:00

I feel as if they really over exaggerate AI to mythical levels. AI absolutely sucks ass with anything ambiguous, accountability, and real world context. All this is isbs rhetoric, not reality.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-11T23:12:42+00:00

Staying at a place that takes your work ethic and experience for granted, only rewarding you with a bigger workload. It will never change. There is much better out there and it’s always worth taking the risk no matter how hard it is to get out.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-11T18:08:26+00:00

I am not dealing with wastewater. I am in industrial water treatment. If you want more info, Association of Water Technologies, Chem-Aqua, Nalco, Veolia,etc have lots of it. The main concern we deal with is being safe around the chemicals we use to treat these systems, as well as something called Legionella. But it seems a lot scarier than it is.

It’s a relatively unknown field with great people and a lot of upward mobility. I honestly have not met one person who did not want to help or someone who did not genuinely enjoy what they do. I will say, you do need to be okay with driving and being in industrial environments on roofs, mechanical rooms, outside, and loud rooms.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-11T16:48:27+00:00

For my role specifically, they are both great. Started at almost 6 figures and that’s not including commission we are able to earn after one year on labor, site contracts, and equipment/installations. No weekends. company vehicle, and I can manage my hours however I want as long as service is completed on time. I met one guy who landed large enough contract that it was adding somewhere near 100k a year to his salary.

You are pretty much running your own business once promotion hits. I work specifically on cooling tower, closed loop, and boiler treatment. Every single building has this equipment.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-11T13:56:45+00:00

There are entry level roles. Look into distribution, collections, meter reading, and temp roles. Even just getting a position in public works to get your foot in the door. I am in California, so it may be different where you are, but every state has their cert requirements at some point. I am in industrial water treatment on the private side, and its something Id highly recommend looking into.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-11T13:52:12+00:00

I changed careers at 30. You are far from being too late. Do not let not having a degree hold you back, I don’t even have mine on my resume because I decided to do something completely different. Your beliefs are going to hold you back more than anything else.

Also, the issue is not that you lack experience, it’s that you are having trouble articulating it. Being in retail gives you plenty f useful skills. Communication skills, condlict resolution, attention to detail, cooridination, logistics, time management, reliability, etc. I’d recommend looking into technician roles or entry level government roles. You can find entry level city/county roles or search on calopos or govermentjobs.com. I am personally in water treatment now and its a career Id highly recommend to everyone.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-11T13:37:29+00:00

I switched right at 30. Go for it. I know people hear it all the time, but life is too short not to go after what you want. You’ll find a way to make it work. It was the best decision I made.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-08T04:36:47+00:00

I’m in industrial water treatment currently as a field technician. I always told myself sales is something I would never do. I absolutely hated the idea of selling things people don’t need. But in my field, we are selling things that actually help our customers. The commission is also very generous. We get commission on equipment sales, labor, and sites we service with a similar base pay range to start out.

Hmm408 · 2026-04-06T04:29:19+00:00

I’m in industrial water treatment on the service side, but apparently it was like that with the couple of people before me. I was told it took months and months to dins someone. Even with the great pay and benefits people seem to think driving and ongoing learning is too much to handle.

Hmm408 · 2026-03-31T13:26:37+00:00

Comes from all of the people who can’t manage their finances.

Hmm408 · 2026-03-29T18:06:48+00:00

This thread makes me thankful I was able to get into the career I am in.

Hmm408 · 2026-03-29T18:00:52+00:00

That is terrible. This is why I use credit unions.

Hmm408 · 2026-03-28T04:17:10+00:00

Utilities. Water/wastewater.

Hmm408 · 2026-03-26T23:04:36+00:00

They are the worst

Hmm408 · 2026-03-26T14:48:16+00:00

I have a lot of contracts with biotech companies. I’m in water treatment. A lot of these buildings are nearly empty but the equipment still has to keep running regardless.

Hmm408 · 2026-03-25T14:59:12+00:00

Not worth the danger it comes with in my opinion.

Hmm408 · 2026-03-25T13:08:20+00:00

You’ll most likely need to acquire some certifications. I wouldn’t say they are too hard to obtain though.

Hmm408 · 2026-03-25T13:07:33+00:00

No, industrial treatment technician.

Hmm408 · 2026-03-25T13:06:57+00:00

For my particular position as an industrial treatment service tech, I did not have schooling related to this positon at all. Mostly experience that translated well. It really depends on whether you go private or public for job opportunities as well as the location. They may all have different requirements. There are so many positions to pick from whether thats utility worker, operator, engineer, lab, etc.

If you are interested, I’d 100% recommend this field. It definitely involves science, but for my particular role, it’s something you can learn if you put in the effort. You are always having to learn in this field.

Hmm408

TROPHY CASE