Shadowing an engineer can be as little as a day to as long as a week. Beyond that would be unnecessary, IMO.
I also see value in trying to do an engineering summer camp. Some are very affordable and don’t need to break the bank.
I was the one who first suggested shadowing or at least having some serious conversations with some engineering folks.
I think this might be hard to do during school times as school happens at the same time as engineering firms are open. Most aren’t open on the weekends.
So, I think this would be easier to do during school breaks or during the summers. Some engineering firms might even consider hiring someone during the summer but they won’t be doing “engineering” work as a HS student. They might be doing things like copying documents, taking things from one division of the place to the other, even making coffee. But they would be in the office.
If it were me, I would start with reaching out to folks you know who work in this field. Let your kid have some conversations with them, and see where that goes.
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Adding to @blossom’s excellent post #11 (I haven’t read further so apologies if this has been mentioned by others):
Skill: self-advocacy - My D’s high school was adamant that kids advocate for themselves starting in 9th grade. That made a huge difference for my D in building confidence and relationships with faculty. That is serving her well now in college.
Skill: somewhat related to above… feeling comfortable asking for help without worrying it will be viewed negatively. Ask for additional support from teachers or school resources if needed. Attend extra office hours or test prep provided by teachers (even if secure with the material; consider it relationship building). Form a study group. Etc. And know that any quest for knowledge is a strength.
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This includes going to the student writing center or the tutoring center at your college. There is no shame in asking for help before you actually are in a deep hole. This getting help is far better than failing a course.
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