9781422270660

CAREERS IN BEAUTY AND FASHION CAREERS IN BUSINESS CAREERS IN CONSTRUCTION CAREERS IN ENGINEERING CAREERS IN THE ENVIRONMENT CAREERS IN NURSING CAREERS IN SAFETY AND SECURITY CAREERS IN SOCIAL MEDIA AND THE WEB CAREERS IN SPORTS CAREERS IN THERAPY AND REHABILITATION

BY ANDREW MORKES

PO Box 221876, Hollywood, FL 33022 (866) MCP-BOOK (toll-free) • www.masoncrest.com

Copyright © 2024 by Mason Crest, an imprint of National Highlights, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Printed in the United States of America First printing 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Series ISBN: 978-1-4222-4751-8 Hardcover ISBN: 978-1-4222-4757-0 ebook ISBN: 978-1-4222-7066-0 Cataloging-in-Publication Data on file with the Library of Congress Developed and Produced by National Highlights, Inc. Project Manager: Andrew Morkes Cover and Interior Design: Tara Raymo • CreativelyTara Layout: Priceless Digital Media, LLC Publisher’s Note: Websites listed in this book were active at the time of publication. The publisher is not responsible for websites that have changed their address or discontinued operation since the date of publication. The publisher reviews and updates the websites each time the book is reprinted.

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Introduction................................................................... 7 Chapter 1: Is an Engineering Career for You?....................11 Chapter 2: Engineering Career Paths...............................17 Chapter 3: Charting Your Path in Engineering...................35 Chapter 4: E xploring Education and Careers in Engineering...................................57 Chapter 5: Learning More About Engineering and Career Choices........................................79 Index............................................................................92 Photo Credits................................................................94 Educational Video Links.................................................95 Author’s Biography .......................................................96 Words to Understand: These words with their easy-to-understand definitions will increase the reader’s understanding of the text while building vocabulary skills. Sidebars: This boxed material within the main text allows readers to build knowledge, gain insights, explore possibilities, and broaden their perspectives by weaving together additional information to provide realistic and holistic perspectives. Educational Videos: Readers can view videos by scanning our QR codes, providing them with additional educational content to supplement the text. Examples include news coverage, moments in history, speeches, iconic sports moments, and much more! Series Glossary of Key Terms: The Key Terms glossary contains terminology used throughout this series. Words found here increase the reader’s ability to read and comprehend higher-level books and articles in this field.

A structural engineer (right) and a supervisor discuss a construction project.

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Introduction

Students are often interested in learning more about careers, but many don’t take the steps necessary to do so, according to a survey of 14- to 18-year-olds by the nonprofit ECMC Group. It found that while 74 percent of respondents believe it is important to have their career plans determined when they graduate from high school, only 39 percent have taken classes or participated in programs to explore occupations. Many young people are not aware of the wide range of activities that are available to help them explore the field they’re considering, discover career paths, and learn what it takes to train and be successful in a given occupation. If you are a middle school or high school student, here are just a few of the exploration activities in which you can participate: • engineering and general STEM competitions • school clubs • interviews and job-shadowing experiences with engineering professionals • summer exploration camps • volunteer opportunities • tours of construction sites, engineering firms, manufacturing plants, and other places where engineering professionals do their work • books, websites, podcasts, and videos • mentorship programs • resources from professional engineering associations, companies, and government agencies The Getting Started series provides everything that you need to know about exploring careers while you’re in middle and high school. It also includes a wealth of information about dozens of occupations

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Although traditionally a male-dominated field, an increasing number of women are pursuing careers in engineering.

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Getting Started: Careers in Engineering

in each title, educational requirements, paying for school, and many other resources. If you’re looking for some great—and fun—ideas on how to learn more about a specific occupational field, you should check out this series After trying out some of the suggested activities and learning more about engineering occupations, you may be inspired to become a civil, mechanical, or industrial engineer or an engineering technician, or enter one of dozens of other careers in this field. So, what are you waiting for? Let’s begin exploring education and careers in engineering.

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Introduction

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

clean energy: sources of energy—such as solar, wind, water, geothermal, bioenergy, and nuclear—that cause less damage to the environment than fossil fuels (coal, petroleum, natural gas) economist: a worker who collects and studies data, historical trends, and current business inclinations to help businesses and other organizations make decisions regarding financial, production, and other issues doctorate: an educational credential that is awarded to an individual who completes two or three additional years of education after earning a master’s degree; it is also known as a doctoral degree (PhD) infrastructure: in relation to the construction industry, the systems of a city, region, or nation, such as communication, sewage, water, transportation, dams, and electric

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1 Chapter

Is an Engineering Career for You?

What’s So Great About Engineering Careers?

Engineers use science and engineering principles to design, build, test, troubleshoot, and repair products, systems, structures, and infrastructure . Engineering professionals: • help design and build highways, bridges, dams and towering skyscrapers • develop and implement strategies to protect our air, soil, and water • conduct scientific research to design medical equipment and devices, such as artificial internal organs and the most up-to date technology for diagnosing medical problems • brainstorm ideas to reduce the negative effects of global warming/climate change and develop and build clean energy technologies • identify ways to reduce waste and improve productivity in manufacturing processes

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• develop and build spacecraft that can be used to fly to the International Space Station (ISS), the moon, Mars, and other celestial destinations • design and build rollercoasters, electric vehicles, and almost any other type of cutting-edge technology that you can imagine And these are just a few of the many job duties performed by engineering professionals. Engineering careers are available for people with high school diplomas all the way through doctorates . You can even train for some positions via an apprenticeship (a formal training program that combines supervised practical experience and classroom instruction) or through the military. These training methods—unlike college—are free, and you will earn a salary while you learn.

A structural engineer for the US Army Corps of Engineers prepares to inspect the top chords (slanted beams) of a railroad truss.

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Getting Started: Careers in Engineering

A wide range of work environments are available in engineering. Many jobs exist in research facilities, laboratories, business offices, and manufacturing plants. But there are also jobs—such as civil or environmental engineers—in which you’ll spend much of your time outdoors. Some jobs involve a hybrid indoor/outdoor work environment. Earnings for many engineering professionals are higher than those paid to workers in other fields. For example, workers in engineering and architecture professions earn a median annual wage of $79,840, according to the US Department of Labor (DOL). This is higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $45,760. There will always be a strong need for engineering professionals, because their work plays a key role in most aspects of our lives— whether it’s keeping our drinking water clean to building highways to developing spacecraft to studying manufacturing processes to make them faster and more energy efficient. Employment for all engineers is expected to increase 4 percent from 2021 to 2031, according to the DOL. This is about as fast as the average for all occupations, but the following engineering careers will enjoy stronger growth: • bioengineers and biomedical engineers: faster than the average

• chemical engineers: much faster than the average • engineering professors: much faster than the average

• industrial engineers: faster than the average • petroleum engineers: faster than the average What Types of People Are

Interested in Engineering Careers? People with many different interests can find engineering careers that suit them. But if you’re unsure about your interest in the field, answer

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Is an Engineering Career for You?

Engineering is a great field for those who like to design and build things.

the following statements to determine if an engineering career is the best fit for you: • My favorite classes are science and mathematics. • I like to design and build things. • I like to conduct research and gather data. • I enjoy doing science experiments.

• I want to make the world a better place. • I consider myself a good problem solver. • I am interested in emerging technologies. • I like to think of new ways to do things. • I’m curious to know how things work. • I like puzzles and other mind-challenging games.

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Getting Started: Careers in Engineering

If many of these statements describe you, then you should consider a career in the field. But don’t be deterred if you didn’t check most of the boxes. So many additional engineering occupations exist—such as engineering economists or technical writers—that you are likely to find a great career that will match your skills and interests. In fact, this book provides information on more than 35 engineering careers!

What’s Inside This Book In this book, you’ll receive answers to the following questions, and more. • What are some great careers in the field?

• What are some key engineering terms that I should know? • What are some easy and more challenging ways to explore education and careers in the field? • What advice do high school and college teachers have for future engineering professionals? • What are some important professional associations in the field, and what types of resources do they provide to students and to those just starting out in their career searches? • What engineering–related books and websites should I check out? • How do I train for an engineering career? • How do I pay for my education, and what free training options available? • How do I land my first job in the field? Does a career in engineering sound like a good fit for your interests and abilities? If so, read on to learn everything you need to know about exploring and preparing for the field.

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Is an Engineering Career for You?

WORDS TO UNDERSTAND

3–D printing: a manufacturing process that first begins with the design of a product using 3–D modeling software; the machinery then uses data from the design file to apply successive layers of powder, liquid, sheet material, or other ingredients to fabricate a 3–D object biofuels: plant materials that are converted into liquid fuels for use in powering cars and other vehicles cartographer: a type of worker who collects geographic data and prepares maps in digital or graphic form for educational and environmental purposes deforestation: cutting or burning down a forest so that the land can be converted to bare ground and used for agriculture Industrial Internet of Things: the use of the Internet of Things, machine learning, and Big Data technologies to enhance industrial and manufacturing processes; also known as the industrial internet machine learning: a branch of artificial intelligence that involves programming and teaching computerized systems to learn from data, identify patterns, and make decisions with little human intervention

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