STEM degrees?

[Sarah CB]

My strengths are reading and writing and yet I somehow ended up with a daughter who loves math, does really well in science and can't stand to write an essay or have a lit discussion.

 

She graduates this year and has been trying to figure out what she wants to get into, but the problem is that neither of us know very much about STEM careers or degrees.

 

Does anyone have a child who has gone into math, physics, engineering or chem? Are there other areas to consider? How did they choose their major? And how do they figure out what kinds of things one does with those degrees? Just the sheer number of engineering options confuse me (electrical engineering, computer engineering, bio-engineering, chemical engineering - yikes!).

[LittleIzumi]

Mine is still very young to be picking a degree (she changes constantly from various scientists to doctor to midwife to entymologist, etc), but I do have a friend who got a physics degree, then an advanced degree, and teaches physics at Purdue.

[FaithManor]

My strengths are reading and writing and yet I somehow ended up with a daughter who loves math, does really well in science and can't stand to write an essay or have a lit discussion.

 

She graduates this year and has been trying to figure out what she wants to get into, but the problem is that neither of us know very much about STEM careers or degrees.

 

Does anyone have a child who has gone into math, physics, engineering or chem? Are there other areas to consider? How did they choose their major? And how do they figure out what kinds of things one does with those degrees? Just the sheer number of engineering options confuse me (electrical engineering, computer engineering, bio-engineering, chemical engineering - yikes!).

 

 

There are a LOT of options in STEM. Medicine, biology, etc. it's not just all about engineering or physics though many disciplines are interrelated.

 

You might want to start by picking some well known STEM schools and sending for a college catalog or check out their websites. You can look up a list of majors offered and from there you'll see the options. Michigan Technological University even describes possible job options on their website when you click on the general information about the major.

 

It's also rather telling to read the bio's of college professors. Many have worked a lot of years in research and practical application before deciding to teach.

 

Try Michigan Tech (MTU), U of Michigan, Georgia Tech, Virginia Tech, and MIT for starters. Try the websites and if you want more information, ask for catalogs or call their career centers. You can probably google a lot of information.

 

One example of options:

 

Computer Science can include the following degrees/areas of emphasis - computer engineering (think Silicon Valley and designing the next generation of processing chips), software development and engineering, project management, network systems engineering (hardware instead of software), database management, etc.

 

That's just one small STEM field. There are many others. In mathematics, check out the NSA and the Smart Scholarship. They are pretty desperate for math majors and offer grants of up to $25,000.00 per year for college in exchange for working in the NSA after graduation. The terms are reasonable.

 

Happy hunting!

Faith

[Um_2_4]

Both DH and I are engineers. I would base what type of degree she is looking for on what she wants to do. Work in research? lab work? Design things? Teach? Office work?

 

I wanted to teach.. I loved explaining things, Working out long problems on a white board.lol....

 

DH works in an office designing systems, he has a MS in EE.

 

Up and coming fields are a place to look at too..

 

I know too many Civil engineers without work right now.

 

As far as schools, look at certifications for engineering depts. Also look at what type of projects they have going on. I choose my school so I could work on a NASA trip.

Edited October 17, 2012 by Um_2_4
typo

[Crimson Wife]

Many engineering schools have an "Intro to Engineering" that is a survey of the various majors they offer.

 

The Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes an Occupational Outlook Handbook that has good information on various career fields. Here is the section for Engineering.

[Mama Geek]

Physics - unless you want to get a PhD stay out of this field. Dh has a BA in Physics and he couldn't get some one to let him work unpaid to get experience several years ago.

 

Civil Engineer - This is what my degree is in. There are lots of different fields within Civil Engineering, Structural, Transportation, Wastewater, Environmental, Soils. Some jobs are working for the city or state designing roads and bridges, designing buildings for strength and to meet codes, what I have done is kind of a mix of structural engineering and mechanical engineering. I have done finite element analysis for ships and I have worked on providing piping supports, platforms, casings for wells, buildings, etc in the oilfield.

 

Electrical Engineer - This is what my hd's masters is in. I can tell some of the things that he has done, but I am not as familiar with the other aspects. He has worked a lot in the oilfield industry. His job is currently picking valves, actuators, transmitters, etc. that will meet specific requirements of the project and the oil industry. He is currently on the construction site for the construction phase of the project. He has also designed computer displays which involves programming.

 

There are many different industries that use all types of engineers, state and federal governments, oil industry, mining, aerospace, auto industry and then just tons of other things as well. I have known engineers to work for a grill company, a chainsaw company, the food industry, just about anything you can think off.

 

There are jobs in the field or in the office. In most cases it is a lot of hard work, lots of overtime, lots of politics, and can be fun at times. One thing that is hard for me to deal with and I tried not to think about it when working is that if I made a big mistake, people could loose their lives.

[MissKNG]

Just the sheer number of engineering options confuse me (electrical engineering, computer engineering, bio-engineering, chemical engineering - yikes!).

 

My dad has a Masters in Physics/Electical Engineering and worked a few different jobs. He was an Electrical Engineer for a company that contracted with the government. He worked on cool stuff like the stealth bomber. Then he was the Head of the Physics Department and a professor at a local (top notch in our area) tech university. Today (and for the past 40 years), he has been self employed with a conglomerate of businesses.

[blessed3x]

I would suggest she shadow some different career choices to help her make up her mind.

 

My oldest daughter thought she wanted to go into engineering and shadowed a couple to help her decide. She quickly realized that she did not want to do that, and looked to other areas.

She is now in nursing and *loving* it. It was a much better fit for her.:)

[brownie]

I am in bio/chemical engineering. I chose engineering over chemistry because I like math and math applications (though I didn't realize this until AP Chemistry). I also still remember going to hear a panel of young women talk about choosing science vs. engineering at a local university and they said if you're unsure pick engineering bc it is easier to switch out of rather than into bc of the course requirements. That was true for me when choosing chem vs. chem engineering bc the chemistry requirements were identical for 2 years but engineering required more math courses.

 

Engineers often work in manufacturing, with big equipment :) producing stuff / applying knowledge. Scientists are more research based, in pursuit of pure knowledge (though obviously in industry that knowledge serves an explicit purpose). Engineering generally pays more out of school with a B.S. In fact it pays exceedingly well relative to other options.

 

After getting into an area and not really understanding what I was in for in the real world, I would strongly recommend doing a coop program in school where you work for a few semesters while attending college. I never wanted to leave my classmates and friends while switching back and forth and never intended to go into industry initially, so I did not do this, but it would have been exceedingly valuable.

 

Brownie

[Ali in OR]

If she leans toward engineering, the courses one takes freshman year are probably the same for whatever type of engineering she would later choose. Calculus, Physics, general requirements. Where I went to school we had breadth and depth classes starting sophomore year--breadth would include the intro electronics class, the intro materials science class, the intro mechanics class. If you then decide on EE, you take a lot more classes focusing on EE and more physics. If you want to be a ChemE, you take more chemistry, etc. The intro classes help you determine if you like a field.

 

If she leans more toward the medical side, it's still science and math freshman year. Where I went to school the pre-meds took slightly easier versions of the same science and calc courses the engineers took, but pre-meds were more intense and competitive so it could be stressful to be in those classes. You can always take the harder level math and science classes and keep options open for either engineering or medicine. I like schools were you don't have to declare a major when you enter; you have time to try things out and see what fits.

 

And of course there's more to STEM than just engineering or pre-med, but that's a quick glance at one way to go.

[Sarah CB]

Thanks, everyone. I've shared your posts with dd - they've been really helpful.

 

She definitely does not want to do anything in the medical field. That much she does know. She likes to be outdoors. She'd rather not teach. She can spend hours working through math problems and not get bored.

 

We're in Canada. I don't have a clue which universities we should start with, but I'll start digging in to the research now. We do live in a city with a fantastic university but I don't know anything about how their math and engineering departments compare to other universities in Canada.

[AdventureMoms]

If she leans toward engineering, pick a school with a lot of different engineering choices. Chances are it makes little difference which engineering discipline she chooses for the first two years. After 2 years in an engineering school, she'll have a LOT better idea of what she likes and she can switch to that major if needed. I'm a Mechanical Engineer, my wife is a Chemical Engineer, I dated a Computer Engineer for awhile... the first two years are all the same. Also, if you get a graduate degree, you can switch disciplines. It is very common for someone to get a MechE BS, then decide that they really prefer a different field and get a MS in, say Nuclear or Biomechanical Engineering.

 

The sciences I think are generally harder to get jobs in if you only get a BS, though certainly not impossible (and depending heavily on which science, where you go to school, and what your career goals are). I know several classmates with only a BS in a science (chemistry and physics) and they have had a lot harder time and a lot fewer options than my engineering classmates with only a BS. If I were looking to study a pure science now I'd be pushing for at least a masters, preferably a PhD.

 

Also you can get a BS in engineering and then do graduate work in the sciences or the other way around. So if you think she is going to do grad school, she has a lot of options at this point, and her decisions are not terribly final.

 

My personal preference if it were my kid who doesn't want to teach and loves working math problems would be to start with an engineering discipline (if she doesn't know which, I'd start by sorting between Mechanical, Chemical, and Electrical, those are the most "generic" disciplines), and go from there, with the awareness that as she delves into the chosen field she may find she wants to switch majors or switch to pure science. If she changes her mind in 2 years, she could easily switch to ANY other STEM field most likely. If she changes her mind in 4 years she still has the option to move to a science without losing much ground, since scientists tend to need an advanced degree anyhow.

[AdventureMoms]

Oh and I don't know a great deal about Canadian colleges, but I know McGill has an excellent reputation for engineers, and so does University of Waterloo. I'm sure there are others, but those might be a good place to start surfing.

[Sarah CB]

If she leans toward engineering, pick a school with a lot of different engineering choices. Chances are it makes little difference which engineering discipline she chooses for the first two years. After 2 years in an engineering school, she'll have a LOT better idea of what she likes and she can switch to that major if needed. I'm a Mechanical Engineer, my wife is a Chemical Engineer, I dated a Computer Engineer for awhile... the first two years are all the same. Also, if you get a graduate degree, you can switch disciplines. It is very common for someone to get a MechE BS, then decide that they really prefer a different field and get a MS in, say Nuclear or Biomechanical Engineering.

 

The sciences I think are generally harder to get jobs in if you only get a BS, though certainly not impossible (and depending heavily on which science, where you go to school, and what your career goals are). I know several classmates with only a BS in a science (chemistry and physics) and they have had a lot harder time and a lot fewer options than my engineering classmates with only a BS. If I were looking to study a pure science now I'd be pushing for at least a masters, preferably a PhD.

 

Also you can get a BS in engineering and then do graduate work in the sciences or the other way around. So if you think she is going to do grad school, she has a lot of options at this point, and her decisions are not terribly final.

 

My personal preference if it were my kid who doesn't want to teach and loves working math problems would be to start with an engineering discipline (if she doesn't know which, I'd start by sorting between Mechanical, Chemical, and Electrical, those are the most "generic" disciplines), and go from there, with the awareness that as she delves into the chosen field she may find she wants to switch majors or switch to pure science. If she changes her mind in 2 years, she could easily switch to ANY other STEM field most likely. If she changes her mind in 4 years she still has the option to move to a science without losing much ground, since scientists tend to need an advanced degree anyhow.

 

Thank you! That was very helpful. I really appreciate the info about how much choice she'll continue to have down the road.

[kalanamak]

Thanks, everyone. I've shared your posts with dd - they've been really helpful.

 

She definitely does not want to do anything in the medical field. That much she does know. She likes to be outdoors.

 

Rather than thinking medical vs. not medical, I'd think life sciences vs. not life sciences. I personally felt a difference between the life science geeks and the non-life science geeks, but I was the former. Perhaps chemistry majors lumped biology and math together as being like each other in that they weren't chemistry. :lol:

 

I used to be married into an Panjabi family. Kids good at chemistry went to med school, kids good at physics went to engineering school, and kids good with language went to law school. If they couldn't get into those, they went to the "step down" of each, e.g. nursing or paralegal. Made picking your career easy: Mummyji and Papaji decided for you.

 

Does she have to decide 'right now'? I changed a lot in my late teen years. I started off to college to write for nature magazines. That blew over in less than a year.

[AdventureMoms]

Rather than thinking medical vs. not medical, I'd think life sciences vs. not life sciences. I personally felt a difference between the life science geeks and the non-life science geeks, but I was the former. Perhaps chemistry majors lumped biology and math together as being like each other in that they weren't chemistry. :lol:

 

I used to be married into an Panjabi family. Kids good at chemistry went to med school, kids good at physics went to engineering school, and kids good with language went to law school. If they couldn't get into those, they went to the "step down" of each, e.g. nursing or paralegal. Made picking your career easy: Mummyji and Papaji decided for you.

 

Does she have to decide 'right now'? I changed a lot in my late teen years. I started off to college to write for nature magazines. That blew over in less than a year.

 

As one of the latter (definitely a Physics/Math kind of gal) I agree with this assessment. There is something...different between those attracted to the "hard" sciences (physics, mechanical, electrical, etc) and those attracted to the life sciences (biology, environmental, etc). I will say that chemistry/chemical engineering can bridge the gap sometimes though. I see both types there. It also seems that most people who find chemistry easy find physics hard, and most who love physics find chemistry hard. No idea why, I can only theorize that they must use different parts of the brain or something.

[tex-mex]

Has she done a career aptitude test? That would give her an idea of careers to consider if she likes outdoors and math/science.

[Crimson Wife]

She definitely does not want to do anything in the medical field. That much she does know. She likes to be outdoors. She'd rather not teach. She can spend hours working through math problems and not get bored.

 

One of my mom's good friends has a daughter who went to Stanford a couple years ahead of me. She studied Earth Systems undergrad, then did a PhD. in Resource Economics. She is currently a research fellow at a think tank.

[kalanamak]

It also seems that most people who find chemistry easy find physics hard, and most who love physics find chemistry hard. No idea why, I can only theorize that they must use different parts of the brain or something.

 

I, too, saw that, and found chem much easier, although I didn't think I had any trouble with the physics concepts. I finally hired a tutor (and where ever Costos the Greek Grad Student is now, thankyouthankyouthankyou) and found out what the problem was: word problems. Physics profs worded word problems in their own special way. Figuring out what they meant was the trick. I found chemistry had 'problems' with answers, but not word problems.

[GailV]

The sciences I think are generally harder to get jobs in if you only get a BS, though certainly not impossible (and depending heavily on which science, where you go to school, and what your career goals are). I know several classmates with only a BS in a science (chemistry and physics) and they have had a lot harder time and a lot fewer options than my engineering classmates with only a BS. If I were looking to study a pure science now I'd be pushing for at least a masters, preferably a PhD.

 

 

We've seen this, too.

 

Dh has a BS in ChemE. He now works in motors -- a field that has nothing to do with ChemE. You aren't necessarily locked in to one particular field with an engineering degree.

[Annie]

She shouldn't forget to look at nuclear engineering. Most work in offices not plants or labs. The current workforce is aging quickly, and they're looking for young people to come in. There's certainly the opportunity for sitting and doing long math problems. :001_smile:

[AdventureMoms]

We've seen this, too.

 

Dh has a BS in ChemE. He now works in motors -- a field that has nothing to do with ChemE. You aren't necessarily locked in to one particular field with an engineering degree.

 

Also very true. My degree is Mech E and I worked 3 different engineering jobs, only one of which could remotely be considered mechanical in nature. My wife's degree is Chem E and she has generally done work that is mechanical or nuclear in nature. To most employers an engineering degree is a flexible thing...

 

She shouldn't forget to look at nuclear engineering. Most work in offices not plants or labs. The current workforce is aging quickly, and they're looking for young people to come in. There's certainly the opportunity for sitting and doing long math problems. :001_smile:

 

My wife is in the nuclear industry, and in terms of employment it is a VERY good field to get into. Aging workforce doesn't begin to cover it! She does work in plants, and it is an extremely safe work environment. If that area interests her she doesn't necessarily need a Nuclear Engineering degree though. I know several dozen young engineers hired into nuclear in the last 10 years or so, they all had degrees in Chemical or Mechanical engineering. The defense industry also has a serious aging workforce issue that can be a huge boon to young engineers.

 

It does bring up another point about engineering though. Engineering in general, and certain fields in particular (electrical, nuclear, and defense come to mind) are VERY male dominated. This can be beneficial for a young woman's career as companies seek to diversify, but some women struggle with working in a group of all men. It is something to be aware of. I worked in defense and most of the time I was the only woman in a group of 30+ engineers. My DW experiences similar odds.

[mktkcb]

Well, my oldest dd is a jr/sr engineering major, and your dd better learn to at least tolerate writing if she wants to go that direction. They constantly have projects/group projects, and they ALL require detailed write ups. I'm just sayin. Going stem is not a way to avoid writing.

[lewelma]

Does anyone have a child who has gone into math, physics, engineering or chem?

 

My children are too young, but when I was younger, I specialized in Population Dynamics. This field can be accessed through a Biology or Statistics Department, as it is an interdisciplinary field. It tries to predict population sizes of organisms from endangered Rhinos to the dreaded mosquito and everything in between. I really enjoyed it. Number crunching is my speciality. :001_smile:

 

Ruth in NZ

[jar7709]

Well, my oldest dd is a jr/sr engineering major, and your dd better learn to at least tolerate writing if she wants to go that direction. They constantly have projects/group projects, and they ALL require detailed write ups. I'm just sayin. Going stem is not a way to avoid writing.

 

This is true. I have a STEM degree and career, and my job is currently about 75% writing. It is to my strong advantage that I have good writing skills (honed at a writing-intense, respected liberal arts college) and also some humanities experience (history minor)...many people with straight engineering backgrounds lack some of these skills, and for our industry (environmental consulting) they are very important. So my advice would be not to neglect these skills unless you have a strong reason to avoid them, because it can really help you find your niche and give you an edge down the road.

[Arcadia]

We're in Canada. I don't have a clue which universities we should start with, but I'll start digging in to the research now. We do live in a city with a fantastic university but I don't know anything about how their math and engineering departments compare to other universities in Canada.

 

Hubby liked University of Waterloo. He was an exchange student there in electrical engineering. A few of my ex-classmates went to University of Toronto and enjoyed their undergraduate studies there.

 

ETA: I have a BEng in civil engineering, did my postgrad in computer engineering and was doing regional project management before being a SAHM. I got to fly to lots of countries for my job.

Edited October 18, 2012 by Arcadia

[Mama Geek]

Along with nuclear work, oil & gas, mining and aerospace still have lots of demands for engineers. It is hard to say where we will be in the next 4 years, because all of these are dependent on politics and the economy and can also be very cyclical.

 

Also if your dd is really thinking engineer, how is she at figuring out what is wrong with things and fixing them? I am thinking like engines, appliances, household type problems. A background in some of this would really help going into an engineering degree.

[GailV]

 

My wife is in the nuclear industry, and in terms of employment it is a VERY good field to get into. Aging workforce doesn't begin to cover it! She does work in plants, and it is an extremely safe work environment. If that area interests her she doesn't necessarily need a Nuclear Engineering degree though. I know several dozen young engineers hired into nuclear in the last 10 years or so, they all had degrees in Chemical or Mechanical engineering. The defense industry also has a serious aging workforce issue that can be a huge boon to young engineers.

 

It does bring up another point about engineering though. Engineering in general, and certain fields in particular (electrical, nuclear, and defense come to mind) are VERY male dominated. This can be beneficial for a young woman's career as companies seek to diversify, but some women struggle with working in a group of all men. It is something to be aware of. I worked in defense and most of the time I was the only woman in a group of 30+ engineers. My DW experiences similar odds.

 

DH says he's younger than most of the engineers in motors -- he's 50. He finds it a bit alarming how old the workforce is in some of these areas.

 

Also, we're just starting to look at engineering schools here in the midwestern U.S. for dd. The word is that the small schools that focus on engineering (Rose Hulman, Rolla - MS&TU) will pretty much roll out a red carpet and treat a female like a celebrity because their enrollment numbers are so lopsided.

 

To the OP: When I mentioned this thread to DH he suggested your dd look at becoming an actuary. Plenty of jobs available, plenty of number crunching.

[AdventureMoms]

DH says he's younger than most of the engineers in motors -- he's 50. He finds it a bit alarming how old the workforce is in some of these areas.

 

Also, we're just starting to look at engineering schools here in the midwestern U.S. for dd. The word is that the small schools that focus on engineering (Rose Hulman, Rolla - MS&TU) will pretty much roll out a red carpet and treat a female like a celebrity because their enrollment numbers are so lopsided.

 

To the OP: When I mentioned this thread to DH he suggested your dd look at becoming an actuary. Plenty of jobs available, plenty of number crunching.

 

A 50yo would be younger than average in nuclear, for sure. They're only now starting to hire again after not hiring much of anyone since the 70's. DW is practically considered a child at 31. On the plus side everyone is retiring and she's also considered very experienced because she's a few years in now.

 

And YES colleges will roll out the red carpet for women right now. My alma matter had a ratio of 5:1 when I started. Some departments had a ratio more like 15:1 It's improved a bit, but it's still like 3:1 overall. Which is awesome for women. As long as you are comfortable working with men. Personally I never minded, but I do know some women get freaked out about it.

Edited October 18, 2012 by AdventureMoms

[smstjohn]

I think she should also decide how many years of school she is willing to put in. In some fields, a bachelor's degree might not be enough and she might need either a master's or PhD. I'd look into these "real requirements" for getting a job when she gets out as well.

I have a bachelor's degree in Biology that I never used. A lot of that is because I'd have to get at least a master's degree to do much. Specialization can be important.

[Momof3littles]

Is she interested in attempting a master's or PhD one day?

 

DH is a chemist. He started with a bachelor's, worked in industry for a while, and then went back to pursue his PhD in chem in his late 20s. He loves what he does. He had no interest in teaching, so did not want to pursue an academic track.

 

His area of chem is intertwined with engineering quite a bit, IME.

 

If she's interested in chem, PM me and I can give more details.

[Sarah CB]

Along with nuclear work, oil & gas, mining and aerospace still have lots of demands for engineers. It is hard to say where we will be in the next 4 years, because all of these are dependent on politics and the economy and can also be very cyclical.

 

Also if your dd is really thinking engineer, how is she at figuring out what is wrong with things and fixing them? I am thinking like engines, appliances, household type problems. A background in some of this would really help going into an engineering degree.

 

She's definitely a problem solver and is pretty assertive and confident when it comes to figuring things out. She's not one of those kids who took apart things for fun, but she's comfortable trying to fix things that aren't working.

[Momof3littles]

Does she have any interest in electronics? The co DH works for requires a combo of electronics understanding as well as chemistry. They are growing and can't always find qualified candidates. He says it is hard to find people to engineer equipment while also having a high level of chem knowledge. They also have a few people with very valuable chem knowledge that they apply to computer programming. Interesting crossovers in his field.

[Nan in Mass]

What about environmental engineering?

[KungFuPanda]

Dh started college planning to go into veterinary medicine. He got completely, obsessively sucked into his math courses and became a mathematician instead. You never know what she'll discover in college :-)