Do You Know a Future Engineer?

What are the job prospects for girls who want a STEM/Engineering career?  Engineers have significantly higher starting salarys than other college graduates and the field of engineering needs more women.  This is what the statistics say:

• Only 12% of engineers are U.S. women; 2% of engineers are women from underrepresented minorities.
  -National Science Foundation, 2009
• Today, women earn about 80 cents on the dollar compared to men and for African-American women and Latinas, the pay gap is even greater.
  -U.S. Department of Labor, 2012

Here are median annual salary figures for different engineering technology specialties:

Engineering Technology Specialty	Median Annual Salary*
Aerospace Engineer	$103,720
Chemical Engineer	$94,350
Civil Engineer	$79,340
Computer Software Engineer	$93,470
Electrical/Electronic Engineer	$87,920
Biomedical Engineer	$86,960
Industrial Engineer	$78,860
Mechanical Engineer	$80,580
Petroleum Engineer	$130,280

Sources: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2014-15 Occupational Outlook Handbook

The fact is, we need more women engineers and the job opportunities abound. Encourage a girl you know to dream big and dream about a future in engineering!

Meet Sasha and her Engineering Invention

Meet Sabrina....Future Engineer

Girls in engineering.....what the statistics say:

• When given a choice in 4th grade whether to continue studying math, 91% of girls say “yes.” 
• By 12th grade, only 50% of girls continue. 
• As a result, women account for less than 20% of the bachelor’s degrees in engineering, computer science, and physics; make up less than 12% of the engineering workforce; and hold only 10% of physics teaching positions at American colleges and universities. 

(Taken from the website: 
When Girls Succeed, So Does Society/TOgetHERthere.org )

This week, encourage the STEM/Engineering potential in the girls you know!

Meet Sabrina, future engineer and her invention

STEM and Girls: Today is ”Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day!”

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is in its thirteenth year but our country is still faced with some daunting statistics regarding women in engineering. 

Introduce A Girl to Engineering Day

• Women constitute 48 percent of the U.S. workforce but hold just 24 percent of the U.S. jobs in STEM.
• Only one out of every ten STEM professionals is a minority woman.
• Women make up only 10 percent of U.S. engineers.

A career in engineering can be a “game-changer” for our girls but we still have much work to do when it comes to encouraging them to successfully pursue their engineering potentials and passions and move along the STEM pathway toward a successful career in engineering.

Why is engineering a great career for girls?  Check out this list of descriptors associated with engineering and then hold the list up next to a girl that you know. 

Engineers are:

Imaginative

Independent thinkers

Analytical

Organized

Strong communicators

Team Players

Inspiring

Curious

Dreamers

Goal Oriented

Problem-solvers

Improvement seekers

Adventurers

Sound like a girl you know? These are some of the signature traits of an engineer and girls naturally possess so many of these qualities.  Add to these characteristics the fact that girls are so often born with a desire and passion to make a difference in the world around them and you have all the makings of a potential engineer. 

Job outlook? Engineering is expected to grow by 10 percent in the coming decade and experts say demand for engineers is expected to grow as we face the challenges that will be created by a growing population and dwindling resources.  

Introduce a girl you know to engineering.  Here are some simple things you can do starting today.

• Try some simple activities designed to increase curiosity and problem solve.

Cool and Simple Engineering Activities

• Start a "dream session" by watching this video with your favorite girl or a group of girls and then discussing.  Go Girl! Engineering a Bright Future for Today's Girls  
•  Introduce a girl you know to the Engineer Girl Website.  This website covers everything from an introduction to contributions of historical women in engineering,  to what engineers do and what pathways will take young girls toward a future in engineering.
• Looking for unique gifts for girls that will bring out the innovator in your girl?  Check out Goldiebox for their toy/book sets that encourage girls to "read and build along." Goldiblox is a company that believes girls deserve more choices than dolls and princesses.
  
                                                                                            
•   And if that's not enough, check out this inspirational and amazing Rube Goldberg "Princess Machine" - created by girls for girls! Watch it and be inspired to create your own!

"The world needs dreamers and the world needs doers. 

But above all, the world needs dreamers who do."

-Sarah Ban Breathnach