We asked engineers from different fields what advice they would give to girls interested in engineering. Here’s what they told us:
Seek out opportunities to meet female engineers and learn about their jobs. Ask if you can tour a business that has engineers.- Find a mentor to help you succeed in school and learn about math and science. Family members, school counselors, and Girl Scout volunteers are good mentors.
- Think about what you want in the future and then work toward that. Nothing comes easy. You can be cool and still get your homework done.
- Stick with sciences and math—these subjects are the passport to doing whatever you want in engineering.
- Focus not only on developing top-notch math and science skills but also excellent writing and speaking abilities.
- Don’t give up on education. The more knowledge you have, the more powerful you are—no matter what you want to be in life.
- Listen to and observe older people, so that you don’t have to learn everything the hard way.
- Hold true to yourself. If there is something you want to pursue, you must do it. A career is something to be selfish about—it’s not for anybody but yourself.
- Explore and find something that is interesting to you. You don’t have to know exactly what you want to do. When you start going in one direction, you may find out about something completely new.
- Ask for help if you need it. If you still don’t get it, continue to ask for help. Don’t think you can ask only once or one person. Get a second opinion if you need it.
- Always do your best. Always try to act in such a way that if you died today, you can say that you have done your best.
- Cultivate confidence and good etiquette. Believe you are the best at whatever you are doing. Always be polite and give back to people.
- Tell your parents or guardians why becoming an engineer is important to you.
- Take advantage of free resources on the Internet.
- Remember that you can follow your dream and still surround yourself with people who care for you.
- Look for fun ways to learn more about math and science. For instance, seek out camps or after-school clubs related to science, robotics, and engineering.
- Get involved in school sports and other extracurricular activities, in order to show universities that you’re well rounded.
Get Ready for an Engineering Career
Engineers possess high-level skills, earn high wages, and have many options when deciding on a career field. Experts predict a strong demand for engineers in the future, especially for women. You can see the contribution of women engineers in products like the graphing calculator, alternative fuel for cars, and processes for the large-scale distribution of antibiotics.
Not sure how to prepare for an engineering career? Here are some suggestions from engineers:
During Middle School
- Learn how to work as a team by getting involved in clubs and sports teams.
- Get the best grades you can. Seek out help from tutors or teachers if you don’t understand
an assignment. - Join Girl Scouts, which hosts events and camps to help you learn more about science, math, engineering, and technology. Join an all-girl robotics team and learn to build and program a LEGO robot.
- Attend day camps or after-school clubs related to science and math.
During High School
- To help you prepare for college, take four years of math (including calculus, if your school offers it)
and science (including chemistry and physics). Take computer programming, if your school offers it. - Meet with your school counselor and ask about ways to prepare for an engineering career.
- Attend Girl Scout events. As a Girl Scout Senior and Ambassador, you could have opportunities to job-shadow an engineer.
- Tour colleges that excel in engineering.
- Apply for college and financial aid.
- Research engineering careers on the Internet.
During College
- Talk to your advisor during your freshman year to help you plan a program of study.
- Map out your four years to ensure you get the right classes.
- Join or form study groups to help with math and science classes. Even the best students benefit
from these groups. - Seek internships or co-op opportunities in engineering.
- Continue to seek out mentors.
- Join your college chapter of the Society of Women Engineers (www.swe.org) and other
engineering organizations.
