Ask an Engineer

By far, my largest influencers were my teachers which started with my 1st and 2nd grade teacher who taught me that just because I didn’t like doing something, I should still strive to do it the best I could. She knew I could have better penmanship, but ...

Unfortunately, I don’t have a female who helped me get into my engineering role. I had a great male mentor, though, who taught me things outside of my job to give me a wider picture of infrastructure along the way. He expanded my knowledge by doing so ...

My biggest female influence was definitely my mother. She helped me so much in my career. But it's not in the manner you would think. She only attended school until she was in 8th grade due to her mother dying when she was young. Her two older ...

It really depends on the type of engineering role you get, and the industry. There are a lot of different job types for engineers - design, stress, test, manufacturing, research, specialty analysis (aero, thermal), quality, project. 

For example, a ...

Hello there!
Engineering is very broad, and there are all types of jobs! I spent my first 5 years in design, every day. As you progress in your career, you may choose to get more into project management than design all day! 
I found that I was losing my ...

I think it's very natural when undertaking a long and (sometimes) difficult task, to feel overwhelmed and want to give up. It is especially helpful to determine your purpose.

Are you going into engineering to create innovation that will help the world ...

Defining and refining your Purpose is crucial to continued focus and success.

In business, a company must define their purpose, mission and vision for existing. These are the statements that can be used to reflect back on when the business hits a bump in ...

Great question! There is A LOT to deal with these days.

I think you first need to understand your personality and what gives you a sense of accomplishment – do you need short term goals, long term, other? Also, what are the things you like to do that ...

All college programs are going to require self-discipline and dedication in order to succeed. I wouldn't say Engineering is any different. It is a matter of passion and commitment. Most universities offer an introductory course in Engineering within the ...

Engineering school is hard. But you learn tips and tricks to help you improve your study habits. Many of the engineering classes are challenging but they are also interesting. Studying interesting things makes them feel less hard.

My advice is to find a ...

Engineering classes do tend to have a bigger workload than other majors. However, just like you are learning time management and studying skills as a freshman in high school, you will take these high school skills and build on them as a freshman in ...

Hey! It's awesome that you're interested in engineering and that you're strong in math and science – that's a fantastic foundation! Seriously, those skills are super important for becoming an engineer, so you're already on a great track.

Your sister does ...

I won't lie to you: the better you are with words (reading and writing), the stronger your impact as an engineer will be! I cannot imagine an engineering job in which you won't need to communicate your ideas, plans, and accomplishments to other people. ...

You do not have to be good at every subject. I would encourage you to look for STEM in subjects that you aren’t great at. You’d be surprised how much STEM plays a role in history, and you can find books related to your interests or find STEM in the books ...