Robotics tournaments by First Lego league seems to be very popular these days. Is it necessary for kids to get involved in that? It's almost become the default for kids interested in engineering?

Hello Ren,

I just graduated from college with a degree in mechanical engineering.  I definitely don't think it's necessary for kids to get involved in specific engineering activities in their early education.  Growing up, my parents held working class jobs and my brother and I attended a very small public high school that barely had a science program of any sort.  

Despite my lack of experience, I still wanted to go to college for engineering and I did just that.  Several of my friends participated in their robotics teams in high school and while they seemed to have a leg up at the beginning, after a couple of semesters, we were on the same playing field.

If you don't have access/resources to enroll your kid into a robotics team or the like, encourage them to be inquisitive on their own.  Being engaged in their classes and taking in all the knowledge they can will help them prepare for college.  Job shadowing is also a great way to learn more about the field and so is talking to individuals in the field.  Once your kid gets to college, encourage them to be in student groups that develop engineering skills.  This will help them build a skill set that will be very desirable to future employers.

Feel free to reach out.