Engineering Majors
What Can I Do in High School to Prepare for an Engineering Major?
Develop “foundational” skills. What are the foundational skills for engineering majors?
Teamwork and collaboration, including interpersonal skills
Communication skills: listening, speaking, writing
Breaking down problems or projects into small parts
Meeting deadlines
Becoming comfortable experimenting and taking risks, trying and assessing results
A willingness to grapple with challenging problems
A willingness to make mistakes, be vulnerable
Stepping back from a challenge to see a broader view
Patience
Creativity
How can I develop these skills in high school?
Take an art class to develop your creativity.
Tutor others in math and science.
Make things.
Be curious about how things work. Look at everyday objects and ask yourself, how does this thing work?
Before resorting to AI, force yourself to come up with your own ideas first.
Have a mindset of: How can I make someone’s life better? Try to think from other perspectives.
How can I develop technical skills in high school?
Challenge yourself by taking the high-level math and science courses.
Learn CAD drawing.
Take a coding class.
Learn Excel.
Get experience designing and building/making things. For example: woodworking, welding, sewing.
Get experimental. Get your hands dirty.
What are some other related opportunities available to high school students?
STEM Clubs. For example: Robotics Club, Microcontroller Club, Science Olympiad.
Drama Club. Help design and build sets.
Programs, internships and STEM opportunities
NASA’s official portal to explore and apply for STEM opportunities, including internships and challenges.
A major research internship program open to high school students, ideal for those students interested in biomedical and health-related STEM.
Teen Life: STEM Summer Programs
Explore a large directory of summer programs and enrichment experiences.
A program that matches high school students with internships at innovative companies