Steps that will guide you to know if Engineering is the right path for you
Engineering industry in one of the industries that have very high competition and also has a very high demand curve. It is quite tasking to join the ranks in the engineering industry following the high rates of competition and increasing demands. A starting salary of about 84770 dollars is very attractive and this always makes people want to be engineers even if they do not understand or have what it takes to be an engineer. However, there is more to your career than just having a good salary.
You will need to evaluate yourself and do certain things first to know whether engineering is the best career path to follow. Engineering industry is divided into so many fields which you should be able to comprehend way before registering for the program in school, the main aim of this learning process is to enable you make firm decisions on your preferred majors.
The other way to know if engineering is the best course to choose for yourself is to attending pre-college engineering programs which will give you exposure on handling engineering projects and also help you meet and interact with the students pursuing engineering, some of these institutions include Johns Hopkins and University of Illinois.
After identifying your preferred major, the next thing is to do is to search for the appropriate undergraduate program that suits all your qualifications. After choosing the undergraduate program, take a look at all the courses and see if you are interested in these courses, most of the course always incorporates quite a lot of mathematics and science, therefore you need to check if your interests will be favoured.
You can also take engineering related courses in local colleges if you are neither able to afford nor in a position to attend the summer classes, this will help you to know what to expect if you study engineering and if you are up to the task when it comes to reading.
The other thing is to know how you will use the engineering knowledge in solving problems and if you will be able to fit in the practical roles of your specialized fields.
Most schools often organize mentorship programs which incorporates practicing engineers from different fields, you should grasp these opportunities to meet them and actively participate in these programs and ask relevant questions.
Another important thing to do is to have a good career path plan where you will write down details like where you envision yourself probably five years after clearing your undergraduate program and if you will want to major in other fields apart from the first one.