Engineering?

Question

I`m a 10th grade girl and am interested in engineering-particularily mechanical. My math and science background is very good-I have always been in the advanced courses. I`m trying to decide if I should go into engineering because I long to design and improve our world, but I had disliked a robotics and inventions class that I took. I`m not in love with math, but I`m fascinated by machines and how they work. What`s it really like being a mecha engineer?

Answer 1

You long to design and improve the world for other people, you're fascinated by machines and how they work, and you have a strong science background. You're not in love with math, but willing and able to apply it when necessary. Honestly, you sound a lot like most of the engineers (and engineering students) that I know, including myself.

The field of mechanical engineering is so incredibly broad, it would be almost impossible to adequately describe it here. Many ME careers have no involvement whatsoever with robotics, and there's also the possibility that the class you took was designed to entice those not already interested, rather than to challenge those (like you) who are.

The links below should help to answer your "what's it all about?" questions, and that's not just me copping out. There's some great stuff on them, including video clips of interviews with women engineers. Feel free to email if you need more info.

There's a severe and growing shortage of engineers in the U.S., and only about 10% of the engineering workforce is female. This needs to change, and I hope you'll be part of the solution. :)

::EDIT:: I just pulled the February issue of Mechanical Engineering magazine out of my mail slot, and the cover story happens to be about what "we" need to do to attract more women to "our" field. I pasted another link below to the online version of the story. Let me know if you have trouble getting to it, as there may be some sort of password or IP identification required.

Answer 2

If you dislike robotics, you probably wouldn't like 'normal' mechcanical engineering. Everything is becoming robotic. The thought is that in the near future, most production plants will be manned by a few engineers and a bunch of robots. I remember about 15 years ago, Ford Motor Company looked like a small city - people all over the place. Now it's a ghost town, all robots. If you are interested in getting into improve the world, you probably should be looking into new technologies. The old technologies - like big boilers, machinery, factory engineers - don't change very much. Companies working on computer technology is changing very rapidly. I'm an Energy Engineer, kinda a cross between mechanical and chemical engineering. I also have an Environmental Engineering degree. That's a very fast moving field these days, especially with the global warming coming into the game, there will probably a big call for Energy Engineers - solar, wind, new petrol, nuclear, conservation, air pollution, hazardous waste. It seems working for the EPA would be interesting. I work as an energy consultant - covering the very large companies and working on how to save them money on electricity, natural gas, etc. Also working with pollution emissions, which seem to change daily. I work with a lot of math and regulation type work - doing energy studies, figuring out what savings would be if this or if that. I think if you are in 10th grade, I'd stay with math and science - engineering also goes into chemistry and physics. One thing I really like about engineering is that it is the 'truth'. 1 + 2 = 3 - there are no arguments. Getting into marketing, advertising, etc., now that's a lot of made up stuff. A lot of wheeling and dealing. Engineering is more down to earth work. Have fun.

Answer 3

Yay, more women in the engineering field! I would recommend a program I took my sophomore year at high school called SUMMET. It's hosted by CSM or Colorado School of Mines. It's free and will give you a very good idea about what being an engineer is all about. You live on campus for three weeks and take freshman engineering courses. You end the program doing a project with a group. It's fun stuff.
http://www.mines.edu/Stu_life/mep/Student_Opportunities/SUMMET/

Mechanical engineering wasn't my interest; I went with environmental engineering. I do know that your first two years at a school will be exactly the same for any other engineer. I know that mechanical engineer degrees have more emphasis on math and physics than chemistry and biology.

Reading what you said I believe you will enjoy the field of engineering. Once you get through the standard slogging through calc, chem, physics, I think you'll really enjoy it.

-Lee
Enrolled in environmental engineering at NMT.

Answer 4

Don't worry about selecting a major within the engineering field. Most of the classes for the first two years are for good for all three majors: mechanical, civil and electrical. You can even specialize within those three fields! You have plenty of time to pick or change your classes to the major that fits you the best at most colleges until your junior year. (That's when the engineering fields separate.) You'll be fine. Just pick one field and don't sweat it. The chemistry, physics, and calculus classes are still good for most science fields, heh.

Hope that helps!