Preparing for an Engineering Career

You should also consider the time management ideas discussed in this chapter to arrive at a reasonable weekly schedule Your education is an expensive investment Invest wisely. 

In this chapter, you will be introduced to some very important suggestions and ideas that could, if followed, make your engineering education more rewarding. Read this section very carefully, and think about how you can adapt the strategies offered here to get the optimum benefitfrom your college years. If you encounter difficulty in your studies, reread this chapter for ideas to help you maintain some self-discipline. 

1 Making the Transition from High Schooi to Coiiege 

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Equations come in two varieties mathematical and physical. Mathematical equations involve numbers that have no physical content that is, they involve pure numbers. We explore the relationships between pure numbers using the rules of mathematics. We learn a fair number of these relationships during our mathematical preparation for an engineering career. 

For an advanced career, any master of engineering degree is a suitable preparation. A doctorate in chemistry or chemical or mechanical engineering is needed if the student wants a top research position, either with a corporation or at a research lacility. Postdoctoral work in materials science (engaged in activities such as searching for new catalysts) is also advantageous. 

For an advanced career, pos raduate study of chemical reaction engineering is suitable preparation. When choosing a university for pos raduate work, a student should look for professors with expertise and renown in chemical reaction engineering who are leading an active research community in the field. A Ph.D. in chemical engineering with an emphasis in computational science and engineering is good preparation for top research in flow reactor systems. 

A bachelor of science in an engineering discipline, particularly mechanical, electrical, or computer engineering, is excellent preparation for an advanced job. A B. S. in physics or mathematics would point to a more theoretically informed career, perhaps in design. A bachelor of arts in environmental studies is also useful, as emission control is becoming a major part of gas turhine technology. A minor in any science is always heneficial. 

Any master of engineering or doctoral degree in chemistry, physics, or chemical engineering is good preparation for a high-level career. A Ph.D. in one of the sciences can lead to an advanced research position either with a university, company, or government agency. 

The third theme is the ultimate interconnectedness of the different branches of science and technology. This will be particularly important for anyone preparing for a career in science or technology. It is no longer wise to concentrate on just one field of endeavor, such as solid-state physics or computer engineering. One never knows when one s one field will be revolutionized by developments originating in another. One must keep an eye on technology as a whole. 

Explore possibilities. Women engineers often use their skills to go into business, medicine, law, or government. An engineering education will prepare you for many different careers. 

So much for getting your act together. The next way to prepare for handling crisis and chaos is to proactively seek a variety of personal and professional experiences. If you happen to be a civil engineer, please recognize that this profession is one of the few that provides many opportunities to have a career that includes employment in the government, business, and academic sectors. Travel is an excellent way to acquire personal and professional experiences. 

My hope for you, as an engineering student and/or an entry-level professional, is that you will interact with at least a few ethically-influential professors and practitioners. By ethically-influential professors and practitioners I mean individuals who consistently offer you lessons, by words and, more important, by actions in how to process ethical questions, especially ethical dilemmas. These individuals, based my grateful experiences with some of them, are concerned about the public, the environment, the profession, and the individuals they interact with. Learning from them will keep you almost always in Quadrant 1. To the extent you learn and practice what they teach, you will be just that much better prepared for a career characterized by success and significance. That is, because of your solid reputation and your ability to deal with difficult situations, you will do well materially and you will leave a legacy. 

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