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What steps do I take after high school to become an engineer?

I am a 15 year old interested in engineering. I am already in a CAD program at my school. The program does offer engineering. I am just wondering what to do after high school.

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Rebecca’s Answer

Thank you for your question. I am glad to hear that you are interested in Engineering. There are different engineering subjects, e.g. Electrical & Electronic Engineering, Mechanical Engineering, Industrial Engineering, Civil Engineering, Computer Engineering, etc. Each of these subjects have their specific knowledge and skills. You can explore more before confirming your decision to pursue engineering.
In general, all of these engineering subjects are under Engineering Faculty. To prepare to enter the Engineering Faculty, below are a few suggestions:
1. Find out the entry requirement of the engineering subjects in the college. It usually have requirements on high school maths & science subjects, e.g. Maths, Physics, Chemistry, etc. You may need to work hard on these subjects to ensure your score is good enough to enter the college.
2. Familiarize any software that may use in the Engineering subjects, e.g. CAD that you have mentioned
3. Explore any summer intern opportunities in the Engineering companies. This may help you to understand how the engineering works.
Hope this helps! Good Luck!
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Ajish’s Answer

As a high school student, you should start identifying the engineering subjects offered by your school/school district.
Then you can choose a right engineering school and start identifying their admission requirements and try to meet them.
Lastly identify some computer skills like programming, some applications that can help you during your studies and prepare now itself.
Invest your time in reading good books related engineering and technology. This will help your mind orient towards engineering.
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Dan’s Answer

Alex,

1) Talk to one or more college academic advisors and ask them to answer your questions. You can also ask them if you can talk with a professor with specific knowledge of your interests. This will also help you to decide which college is best for you.

2) Ask around to identify a working engineer who will talk with you. Many professional engineers will be willing to explain the details of their profession. Remember that engineering is very diverse so two different mechanical engineers may be working in two different industries and thus, be doing two seemingly different jobs. Not only can the day-to-day tasks be different (design, analysis, testing, documentation) but the industries may be different (manufacturing, automotive, transportation, etc.).

3) Always try to get a summer intern or work-study job.

4) I am a firm believer in four-year university engineering degrees as they will provide you the credibility (degree) that will allow you to earn a good salary, good benefits, and good career stability and flexibility. If you like technical/engineering things, you should find an engineering career to be quite stimulating and fun.
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Sri’s Answer

Explore STEM courses in HS and see which branch of engineering you will be interested in. Also it helps if you can start thinking of the kind of career path you want to build and explore the options that are available to get in that direction. Wish you all the best !
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Yang’s Answer

Hi Alex, I suggest that when you graduated from high school, you can do a search on LinkedIn and Indeed. Try to find Intern opportunities first which didn’t require college degree. When you find it's hard to find such opportunity, I think you need to get a college degree. Especially for engineers, for a long term perspective, a college degree definitely helps more in your career.
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Soumya’s Answer

Hi Alex, good to know that you are enthusiastic about engineering. After high school you can opt science stream and focus on physics, chemistry and maths all together. You need to consider computers as well if your interest is in computer engineering as well. You can go for trainings and IIT coaching as well. Engineering require hardwork hence kindly try to sit and solve problem as much as you can in physics and maths. Please refer contents where you have doubts. You can refer google and youtube videos.

Happy Learning!!
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Howard’s Answer

If your passion is towards engineering, go to an accredited engineering school. Research and inquire about their undergrad program. If MANY students give a thumbs-up to their program (for the right reasons...giving out easy A's is NOT a good reason), then that is a school worth attending. Remember...if you have to work hard at it, then you will become a highly proficient engineer...which will benefit you (and others) in the years ahead. Fortunately, many engineering schools are good. For the first year or two you will be taking courses that most engineering students have to take. Therefore it is not critical (although preferred) that you declare a major. Although I graduated with a Mechanical Engineering and Physics degree, I think I would have preferred getting a Biomedical Engineering degree....however with 37+ years experience in Mechanical, I do not have any regrets in retrospect.
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Sanjeev’s Answer

Hi Alex, its great that you are considering going into engineering! What type of engineering are you planning on going into as that would narrow down what you should focus on? Regardless, it would be good to learn a programming language as that information could help you in any field of engineering. It would also be in your best interest to learn the core curriculum for engineering (math, physics, chemistry, etc.) since it would be required for any branch of engineering. Good luck!
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Viviana’s Answer

Hello Alex,
Engineering has a broad spectrum of specialties and I think it would be great to get to know a little bit of them to get to know what you really like . What I would do is reach to colleges or faculties that can give you a sneak peek of their programs. I would also encourage you too look for courses online and explore which ones sound interesting or do you like so that you can pinpoint your direction . With CAD is a great start , you´re going the right way . Good Luck !

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Rajesh’s Answer

Hi Alex, I am glad to hear your are interested in pursuing engineering. I would suggest you explore stem classes in your high school. Also, look into any clubs your school may offer like robitics or stem club. Participate in science fairs/project with your school, they can be a good source of gaining knowledge, Finally, work with your high school advisor on doing a thorough college search so that you get into the right college to pursue your career goals.
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Dustin’s Answer

Depending on your desire, one Engineering field I would suggest is Mechatronics. "Mechatronics engineering technologists use a combination of mechanical, electrical, computer and software skills to work with smart technologies, such as robots, automated guided systems and computer-integrated manufacturing equipment." This is a fairly new Engineering discipline and is growing rapidly. Many who are interested in a robotics and drone technology would benefit from a Mechatronics degree field and many schools are starting to add this degree path into their catalog. Hope this helps!
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