Engineering positions require a college degree. When looking for colleges with engineering programs, an online search is a good place to start.

Look at programs that are accredited by ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology). Some excellent college directories online include the database hosted by ABET (http://www.abet.org) and the “College Match” at COLLEGEdata (https://www.collegedata.com).

Web sites with especially good information for high school students are:

JETS: Junior Engineering Technical Society (http://www.jets.org), the American Society for Engineering Education’s K-12 Center’s student section (http://www.engineeringk12.org/students), Engineer Your Life at www.engineeryourlife.org and TryEngineering (http://www.tryengineering.org). TryEngineering allows you to search for accredited engineering degree programs throughout the world.

A traditional four-year bachelor’s program is not the only way to go. Some students start by getting an associate’s degree in engineering at a two-year program (http://www.pathwaystotechnology.org), then finish a bachelor’s degree by doing another two years at a traditional four-year program. These kinds of arrangements can offer financial flexibility and a diverse learning experience.