What types of engineering careers are out there? There are many engineering careers out there; it just depends on what you are interested in. Engineers are in almost every field you can think about. You have Aerospace Engineers, Civil Engineers, Design Engineers, Manufacturing Engineers, Sales Engineers, Electrical Engineers Production Engineers, Safety Engineers, Software Engineers and many more. You need to decide what you want to do then narrow your search down with what types of engineers do that type of work. How much schooling does it take? Most engineering careers will take about four to five years of education. Sometimes, depending on what type engineering career you want to obtain, you may have to take some tests after completing your degree. How do you decided between opening up your own store, or going into engineering? Im not sure what type store you are trying to open, but if you are trying to open up your own engineering company I would recommend that you work in that industry first so that you can get familiar with what others may want from you once you go into business. Is it hard for an African American female to become a successful engineer? It is harder because you have two factors against you, you are a female and you are an African American. When coming out of school you will probably feel that you always have to prove yourself. Sometimes they dont listen to you so you have to speak up and make sure that you keep up with everything in your field that you need to know. You have to remember to not to be afraid to ask question and just make sure that you dont allow anyone to ignore you, stand out by doing more than you need to. Is it really worth it? If you want it, it is worth it! Go for what you want, but if it is not in your heart then find something else. Could I open up a business, and be an engineer? Like I stated before, you can open your own engineering firm but try to get some experience in the industry for about five years then try to go and open your business. What types of engineering would you suggest for a girl who likes poetry, playing instruments, figuring out problems, math, dancing, helping people, and having fun? You have just described me! There is nothing wrong with enjoying extra curricular activities but you are going to have to decide again what type of work would you like to do after school. Are you a hands on person? Do you like to sit in front of the computer all day? Would you like to see your work one day in downtown Atlanta or somewhere else? Or would you like to work around chemicals on aircrafts or in the medical field? You have to sit down and decide what do you want to wake up every morning doing and then research what type of engineer you would need to be.

Hello, Marie. Good questions.....First off, I think that it is important that you get a degree from a school with a strong technical reputation. Smith is a good school, but when I went there, there was no engineering school. They have been very active in encouraging women to go into engineering, but having been to both Smith and the University of Illinois, for the money, I would go to Illinois. ( I believe that you are an Illinois resident? Much less expensive, although Purdue is also a good school ) I would think that you would get a better education from the U of IL, on the other hand the competition will be more than at Smith. I went to Smith because I thought that having a degree from a Seven Sisters school would look good on my resume, but in the end, I left Smith because at the time, I felt that their physics department wasnt preparing me for the working world. When I got to the U of IL, it was a real culture shock. I went from a small girls school of 4000 women to a school of 40,000 students. It took me a while to get used to the pace of things. After I got used to it, I found it challenging. One thing I learned at U of IL that I dont think one can get from Smith is how to work in teams with both men and women. That happens a lot in the work place. I am somewhat partial to the nuclear engineering department, or NPRE as it is called now, and sat on the advisory board for them for a few years. I do not have first hand experience with their biomedical department, but I know that Illinois is working hard to improve the faculty and expand their department. What I can tell you, is that when I review resumes, I like to see graduates from a strong science and engineering school and U of IL certainly is one of those. There are some pitfalls in co-ed engineering schools - if you have a chance to take a quick look at a book written in 2002 by Jane Margolis and Allan Fisher entitled, Unlocking the Clubhouse: Women in Computing. Although it is about computer science, it talks about some of the social issues faced by women going into technical disciplines in college. Dont let it scare you - but it might help you make up your mind. It is a short book and you can probably get it at the library. Well, this is a long answer to your question, but I hope it helps. I wish you the best of luck - and keep on going! Patricia Eng