I want to be an acoustical engineer - what can I do to start now?
I'm a freshmen in high school and I'm interested in becoming an acoustical engineer. I play an instrument and I enjoy physics and math. I know that acoustical engineers need to have at least a masters degree and experience in the field. What can I do now to get started? How and where do I get an internship? Do I need to know any software, and if so, how can I learn it?
#career-choice #career #engineering #physics #engineer #job-search #internships #music #acoustics
2 answers
Douglas Lemmo, P.E.
Douglas’s Answer
I believe a good place for you to start exploring Acoustical Engineering would be to Google " Acoustical Engineering" in Wikipedia. You can also Google "what does an Acoustical Engineer do. You might also look into "Try Engineering summer camps" www. ineeringcamps.ieee.org for a summer camp exploring engineering. Also you might ask you guidance councilor at school to see if any of the engineering schools in your area offer any introductory summer programs in engineering.
Good luck,
Rich Woynicz
Rich’s Answer
Consider volunteering for things which involve audio, video, and acoustics. For example your high school's theater arts likely is in need of people work sound and lighting systems for shows they put on. That is great experience on the technology and learning about sound. If you attend a place of worship, they also often also have sound systems and are in need of volunteers. Consider also your schools audio video or media center - volunteering. And take high school classes if you can on media technology. Local concert venues, theaters, symphonies may be looking for voluteers - maybe even summer internships (paid or not paid), These may give you exposure to the techology and science behind acoustics.
There are some really cool things going on in this space - look at Virgina Tech's "cube"
https://www.performingarts.vt.edu/get-to-know-us/location-facilities/the-cube