Securing Your Major

If you are completely confused about what you want to do with your career or major, know that you are not alone! If you are a high school student with even an inkling towards engineering (if math and science speak to you like they did for me!), I would recommend applying. It is extremely difficult to enter an engineering school once you are already in college/university. Freshmen and sophomore course loads are constrictive, so you will be looking at heavy course loads and summer school if you decide too late.

Once you have decided on engineering, which major do you pick? If you are still in high school:

1. Think about what classes you like. Do you love physics and biology? Perhaps biomedical engineering is for you. Does AP Chemistry fascinate you? Maybe you are meant to be a chemical engineer!

2. Think about what interests you outside of school. Are you curious about how your iPhone works? Have you tried to build a robot in your garage (yes, I definitely attempted this as a kid)? Maybe electrical and/or computer engineering are for you.

3. When you have a project assigned, what direction do you find yourself leaning in? I look back to my old school projects – a research assignment in 5th grade in which I chose ‘How a Telephone Works’ as my subject (this was before cellphones), and the 9th grade science fair – in which I created a lie detector by developing a system with sensors to attach to humans. I didn’t even know it at the time, but I was meant to be an electrical engineer!

Once you are in college and have picked your major, you may still be undecided. First, let me tell you – it is totally okay to switch majors! I did it and couldn’t be happier with my decision. An interviewer will likely only see the major(s) you choose to include on your resume, so if you are able to tell your story there should be no fear of appearing indecisive. If anything, you have added value because you may be more well-rounded with your courses. I love to see an electrical engineer who also has computer science experience.

Tools to determine a major in college are actually quite aligned with my recommendations for high school students, but at a deeper level:

1. Look at your course load – is there a class that you love? Why do you love it? A great professor? The problem sets just seem to flow easily?

2. Get involved in extracurriculars - does your school have various engineering societies? Are there robotics or Formula SAE teams? Once you try a few out, think about what sticks. Are you passionate about the projects, or just completing them to fill a resume?

3. INTERNSHIPS – the best way to know what you want to do, or better yet – what NOT to do. Maybe you thought you liked mechanical engineering but running tests over a summer in a mechanical lab bored you to tears. You won’t know until you try (and plot twist, this doesn’t stop with summer internships – you will always be carving your career based off experience).

4. Reach out to alumni – Connect to alumni from your school that graduated with your major and find out how it worked out for them in industry. Do their jobs interest you? Find out how they got there.

If you have reflected on your interests and are still undecided, feel free to reach out to me at the bottom of my Home page.

Missing a Summer Engineering Internship? 4 Tips to Boost Your Resume

With many summer internships cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a common question I have been asked by college students is "What can I do to boost my resume? If job applications require previous work experience, and I was banking on my summer internship, I am screwed!" I am here to tell you that is not the case.

1. Make the most of your Lab Courses

As an engineering student, you inherently will be signed up for labs. Even if you are not physically going back to school this fall, there is a good chance you have already completed at least one lab by the end of your sophomore year. Labs are an awesome opportunity to have hands-on experience working on a project, leading a group of individuals, and problem-solving product challenges. Showcase this on your resume, and be prepared to answer questions on how you handled problems that came up (be it with your teammates, or the project itself).

2. Showcase your Senior Design Project

In addition to lab courses, you most likely have an official Senior Design (aka Capstone) Project. This is an even better opportunity, because it also tells a resume reviewer a bit more about your interests. Why did you pick this project? What problem were you trying to solve? Did you actually develop a prototype? Be prepared to answer what portion of the work you actually did yourself.

I am curious how schools will be running this course from afar, but a great place to start if at home (especially if majoring or minoring in electrical engineering) is buying an Arduino. There are multiple easily programmable, cheap (starting at $10.90) boards available to apply to various projects!

3. Join an Extracurricular Group

Colleges and universities are filled to the brim with extracurricular groups, so take advantage of this. If not to boost your resume, then to join individuals that share common interests! Most campuses have a Society of Women Engineers chapter, Formula SAE, or at least some type of Engineering Club. At Washington University in St. Louis, my alma mater, a joint venture was created with the Undergraduate Engineering and Medical School programs. As someone who is passionate about medicine and engineering, I jumped right on this and ended up creating a prototype for stroke patients with a team! This was an incredible talking point during my interview process at Stryker.

If these clubs don't exist at your school, why not be the person to start it? Not able to work in groups at the moment? Get creative on Zoom - start a lecture series! This is a great way to demonstrate leadership and initiative.

4. Start a Side Project

If you are feeling extra ambitious - start a side project! This offers the same opportunities as your Senior Design Project, but perhaps more flexibility and creativity. Instead of holding yourself to a grade, you can truly explore without feeling judged. Are you studying electrical engineering and want to dabble in computer science? There are endless free courses online (check out Udemy, Coursera, or LinkedIn Learning to start). Pro tip: sync up with a friend in another major (ex. finance or economics) to make the most of your learning.

With these four steps, you should have a resume full of work experience! If you are interviewing mid-fall semester, it still helps to be able to speak to what you are currently working on. Good luck and let me know how this helped!