A Guide for  High School Women on Becoming an Engineer
From High  School To Career
As you probably  have already heard, engineering is one of the few professions that allows you to  make a good salary after only four years of college. However, engineering  has a lot more to offer than money. As an engineer you have a vast  potential for growth and a wide variety of opportunities (inside and outside of  the engineering field). A degree in engineering can easily lead to a  career that you will enjoy for the rest of your life.
Presently, the  engineering field is male dominated. The percentages of women are  increasing, though, because women like you possess all of the qualities  necessary to become successful engineers.
This web page is  designed to give you some idea of the road that you must travel if you are  thinking of becoming an engineer, but remember this is only one source of  information. Use as many sources (teachers, parents, guidance counselors, books)  as possible to make your decisions.
ENGINEERING  - WHAT IS IT?
Engineering is  putting scientific knowledge into a wide variety of practical uses.  An  engineer, however, is not the same as a scientist. Engineers have a  background in math and science, as would a chemist or physicist, but apply these  basic principles to practical problems in some type of industry. A  scientist is not as application-oriented as an engineer and is more dedicated to  the understanding of these basic principles. Essentially, engineers solve  problems using math and science in innovative ways.
INDICATORS  OF A POTENTIAL ENGINEER
Now, you have  some idea of what an engineer is, but you are still in high school.  Actually becoming an engineer is still many years away. This general  definition of an engineer cannot help you to decide if you want to go into  engineering. The problem is that you have to decide NOW (or soon) what you  will happy doing many years from now. What characteristics that you  possess now indicate that you would be a good engineer?
Potential  engineers usually demonstrate the following qualities in high school. 
The enjoy solving    problems in math and science. (Try not to equate your enjoyment of the subject    matter to the teacher or your grade.)
They are logical andanswer-oriented.
They enjoy lab work and    group work.
If you have any  or all of the characteristics, then engineering may be the field for you. 
START  NOW!!
As a high school  student you have to start to prepare yourself to become an engineer.
Take as many math and science courses as you can.
Gain experience with computers
Don't neglect your English and foreign language classes. They are important and may be required for admission to college.
Get involved in some extracurricular activities.You don't have to be a bookworm to be an engineer, and you will gain organizational and teamwork experience.
Take the standardized tests required for application to college.
Apply to schools with good engineering programs.
Visit schools that you may wish to attend. You will be able to make a better informed decision.   
THINGS TO  EXPECT ALONG THE WAY
You've finally  graduated from high school and you had a great summer, but before you know it  tomorrow is your first day of college. Although you can begin to  prepare yourself for college while you are still in high school, there are many  things about college, especially when you major in engineering, that are  different from high school. This section identifies some of these  differences so that you can prepare yourself in advance. If you have  advance warning, dealing with these differences is easier.
MALE-FEMALE  RATIO
One major  difference that is frequently an issue in engineering classes is that there  always seem to be more men than women.  Although the amount of women is  always increasing, men still outnumber women. To give you an idea of  what the class ratios will be, as of January 1992 at Carnegie Mellon University,  the percentage of sophomore women in each major (you don't have to choose  a major until your sophomore year) is shown below.  These percentages will  vary at other schools.
Type of        Engineering Female        % of Class Male %        of Class
Chemical        35%        65%       
Civil        23%        77%       
Electrical        & Computer 7%        93%       
Mechanical        8%        92%       
Materials        Science 6%        94%       
The high  male-female ratio in engineering should not be a deterrent from pursuing  engineering. When a senior mechanical engineer was asked to state what  problems she had encountered as female undergraduate, she said, I don't  think that there is a problem. Although one undergraduate electrical engineer  admitted to being slightly intimidated by the large number of men in her  classes, she had experienced no major problems simply because she was a woman.  A male engineering student stated that he chose lab/study partners based  on ability, not on gender.
TYPE OF  COURSEWORK
During the first  year all engineers take basically the same classes.  Usually at the end of  your freshman year, you decide what type of engineer you want to be. In the  following years, students begin to move away from these core engineering  classes and take classes in their specific major. You will also have the  opportunity to take additional technical courses as well as humanities and  social science electives.
DIFFICULTY OF COURSEWORK
College level  courses, in general, move at a faster pace than your high school classes.  ;Although college courses are more challenging and demanding, the sense of  achievement upon completion of the course is proportional to the amount of work  put into the class.
INDEPENDENCE
College life  offers you more independence than in high school. Although freedom helps  you to grow as a person, you must motivate yourself to do your work.  Many  freshmen have a difficult time adjusting to this freedom.
MISCONCEPTIONS
There are some  common misconceptions about engineers such as
engineers are nerds   
all engineers are shy   
you have to be super-smart to be an engineer
engineers have no outside interests.
These statements  are no more true for engineers than they are for the population in general.   Engineers are people just like you.
DECIDING  WHAT TYPE OF ENGINEER
YOU WANT TO  BE
At the end of  your freshman year in college, you will have to decide specifically what type of  engineer you want to be. Talking to people (other students, professors,  engineers) is a great way to get an idea of what each type of engineer can do.  However, to get you started here are some basic explanations of some of  the different types of engineering.
BIOMEDICAL  ENGINEERING
Engineers are  trained to apply techniques of mathematics and science to solving problems in  medicine and biology.  Engineers investigate genetic engineering, tumor  biology, cellular processes, design and materials of prosthetic devices, new  ways of taking images of the human body, and a wide range of other aspects of  both biology and other engineering disciplines.
CHEMICAL  ENGINEERING
These engineers  must apply the principles of both mathematics and chemistry to solve problems,  create materials, and design complex chemical systems.  Chemical engineers  create drug delivery systems, numerical models for atmospheric pollution  problems, as well as magnetic and electronic materials. ;Not only do  chemical and petroleum manufacturers employ them, but chemical engineers also  find work in firms that produce drugs, plastics, paints, magnetic tapes, and  synthetic fuels.
CIVIL  ENGINEERING
The roads, dams,  bridges, water treatment plants and all other public projects that affect  society's daily life are developed by civil engineers. Civil engineers  also perform the structural design and analysis of buildings, such as  skyscrapers. Other areas of civil engineering include construction project  management, construction automation, environmental engineering, traffic  analysis, and mechanics of materials.
ELECTRICAL  AND COMPUTER ENGINEERING
Electrical  engineers explore electrical phenomena, such as determining the best methods of  getting information from one place to another, and building robots that can  electronically sense their surroundings. Computer engineers are involved  with digital technologies like computer hardware and the development of more  efficient circuitry on silicon computer chips.
ENGINEERING  AND PUBLIC POLICY
This field  addresses the need to inform engineers and scientists of the social, political,  and economic impact that their work will create. It deals with energy and  environmental systems, information technologies, technology-related issues on  international peace and security, and the advancement of analytical tools and  methodologies.
MECHANICAL  ENGINEERING
Mechanical  engineers work with about anything that has integrated, moveable parts.  They draw on knowledge from every other branch of engineering and work on  a variety of projects: automobile transmissions, oil pipelines, solar heating  systems, factory assembly lines, designing prosthetic devices, as well as  manufacturing techniques and quality control, just to name a few.
MATERIALS  SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING
Engineers in  this field develop new ways to produce and process materials such as metals, ceramics, glasses, polymers, and semiconductors. They study how materials  react under various conditions and contribute to the development of innovative  products like ceramic parts for automobile engines, heat shields on space  vehicles, and medical prosthetic devices.
WHAT  HAPPENS AFTER
I GRADUATE  FROM COLLEGE?
After four  years, you graduate from college with a bachelor's of science (BS) degree in a  particular type of engineering. You have many opportunities upon  graduation.
EMPLOYMENT:  YOU COULD GET A JOB IN ...
Sales
Production
Research
Design
Product    Management
Consulting
FURTHER  EDUCATION
Besides  preparing you for a job, an engineering degree gives you a good background for  several types of further education. Many graduating engineers go on to  school either immediately following graduation or after working for a couple of  years. Having a bachelor's degree in a certain type of engineering does not mean that you have to continue your education in the same major.
Some of the  opportunities in higher education are . . .
law school
medical school
business school
graduate school in a    technical major other than your own
KEEP IN  MIND ...
Engineering  offers you a potential for growth and provides you with a climate where  innovative, talented and dedicated young people have an opportunity to achieve  success. Although there is a higher percentage of men than women in  engineering, the ratios are shifting. Women have attributes to make good  engineers. If you have an indication that you would want to be an  engineer, you should not hesitate to pursue your interests. Hopefully,  this web page will make the very beginning of your career in engineering a  little easier.
This Web Page  was produced based on a booklet developed by
SOCIETY OF WOMEN ENGINEERS
Carnegie Mellon  University Student Chapter
Doherty Hall 2313
5000 Forbes Avenue 
Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3890
(412) 268-2521
BACK
Hosted by www.Geocities.ws

1