10 answers
Feyisola
Student
Elk River, Minnesota
1
Question
Updated
872 views
What do I need to do as a highschooler to prepare for career like engineering, computer science or stem related. I am interested in this careers, but I need help in preparing. What skills do I need to learn, or websites I could use or things I could do to prepare. ?
Just needed help in preparing for college, advice and other stuff.
10 answers
Joshua Allard, Ph.D.
Data Science & AI, Quantum AI designer developer
38
Answers
Port St. Lucie, Florida
Updated
Joshua’s Answer
It’s fantastic that you’re thinking ahead about how to prepare for a career in engineering, computer science, or any STEM-related field while still in high school. The best place to start is by building a solid foundation in math and science. Focus on excelling in algebra, geometry, trigonometry, calculus, and physics. These subjects will help develop your problem-solving skills, which are crucial in STEM careers. If your school offers Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, these can challenge you further and potentially earn you college credit.
Learning how to code is essential if you’re interested in computer science. Starting early will give you a significant advantage. Popular beginner-friendly programming languages include Python, JavaScript, Java, and C++. You can learn these languages on websites like Codecademy, FreeCodeCamp, and Khan Academy. If you’re looking for more advanced courses, platforms like Coursera or edX offer courses from top universities. Coding challenges on websites like LeetCode and HackerRank are also great for building your problem-solving abilities.
Hands-on experience is just as important as theoretical knowledge. Many high schools offer STEM-related clubs like robotics teams, which allow you to work on real-world engineering and programming projects. You can also participate in competitions such as FIRST Robotics, Science Olympiad, or hackathons to apply your skills in real-world settings. If available, look for internships or summer programs with tech companies, research labs, or universities to gain practical experience.
In addition to technical skills, developing soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and time management is crucial. In STEM careers, you’ll often need to collaborate with others, so clearly communicating your ideas and working well in a team will be necessary. To further prepare, explore free online resources like MIT OpenCourseWare, NASA’s STEM Engagement portal, and Scratch for beginner coding. If you’re considering college, start researching engineering or computer science programs and consider attending summer programs or visiting campuses to gain insight into potential paths.
By building your math, science, coding, and problem-solving skills, gaining hands-on experience, and developing your communication abilities, you’ll be well-prepared for a career in engineering, computer science, or any STEM field. Keep exploring, learning, and staying curious—you’re already on the right track!
Learning how to code is essential if you’re interested in computer science. Starting early will give you a significant advantage. Popular beginner-friendly programming languages include Python, JavaScript, Java, and C++. You can learn these languages on websites like Codecademy, FreeCodeCamp, and Khan Academy. If you’re looking for more advanced courses, platforms like Coursera or edX offer courses from top universities. Coding challenges on websites like LeetCode and HackerRank are also great for building your problem-solving abilities.
Hands-on experience is just as important as theoretical knowledge. Many high schools offer STEM-related clubs like robotics teams, which allow you to work on real-world engineering and programming projects. You can also participate in competitions such as FIRST Robotics, Science Olympiad, or hackathons to apply your skills in real-world settings. If available, look for internships or summer programs with tech companies, research labs, or universities to gain practical experience.
In addition to technical skills, developing soft skills such as communication, teamwork, and time management is crucial. In STEM careers, you’ll often need to collaborate with others, so clearly communicating your ideas and working well in a team will be necessary. To further prepare, explore free online resources like MIT OpenCourseWare, NASA’s STEM Engagement portal, and Scratch for beginner coding. If you’re considering college, start researching engineering or computer science programs and consider attending summer programs or visiting campuses to gain insight into potential paths.
By building your math, science, coding, and problem-solving skills, gaining hands-on experience, and developing your communication abilities, you’ll be well-prepared for a career in engineering, computer science, or any STEM field. Keep exploring, learning, and staying curious—you’re already on the right track!
Atul Bhankharia
Sales
476
Answers
Mount Laurel, New Jersey
Updated
Atul’s Answer
To delve into the exciting world of engineering, it's essential to embrace challenges and take Advanced Placement (AP) courses in Math, Physics, Chemistry, and English. These subjects form the backbone of engineering principles, and mastering them will give you a solid foundation.
If Electrical or Computer Engineering sparks your interest, seize the opportunity to take relevant courses offered by your high school. These classes will provide you with a taste of what's to come in your future engineering journey.
Moreover, if your school offers robotics programs, don't hesitate to participate. These programs can enhance your skills and help you discover your passion, whether it's Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, or Computer Engineering.
Boost your chances of winning scholarships by aiming for high scores in your SAT or ACT. These exams are often used by colleges to identify promising students, so a good score can open many doors for you.
Lastly, don't underestimate the power of excellent writing skills. A well-written essay can be a game-changer. Many colleges use essays as a key factor in their admission and scholarship decisions, so honing your writing skills can give you a significant advantage.
If Electrical or Computer Engineering sparks your interest, seize the opportunity to take relevant courses offered by your high school. These classes will provide you with a taste of what's to come in your future engineering journey.
Moreover, if your school offers robotics programs, don't hesitate to participate. These programs can enhance your skills and help you discover your passion, whether it's Electrical, Mechanical, Civil, or Computer Engineering.
Boost your chances of winning scholarships by aiming for high scores in your SAT or ACT. These exams are often used by colleges to identify promising students, so a good score can open many doors for you.
Lastly, don't underestimate the power of excellent writing skills. A well-written essay can be a game-changer. Many colleges use essays as a key factor in their admission and scholarship decisions, so honing your writing skills can give you a significant advantage.
Solomon Woldemichael
20
Answers
Seattle, Washington
Updated
Solomon’s Answer
Hi Feyisola,
It is good to see you asking such an important question. High school is the beginning of your future career. Both Engineering and Computer Science would require you to do well in all of your high school classes including English (reading and writing), math, logic, physics, coding, etc. You ace your classes, ace your school admission tests and become a well rounded student. The rest will fall in place as you apply to college.
Most importantly, to get the help you are asking for, reach out to your high school counselors. Join school clubs such as the math club. Join AP (advanced placement classes). Make good friends at school and study together. Ask for help when you have questions and also give help when others come to you.
There are many resources available on the Internet to help you advance your preparations for your careers. One thing that will definitely help you is to get into college and get your degree. During your college years, you can apply for internships to help get work experiences before you graduate college.
I wish you all the best.
Solomon
It is good to see you asking such an important question. High school is the beginning of your future career. Both Engineering and Computer Science would require you to do well in all of your high school classes including English (reading and writing), math, logic, physics, coding, etc. You ace your classes, ace your school admission tests and become a well rounded student. The rest will fall in place as you apply to college.
Most importantly, to get the help you are asking for, reach out to your high school counselors. Join school clubs such as the math club. Join AP (advanced placement classes). Make good friends at school and study together. Ask for help when you have questions and also give help when others come to you.
There are many resources available on the Internet to help you advance your preparations for your careers. One thing that will definitely help you is to get into college and get your degree. During your college years, you can apply for internships to help get work experiences before you graduate college.
I wish you all the best.
Solomon
Darragh Kelly
Account Executive
3
Answers
Dublin, County Dublin
Updated
Darragh’s Answer
Hey Feyisola,
To prepare for these I recommend using youtube, there are youtube channels run by experts in these topics and they offer free advice and will recommend where you can learn more and what webiste, book or youtube channels to use.
Search all three topics on youtube and you might find out which one you like best! When you figure out which one you like best all the skills you need will come naturally through your research and studies.
When preparing for a career like this the first question you will be asked in a job interview is why you chose this particular career? And you will already know the answer because you researched and found out which one you like best!
Best of luck!
To prepare for these I recommend using youtube, there are youtube channels run by experts in these topics and they offer free advice and will recommend where you can learn more and what webiste, book or youtube channels to use.
Search all three topics on youtube and you might find out which one you like best! When you figure out which one you like best all the skills you need will come naturally through your research and studies.
When preparing for a career like this the first question you will be asked in a job interview is why you chose this particular career? And you will already know the answer because you researched and found out which one you like best!
Best of luck!
john daley
engineering and maintenance
17
Answers
East Bridgewater, Massachusetts
Updated
john’s Answer
Take courses in math, statistics, drafting and science. You need to develop critical thinking skills. I'd even take an art course or some sort to try to bring out your creative side for being creative is a great skill to have in an engineer. Take a Six Sigma online course. They are just a few hundred dollars and it will show you how to analyze data and form educated decisions or recommendations.
Elisa Kadackal
Content Governance
1
Answer
Charlotte, North Carolina
Updated
Elisa’s Answer
Something that helped me when I was in this position was exploring basic/intro coding tutorials on YouTube, or on free platforms like https://www.w3schools.com/, Khan Academy, and Udemy. There's no need to memorize or fully understand all of the concepts- the main thing is to get a little picture of what code looks like. For college, start with your schools intro programming course, and make use of all the resources they offer- including tutoring or office hours or teaching assistants. Learning CS is like rewiring your brain to learn to solve puzzles, it takes a little practice- so don't worry if it's a little challenging at times (throughout any class or career experience). That's the fun part! :)
Sreedhar Chanda
Mechanical Engineer
28
Answers
Kentwood, Michigan
Updated
Sreedhar’s Answer
Hi Feyisola,
Many good colleges that offer STEM-related college degrees don't expect you to do anything special in high school other than get good grades in all your classes. But if you want to get into top STEM-related colleges, they want you to take few advanced classes in high school such as AP Physics, AP Statistics, etc and get good grades in them.
Good luck!
Sreedhar
Many good colleges that offer STEM-related college degrees don't expect you to do anything special in high school other than get good grades in all your classes. But if you want to get into top STEM-related colleges, they want you to take few advanced classes in high school such as AP Physics, AP Statistics, etc and get good grades in them.
Good luck!
Sreedhar
Greg McLeod
Customer Success
8
Answers
Flemington, New Jersey
Updated
Greg’s Answer
If you're interested in STEM careers, many school districts offer high school programs or curricula that can help you. In Minnesota, there's a program called the STEM Partnership (https://mnstempartners.org/). While I don't have a lot of information about them, they seem to provide a lot of resources for students, including scholarship opportunities that you could potentially benefit from. They also offer "Student & Family Career Coaching," which could be very beneficial.
If by "Engineering" you mean "Software Engineering," then one effective way to see if this career suits you is to choose a programming language or framework that you find exciting and work on projects. I would recommend Node JS, React, or Python. Create a portfolio of personal projects and remember that small businesses often hire freelancers for small projects. Wishing you all the best!
If by "Engineering" you mean "Software Engineering," then one effective way to see if this career suits you is to choose a programming language or framework that you find exciting and work on projects. I would recommend Node JS, React, or Python. Create a portfolio of personal projects and remember that small businesses often hire freelancers for small projects. Wishing you all the best!
Rachel Masters
Kernel/Software Engineer
6
Answers
Fort Collins, Colorado
Updated
Rachel’s Answer
I agree with the prior comments. I would also add on that if your school does not offer computer science opportunities, I would recommend learning on your own how to code, use github, and make some personal projects that you put on github so you can send those out as part of your resume.
Frank Scalia
16
Answers
Updated
Frank’s Answer
I agree wholeheartedly with Atul’s answer. Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry and English. I definitely agree that writing skills is something that gets overlooked. It is very important to have excellent writing skills. A big part of Computer Science and any engineering profession is documenting and teaching others about your work. Good communication skills along with writing skills will get you a long way. Good luck in your journey.
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