Engineering Schools

[srode1]

Finding one's passion in Engineering school is important and not always obvious. When I was in school, I drove an hour and a half home on the weekends to work as a mechanic in a local shop there to help pay my way through school, owned a 1969 Camaro coupe I drag raced, and drove a primer brown 69 Camaro pace car for my daily transportation which would make it obvious I should be a mechanical engineer which was my intention when I chose engineering for my degree. After my first class that was major specific (statics), I decided that was maybe not the best choice found it uninspiring. My 7:30am circuits class made me choose NOT to be a EE. Chemistry lit my fire, and so Chem E is the degree I went for. (BTW, I still have both 69 Camaros 37 years later, the coupe is my LT4 or 5 project car in the works now). Point being your son can change his mind after he there with little to zero to little wasted energy/time if he changes early enough.

Originally Posted by Stielow

I went to Rolla also. It was the Missouri School of Mines then University of Missouri- Rolla then Missouri School of Science and Technology. When I went there is was the Missouri School of No Women....

I was able to get a summer internship at GM my Sophomore year.
That turned into a Co-op position then got hired in full time. I went back to my guidance counselor and let her know she gave me bad advice and I worked for GM.

There were women there when I went to Rolla, there were about 4 in my Chem E graduating class of 50! LOL All the girls went to Columbia. We only bested Columbia on St Patrick's Day party.

Reinforcing the Co-op internship thing - an aspiring Engineering student should consider those opportunities as their chance to interview a company to see if they are interested in working there and also help check in some cases learn more about what being that type of Engineer looks like.

It's also a great foot in the door if they decide they would like to work there. The company I worked for actively recruits Summer Interns to help develop them and see if they will be a good fit. If they do well, we invite them back for the following year and they will probably have a job offer when they leave after the Summer going into their final year of school if they have done well.