Myth One
Myth: Engineering is not a field for women.
Reality: Yeah, right. Buying into this myth is equivalent to saying that women (or girls) cannot understand and do math, cannot understand and do science, and they cannot apply their creativity to solve old problems in new ways or to solve new problems in any way. This myth has its origins in the fact that there was a time when essentially all of the "engineering" jobs in the business world were held by men. Of course, most every job in every field was held by a man during that time. The business world has changed radically over the past three decades. Women are a part of every sector of the U.S. workforce...including the engineering profession.
Engineering is definitely a field where women can excel...and universities and companies are looking to increase the percentage of women in engineering, science, math, and technology-related fields. Approximately 1 out of every 5 undergraduate engineering degrees in the U.S. is earned by a woman. For more on how women are impacting the engineering profession, go to the Society of Women Engineers website.
Reality: Yeah, right. Buying into this myth is equivalent to saying that women (or girls) cannot understand and do math, cannot understand and do science, and they cannot apply their creativity to solve old problems in new ways or to solve new problems in any way. This myth has its origins in the fact that there was a time when essentially all of the "engineering" jobs in the business world were held by men. Of course, most every job in every field was held by a man during that time. The business world has changed radically over the past three decades. Women are a part of every sector of the U.S. workforce...including the engineering profession.
Engineering is definitely a field where women can excel...and universities and companies are looking to increase the percentage of women in engineering, science, math, and technology-related fields. Approximately 1 out of every 5 undergraduate engineering degrees in the U.S. is earned by a woman. For more on how women are impacting the engineering profession, go to the Society of Women Engineers website.
Myth Two
Myth: Engineering is way too hard.
Reality: At some point in time, everything you now do easily seemed very hard - walking, talking, reading, writing, etc. When someone takes the time to teach you how to do "difficult" things and provides you with a safe environment to practice and learn, you often find that you are capable of far more than you thought! We intend for The Engineering Academy to be such a place where students are taught well and have a safe environment to practice and learn.
Reality: At some point in time, everything you now do easily seemed very hard - walking, talking, reading, writing, etc. When someone takes the time to teach you how to do "difficult" things and provides you with a safe environment to practice and learn, you often find that you are capable of far more than you thought! We intend for The Engineering Academy to be such a place where students are taught well and have a safe environment to practice and learn.
Myth Three
Myth: Engineers aren't creative...and creative people don't belong in engineering.
Reality: Theodore von Karman - one of the greatest engineers of the 20th century - addressed this myth head-on when he said, "A scientist discovers that which exists. An engineer creates that which never was." Engineering activities tend to fall into one of two general categories - Analysis or Design. Design, by its very nature, is a creative process. The more creative the designer, then the more creative the design! Good engineering is marriage of knowledge and creativity. If you are a student with strong math and science abilities, then we are interested in you. If you are a student with strong math and science abilities who also happens to be artistically inclined (through any artistic medium), then we are very interested in you!
Reality: Theodore von Karman - one of the greatest engineers of the 20th century - addressed this myth head-on when he said, "A scientist discovers that which exists. An engineer creates that which never was." Engineering activities tend to fall into one of two general categories - Analysis or Design. Design, by its very nature, is a creative process. The more creative the designer, then the more creative the design! Good engineering is marriage of knowledge and creativity. If you are a student with strong math and science abilities, then we are interested in you. If you are a student with strong math and science abilities who also happens to be artistically inclined (through any artistic medium), then we are very interested in you!
Myth Four
Myth(s): Engineering is a college "subject." Plus once you get an engineering degree, you have to be an engineer... whatever that means.
Reality: The "engineering is for college" mindset has been the norm for decades, but that is starting to change around the country and it has already changed at Spain Park High School. We offer an engineering curriculum like no other at the high school level. Our students are being exposed to and learning engineering concepts that have traditionally been reserved for 2nd - 4th year college students.
An engineering degree can certainly open the door for a career as an engineer. It can also open the door for a wide variety of other careers. Engineering is also great preparation for medical school, law school, and business programs. You might be surprised by the number of famous and influential people who have engineering backgrounds - people like Alfred Hitchcock, Montel Williams, Jimmy Carter, Tom Landry, Yasser Arafat, Leonid Brezhnev, Neil Armstrong, and many more. An engineering education will provide a solid foundation for a wide variety of careers.
Reality: The "engineering is for college" mindset has been the norm for decades, but that is starting to change around the country and it has already changed at Spain Park High School. We offer an engineering curriculum like no other at the high school level. Our students are being exposed to and learning engineering concepts that have traditionally been reserved for 2nd - 4th year college students.
An engineering degree can certainly open the door for a career as an engineer. It can also open the door for a wide variety of other careers. Engineering is also great preparation for medical school, law school, and business programs. You might be surprised by the number of famous and influential people who have engineering backgrounds - people like Alfred Hitchcock, Montel Williams, Jimmy Carter, Tom Landry, Yasser Arafat, Leonid Brezhnev, Neil Armstrong, and many more. An engineering education will provide a solid foundation for a wide variety of careers.
Myth Five
Myth: All engineers are nerds with tape on their glasses, pocket protectors, and calculators within arm's reach.
Reality: The tape was never intended as a fashion statement; it was purely functional. When contact lenses came on the scene, the tape ceased to be functional, and the craze died out. The advances made by chemical engineers in areas related to stain removal have made pocket protectors obselete. And, we can now cleverly disguise full-function calculators as cell phones and ipods...though they are still within arm's reach
Reality: The tape was never intended as a fashion statement; it was purely functional. When contact lenses came on the scene, the tape ceased to be functional, and the craze died out. The advances made by chemical engineers in areas related to stain removal have made pocket protectors obselete. And, we can now cleverly disguise full-function calculators as cell phones and ipods...though they are still within arm's reach