Is Engineering For You?
If you like knowing how things work and are good at problem solving, then engineering is for you! Of course, professional engineers are well respected because hard work and dedication are required to earn an engineering degree. In general, engineering students must take numerous courses in math, physics, chemistry, and computer science. If you enjoy these subjects, consider majoring in engineering. Your ideas can change the world!
Engineering is the application of science to real world problems. This could include designing cars, bridges, prosthetic limbs, circuit boards, cities or computer programs. Often, engineers go beyond design and build prototypes to demonstrate a new idea, or direct it's manufacture. Engineers take the theoretical work of scientists and use it to provide valuable tools and services to their clients.
Here are some other definitions of engineering:
"The amazing thing about engineering is that it touches almost every aspect of our lives. Because of engineers, we get up in the morning thanks to those annoying alarm clocks. We eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner because engineers have designed machines for farmers to use to harvest crops and machines to produce massive amounts of food at once. If engineers didn't exist, you wouldn't be reading this on a computer because computers wouldn't exist. You would have to swim across a waterway because an engineer wouldn't have been around to build a bridge for you to cross it. And you wouldn't have a car available to you to take another route. Kids wouldn't have those cool video games to play on rainy days, or comfortable funky sneakers to play outside in. There wouldn't be amusement park rides and we would never have visited outer space or even looked closely at a star. Engineering is all about creating! Think about all the things we would be missing if engineers weren't around!"
"Engineers are the world's problem solvers. When you watch a movie on the big screen, play the latest video game, fly an airplane, drive across a bridge, or surf the Internet, it is the work of engineers that makes it possible. They turn ideas into reality, making our lives easier, healthier, more productive, and more FUN!"
- ASU College of Engineering
People enter engineering for many different reasons. Here are just some of the more common:
- Earnings Potential
Engineering pays well. The following table provides a list of 1998 salaries for engineering graduates, both in Arizona and nationwide. Click on the job title to read the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook for that field of engineering.
| Specialization |
National
Salary |
Arizona
Salary |
| Aerospace engineers |
$49,000 |
$48,285 |
| Agricultural engineers |
|
|
| Biomedical engineers |
$52,000 |
$46,707 |
| Chemical Engineering |
$52,000 |
$51,967 |
| Civil Engineering |
$41,500 |
$40,395 |
| Computer hardware engineers |
$53,500 |
$54,649 |
| Computer Science and Engineering |
$52,500 |
$55,649 |
| Electrical and electronics engineers |
$50,000 |
$49,863 |
| Environmental Engineering |
|
|
| Industrial engineers, including health and safety |
$51,000 |
$47,759 |
| Materials Engineering |
|
|
Mechanical engineers Mining and geological engineers,
including mining safety engineers Nuclear engineers |
$48,500 |
$48,811 |
(Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics; State of Arizona, Dept. of Economic Security, Research Administration.)
- Breadth of job opportunity
The are many fields within the profession of engineering: chemical, electrical, computer systems, biomechanical, civil, aeronautical, mechanical, construction to name a few. As an engineering student, you can pick any one of these to make your career in. Within each field there are hundreds of companies of all sizes working on thousands of projects.
If you decide to change specialties - or even leave the profession altogether - you will find the skills you have learned invaluable. Many engineers work in a variety of different areas and (if they want) in many different companies over the course of their careers. Even outside of the profession, people know that engineers are smart, interesting and valuable people to have around.
- Stature of the profession
Engineering is a profession with a long and prestigious history of advancing the frontiers of what is practical: as an engineer, you will be part of this. You will be respected and considered amongst the most valuable people in society.
- Chance to make a difference
By harnessing the new discoveries of science, engineers contribute to the wellbeing of all people. Today, conveniences such as cars, microwaves, electricity, television, and the Internet are available cheaply; without engineers, hardly anyone would have them.
- Work with cutting edge technologies
Engineers most often work on things recently discovered by scientists: in particular, computer systems and electrical engineering will become increasingly important fields as more of the things we use everyday include electronics - or even whole computers - inside them. As an engineer, you will design the technology that will reach the mass market in six months, two years - or maybe a decade.
- Challenge and satisfaction of the job
Last but certainly not least, many engineers love the stimulation of working of difficult problems that require creative and innovative solutions. Engineering is not an easy field - all of the benefits above are earned, not given - but a successful engineer goes home at night knowing they have done something unique, created something of great value, and made the world a better place.
Established in 1981, and with an enrollment of approximately 3500 students, South Mountain is the youngest and smallest public college in the Valley. We believe that students who transfer from our program into a four year university as juniors will be at least as well prepared as those who enter the same university as freshmen. Here's why:
- Dedicated and experienced faculty
The faculty are committed educators, who come to South Mountain with teaching as their priority - not as an unfortunate necessity tied to their ongoing research. As a consequence, there are no "weed out" classes at South Mountain: students are always given every chance to meet the standards.
- Friendly and helpful administrative staff
At all times of the year, the administration is handled by full time, experienced staff, who will answer your questions and work on your behalf.
- Extensive free tutoring
South Mountain's Learning Center is staffed by tutors for all subject areas, including mathematics. These services are available all week, for free.
- Small classes
South Mountain boasts one of the best student:teacher ratios in community college system, certainly far better than any university. Our largest classrooms seat thirty people, and in practice, this limit is rarely reached.
The Department of Engineering at SMC offers the core engineering (ECE) courses that almost all engineers must take in their first two years. In addition, the college offers a wide selection of classes in related areas that are necessary or useful for engineering students.
Please see our plan of study page for specific information on which courses you should take, and when. Our transfer guidelines explain how these courses will transfer to other institutions.
- Physics--We offer University Physics I & II, required for any Engineering degree.
- Chemistry--We offer two semesters of General Chemistry. Most Engineers will require at least General Chemistry I.
- Mathematics--Every semester, we offer Pre-Calculus, Calculus I & II, and Differential Equations. Once a year, we offer Calculus III and Elementary Linear Algebra.
- Computer Science--South mountain recently began offering classes in Computer Science (CSC). At present we only offer CSC100 and CSC110, but we plan to offer CSC200 in the next academic year.
- Other Classes--South Mountain has an excellent selection of humanities, literature and social science classes for you to fulfill your general studies requirement with. In particular, future engineers may find it beneficial to develop skills in English writing, Communications, and Economics.