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Engineering and You
Where Will You Be In Ten Years?
Designing spacecraft to explore the
Milky Way? Building nuclear engines to power cities? Saving lives through new laser
applications? Applying computer technology to solve problems in the 21st century?
As an engineer you will be on the
cutting edge and will help produce startling improvements for people throughout the world.
Engineers Turn Ideas Into
Reality
Engineers are problem-solvers--people
who make things work better, more efficiently, quicker and less expensively. They serve
humanity with skill and dedication and search for better ways to solve problems.
Engineering offers:
- Challenging jobs
- Good pay and benefits
- Lasting and tangible products
- Help to humankind
- Prestige and status
Teaming Up for Success
Engineers often work with other people
on projects. When engineers, scientists, technologists and technicians work together it is
called an engineering team.
The engineer has a strong science,
mathematics and technology background and is a team leader. Engineers plan, design and
supervise engineering projects from concept to completion.
An engineering technologist translates
the engineer's designs into systems and projects while the engineering technician collects
and analyzes data, develops design layouts, inspects work, checks and repairs equipment
and prepares reports for the engineering team.
Preparing for the Challenge
Engineers solve problems by relying on
their creative and academic skills. You should enjoy problem solving and be challenged by
the effort it requires!
While in high school you should
take:
- Algebra I & II
- Trigonometry
- Biology
- Physics
- Social Studies (3 units)
- Fine Arts/Humanities (1-2 units)
- Computer Programming or Computer
Applications
- Geometry
- Calculus
- Chemistry
- English (4 units)
- Foreign Languages (2-3 units)
For engineering, Advanced Placement or
Honors level courses are recommended. Combined scores of 1100 (SAT) or 20 (ACT) should be
your goal.
Engineering technologists need to meet
the same general high school requirements, but Advanced Placement and Honors courses are
not necessary. The engineering technician should have algebra and geometry and two years
of science. Drafting or computer applications or similar technical courses are also
recommended for the potential engineering technician.
Colleges seek "well-rounded"
students...Extracurricular activities, such as MATHCOUNTS
at the junior high school level or JETS activities at the high school level, and part-time
or summer jobs help.
What Do Engineers Do?
Engineers today work on tomorrow's
problems. For example:
Chemical engineers seek to make our
world better by devising systems to control pollution by trapping harmful pollutants
before they spread into the air; looking for hardier strains of wheat, rice and corn that
will survive drought, insects, and disease and thus ease world hunger; designing high
strength plastic composites that are stronger but lighter than steel; and joining the war
against cancer, AIDS, and other deadly diseases.
Civil engineers design solutions to
cope with many of our planet's most serious problems--foul air; decaying cities, roadways,
and bridges; clogged airports and highways; polluted streams, rivers, and lakes. They also
design the transportation systems we will use to colonize the moon and the buildings we
will live in.
Electrical engineers design products
that meet human needs for today and tomorrow--huge power-generating systems in dams as
well as the tiny electronic circuits that keep spacecraft on correct trajectory a billion
miles from Earth. They create the electronic components that run computers, TVs, stereo
systems, and automated factories and seek ways to improve the transmission of messages by
laser beams.
Mechanical engineers can make our lives
more comfortable by designing more efficient transportation and delivery systems for raw
materials or products--improving the use of cryogenic techniques for super-conductivity;
improving the work environment through increased use of automation and robotics, more
efficient heating, ventilation or refrigeration. They may even completely redesign the
manufacturing process with special machinery to make production easier and more efficient.
Other Engineering Specialties
include:
- Automotive engineering
- Aerospace engineering (Aero or
Astronautical)
- Agricultural engineering
- Bio-engineering (Bio-medical,
Bio-mechanical, Bio-chemical)
- Ceramic engineering
- Computer engineering
- Environmental engineering
- Fire protection engineering
- Geological engineering
- Geothermal engineering
- Heating, Ventilating, Air-conditioning
and Refrigeration engineering
- Industrial engineering
- Manufacturing engineering
- Materials engineering
- Metallurgy and Materials engineering
- Mineral and Mining engineering
- Naval engineering
- Nuclear engineering
- Ocean engineering
- Optical engineering
- Petroleum engineering
- Plant engineering
- Plastics engineering
- Robotics and Automated Systems
engineering
- Safety engineering
- Software engineering
- Transportation engineering
After High School--What?
Engineering is a difficult major. It
requires a considerable amount of time and energy...but the rewards are worth it.
A bachelor's degree in engineering is
available through:
- A four- or five-year accredited college
or university program;
- Two years in a community college
engineering transfer program plus two or three years in an engineering program;
- Three years in a science or mathematics
major and two years in engineering;
- Five to six years in an engineering
co-op program. (A co-op program allows students to attend classes for a portion of the
year and then work in an engineering-related job for the remainder of the year. They
graduate with valuable work experience sought by employers.)
- Eight to ten years as an evening
engineering student.
To begin their careers, engineers
receive a bachelor's degree in engineering. The engineering technologist's bachelor's
degree is in engineering technology; and the engineering technician usually completes two
years of study to earn an associate's degree after high school.
How Do I Pay for College?
...through a combination of:
- Part-time employment and summer jobs
- Scholarships and grants
- Loans from the school, a bank, or family
- Special programs such as ROTC or
veteran's benefits
- Co-op and work-study programs
An engineering degree can also open
doors to other professions such as medicine, business administration, law, computer
development or others. Or you may also wish to pursue further education and obtain a
master's or doctoral degree in engineering.
Your Career and the Future
There will be many jobs for engineers
during the next decade. However, your engineering specialization may determine such things
as the geographic area where work may be found, salaries, job conditions, and tasks that
will challenge you.
Engineers earn considerably more than
other people who enter a career path with just a bachelor's degree. Sometimes this can be
as much as 75-100% more per month depending on geographic location and engineering
specialty.
Engineering is a rewarding career
option that will make you feel good about contributing to a healthier, safer, and more
enjoyable life for your fellow citizens. As you plan your future, consider becoming an
engineer, a shaper of the 21st century.
For information about specific
engineering and technology fields and an order form for JETS-Guidance products, send a
stamped, self-addressed business envelope to the:
Junior Engineering
Technical Society (JETS)
1420 King Street, Suite 405
Alexandria, VA 22314-2794
http://www.asee.org/external/jets/
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