EXPLORING ENGINEERING CAREERS

Useful guidance for career-minded young makers who may wish to pursue engineering.

Folding in statistics on average salaries and projected growth rates, Morkes offers a broad overview of select pursuits covered by the umbrella term engineering—from spaceship, roller coaster, and software design to criminal forensics—and makes the cogent observation that not all of them require costly graduate degrees. To broaden the field’s appeal a bit further, he also points to the essential role of engineering in glamorous developing technologies, like virtual reality and artificial intelligence, and lists distinguished people, including a president (Herbert Hoover) and several astronauts (Mae Jemison, Ellen Ochoa, and Neil Armstrong), who trained as engineers. For readers who are already thinking seriously about turning themselves into attractive job candidates, the author provides a helpful set of questions to ask at informational interviews, identifies engineering organizations that have youth outreach programs, and evaluates the pros and cons of different training paths, including higher education, apprenticeships, and the military. Depicting a diverse cast in action, the stock color photos are scanty but relevant, and the backmatter features generous annotated lists of useful print and web resources.

A concise, information-packed overview with an emphasis on helpful practical advice.