 Prior
to college, there are several steps you can take to help prepare for
careers in engineering, mathematics, or the physical sciences.
Many of these ideas can help you focus on a career path by giving you
exposure to the types of activities with different career areas.
 Course
Selection
Either in school, or in optional after-school programs, try to take as
many math and science courses as you can. Taking additional courses
will help you determine if you enjoy the subject matter, and will also
give you a head start on advanced coursework. It will also give you
an opportunity to meet other students with similar interests. In
middle or high school, consider classes in algebra, chemistry, calculus,
geometry, trigonometry, physics, electronics, and engineering concepts. At
the elementary level, consider exploring pre-algebra and geometry, and
preview engineering concepts where available. Massachusetts is the
first state to require engineering concepts be included in K-12
curriculum. View details and recommended subjects by grade level:
Grades PreK-2 ,
Grades 3-5 ,
Grades 6-8 ,
Grades 9-12.
AP
Course Options
The College Board's
Advanced Placement Program enables students to pursue college-level
studies while still in high school. Thirty-seven courses in 22 subject
areas are offered. Based on their performance on rigorous AP Exams,
sections of which are scored by college faculty and experienced AP
teachers, students can earn credit, advanced placement, or both for
college. More than 3,600 colleges and universities around the world
recognize AP for credit, placement, and/or admissions decisions,
including more than 90 percent of four-year colleges and universities in
the U.S. Some of the subjects that relate to
fields covered on the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center include:
 Student
Networking
Try to keep in touch with other students who are also interested in
engineering, math and science. Join a math or science club after school,
or participate in
science,
math, or engineering competitions.
School
Counselors
Visit your school's career counselor, and find out what suggestions they
have for exploring career paths in math, science, or engineering. They may
be able to suggest courses and extracurricular activities. Some
university career centers also have good
resources.
Connect
with Professionals
If you, or your family, knows someone who works as an engineer,
mathematician, or physical scientist, see if they would be able to mentor
you - or provide advice and exposure to their career path. Perhaps
you could join them at work for a day, or ask for guidance in gaining
internships, or summer jobs in your field of interest.
Check
Out Learning Resources at Museums
Many science museums offer lessons, activities, and programs that can help
students explore science, technology, engineering, mathematics, computing, and healthcare. Visit your local museum, or online visit those across
the country. Click here to explore
the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center's directory of science centers and museums.
 Participate
in Programs and Projects
Join in on engineering, math, or science projects and events that may be
offered in your area. These are great opportunities to network with
other students, meet professionals in the field, and gain experience.
There are dozens of mathematics, science, and engineering competitions -
many sponsored by local schools. Click here
for links to
suggested national projects.
Precollege
STEM Summer Programs and Camps
 Precollege summer camps that focus on science, mathematics, technology or
engineering can provide students with great hands-on experiences working
on activities that explore how these fields have an impact on the world.
Many universities that offer engineering programs offer programs in the
summer for high school students. Check your local university, or
click here for some examples.
Other
Precollege
Online Resources
Sloan
Career Cornerstone Center Profile Excerpts
The following excerpts from Cornerstone profiles offer suggestions for
K-12 students:
 Liza
Munda
Associate Process Engineer
Genentech
San Francisco, CA
"I was always pretty
strong in math all through my education. When I went into high school, I
had a really good chemistry instructor who made me want to go more into
chemistry. My basketball and volleyball coach was actually a guidance
counselor. I was talking to her at one of our tournaments and she said,
`What do you think you're going to do when you graduate?' I didn't think I
knew, and I said I really liked chemistry, so she suggested chemical
engineering. And I thought, chemical engineering, that sounds exciting-I
could tell people I'm a chemical engineer. So that got me to look into it,
and then I decided that's what I wanted to at least try when I went into
the university. And when I started at the university, I just followed the
path, not really thinking about anything else. Then, in my third year, I
had a senior advisor who introduced me to biotechnology. He was starting a
program at the university in biotechnology. I heard about Genentech, and
came here to work."
 Download Full Profile as PDF
View
Full Profile Online
 Noah
Loren
Applications & Technology
Services Engineer
Detroit Diesel Corporation
Detroit, MI
"Seniors in high
school should take science and math, as much as you can. If you can get
calculus in high school, take it. Even if it's just a brief course or
doesn't go in too much detail. But I guess my senior year in high school,
I didn't have any calculus and then freshman year in college, it was like
getting hit with a brick. So it's always nice not to have that done to
you. Take physics, chemistry and a lot of math."
Download Full Profile as PDF
View
Full Profile Online
Maria
Angelo
Area Consultant
DuPont
Deepwater, NJ
"When I was in high school, I
wanted to be a chemistry major. Then I participated in a program the
summer between my junior and senior year, that gave me the information
that caused me to choose chemical engineering as my career path. So, I
knew my senior year I wanted to go into chemical engineering."
Download Full Profile as PDF
View
Full Profile Online
Mark
Hawkins
Project Engineer
Caterpillar Incorporated
Peoria, IL
"Take every class you
can, no matter what subject or topic, to broaden your experiences.
As far as non-technical course are concerned, take typing because you will
use it constantly on e-mails, documentation, software, and more. Other
important courses are speech classes, writing classes, and punctuation
because if you have a good idea and it doesn't come across well, it
doesn't go anywhere. In fact, even history and some of the non-technical
classes that allow you to understand other people's points of view are
useful."
Download Full Profile as PDF
View
Full Profile Online
Cynthia
Murphy
Business Coordinator
Chevron Products Company
Richmond, CA
"Well, I've always been a
very curious and creative person, even when I was a child. I always
enjoyed math and science. As it turns out, my father is an electrical
systems engineer, so I think I was kind of raised with the engineering
mentality, the thought that I would go off and be an engineer. When high
school came around, I really enjoyed chemistry and-I think you hear this
from a majority of chemical engineers-we like chemistry, we like math, we
like science. `Oh, I think I'll go into chemical engineering.' So that's
how I got into the chemical engineering curriculum. However, it still
interested me through my freshman, sophomore, and junior years, which is
where you really get into the chemical engineering courses, and so I stuck
with it."
Download Full Profile as PDF
View
Full Profile Online
DeAnne
Hellyer
Imaging Media Product Planner
Lexmark International
Lexington, KY
"I think it's really
important to have good writing skills and good communication skills-so
anything you can do to improve those is important. Also, it's very
important to be proficient in using the computer. And experimental design
courses and statistics are good to have for designing experiments."
Download Full Profile as PDF
View
Full Profile Online
|
|
