What takes to become a Mechanical engineer?

For High school, the 2 critical courses are Math and Physics. For math, take the highest level of math that you qualify for. You should have Trig and Pre Calc as a minimum. Regarding Physics, Mechanical Engineering is applied physics. The better you understand the principles, the easier the ME courses will be.

After those classes, ME do a lot of there work on a computer using CAD and analysis tools. Any classes that can help in developing skills on the computer will help. Many high schools offers classes or clubs with robotics or CAD.

We also have to communicate to the rest of the company. So classes that include writing, creating presentation and public speaking are surprisingly valuable.

Mechanical engineering uses almost every kind of science and technology to solve real world problems and find things and processes that work. So, as a 10th grade student be sure to get a good background in basic math, physics and chemistry. As you progress through high school and into first year of college you will probably find yourself emphasizing one or two of these more than the others.Because mechanical engineering can involve mechanisms, power conversion, fluid flow (air or water or?) materials, process design, heat and combustion, industrial design, and on and on -- fundamental understanding in all the basic sciences will be useful.

The number of jobs in any of these areas varies from time to time as various challenges arise in society and business but my experience has been that there is always good demand for mechanical engineers. At any one time some other science or technology may have higher starting salaries but good grades and a good mechanical school almost always puts a person in a good position for job opportunities.

Mechanical engineering is challenging, varied and often unpredictable -- all these make for a dynamic career that is rarely boring. If you like math and understanding how things work, you love aplying your mechanical engineering training. Good luck.

My degree was in Mechanical Engineering at Imperial College in London. The key subjects I took to get onto this course were Maths, Physics and Chemistry. I believe it's an excellent degree course, even if you decide not to continue into engineering! - it gives you the skills to apply logic and problem solving, and to communicate and present your thinking in a structured manner - all desirable skills for an employer.