9781422270660

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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