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Would the basics of engineering help me become other types of engineers?

There are many types of engineers, such as mechanical, chemical, etc. I am curious if that basic knowledge would help me get a step ahead of becoming other types of engineers, and if so, what kind of carreers. #career #engineering

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Maura’s Answer

I believe so. Many colleges allow you to start in a general program and pick your specific program after 1-2 years. I would definitely research the various types of programs and see what makes them most interesting to others and align this with your interests to start to get some type of idea.

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Ken’s Answer

Congratulations on being interested in becoming an engineer. It takes a special person to enter this field and meet the demands which this career area presents. The first step is to get to know yourself to see if you share the personality traits which make engineers successful. The next step is doing networking to meet and talk to and possibly shadow engineers to see if this is something that you really want to do, as a career area could look much different on the inside than it looks from the outside.  Here are some steps which many have found to be very helpful followed by links to sites that will allow you to learn more about the vast area of engineering and all that it offers.

Ken recommends the following next steps:

The first step is to take an interest and aptitude test and have it interpreted by your school counselor to see if you share the personality traits necessary to enter the field. You might want to do this again upon entry into college, as the interpretation might differ slightly due to the course offering of the school. However, do not wait until entering college, as the information from the test will help to determine the courses that you take in high school. Too many students, due to poor planning, end up paying for courses in college which they could have taken for free in high school.
Next, when you have the results of the testing, talk to the person at your high school and college who tracks and works with graduates to arrange to talk to, visit, and possibly shadow people doing what you think that you might want to do, so that you can get know what they are doing and how they got there. Here are some tips: ## http://www.wikihow.com/Network ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/nonawkward-ways-to-start-and-end-networking-conversations ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-questions-to-ask-your-network-besides-can-you-get-me-a-job?ref=carousel-slide-1 ##
Locate and attend meetings of professional associations to which people who are doing what you think that you want to do belong, so that you can get their advice. These associations may offer or know of intern, coop, shadowing, and scholarship opportunities. These associations are the means whereby the professionals keep abreast of their career area following college and advance in their career. Here are some tips: ## https://www.careeronestop.org/BusinessCenter/Toolkit/find-professional-associations.aspx?&frd=true ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/9-tips-for-navigating-your-first-networking-event ##
It is very important to express your appreciation to those who help you along the way to be able to continue to receive helpful information and to create important networking contacts along the way. Here are some good tips: ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/the-informational-interview-thank-you-note-smart-people-know-to-send?ref=recently-published-2 ## ## https://www.themuse.com/advice/3-tips-for-writing-a-thank-you-note-thatll-make-you-look-like-the-best-candidate-alive?bsft_eid=7e230cba-a92f-4ec7-8ca3-2f50c8fc9c3c&bsft_pid=d08b95c2-bc8f-4eae-8618-d0826841a284&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=daily_20171020&utm_source=blueshift&utm_content=daily_20171020&bsft_clkid=edfe52ae-9e40-4d90-8e6a-e0bb76116570&bsft_uid=54658fa1-0090-41fd-b88c-20a86c513a6c&bsft_mid=214115cb-cca2-4aec-aa86-92a31d371185&bsft_pp=2 ##
Here are some very helpful links that will allow you to learn more about engineering. ## https://www.engineergirl.org/ http://www.futureengineers.org/ ## ## https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=43zVcmTJSKMm ## ## http://stemtosteam.org/ ## ## https://www.asme.org/career-education/articles/undergraduate-students/engineering-still-needs-more-women ##
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Christopher’s Answer

Jorge,

why Yes the basics would help you go into many different engineering directions. The first few couple of years you are in your College of Engineering, you will be exposed to "those basics", i.e. advanced math, chemistry, physics, statics, dynamics et al. These will help lay your problem solving groundwork. It's not until around the end of your sophomore year that you start to get a bit more specific to your major area of study. By your junior year, the coursework taken (as well as a summer job or two) will help you realize your area of interest. Keep going Jorge! You're on a great path :)
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