<p>This September, I start my junior year. This is me in a nutshell so far:
PSAT: 176 (CR: 61, M: 59, WS: 56) I admit that that was just not a good time for me because my grandmother was in the hospital.
APs: World- 4, European- 5</p>
<p>This year I plan on taking AP Calc AB and APUSH. Maybe AP Physics (our science dept got major cuts, so that's an issue). My mom wants me to go pre-med, in fact there's "no question about it", the problem is after thinking it over, I really don't like that at all. I have no interest in anatomy or biology or any of that sort of thing. My counselor suggested I look into engineering.</p>
<p>My problem is, I don't know where to start? I don't want to start senior year without a plan, and I'm curious what engineering entails. What other sorts of courses should I take in high school? What's the work like? Will I find work? Am I worrying too much already?</p>
<p>If you get/like physics and if you appreciate/don’t hate math and you have an interest in technology and application of physics, then engineering sounds good.</p>
<p>Don’t follow your parents’ advice if it doesn’t make sense, it’s your life.</p>
<p>Relax, as a junior, you don’t really need to focus on your major, until you’re ready to apply to college/do your college visits/tours. Taking Calc and Physics will give you a sense of what’s envolved in engineering and if it’s something you would like to study in college.</p>
<p>If you’re still not sure as a senior, then apply to schools that have a large selection of majors, including engineering and pre-med. It’s not uncommon to change your major, once or twice, once you get into college.</p>
<p>It is important that you have taken a math and science class every year of high school, which from what it sounds like you have. You should have a solid grasp of mathematics (especially Calculus) and physics. If you find that you enjoy that, then engineering is probably a good fit for you. If you high school offers any computer programming classes, I recommend you take one. C and Basic are usually good languages to start with. Most engineers will use at least one programming language at some point and most engineers usually are self taught programmers. If you take a programming class in high school, you can get a good foundation for college.</p>
<p>The American Engineer’s Council for Professional Development defines engineering as: The creative application of scientific principles to design or develop structures, machines, apparatus, or manufacturing processes, or works utilizing them singly or in combination; or to construct or operate the same with full cognizance of their design; or to forecast their behavior under specific operating conditions; all as respects an intended function, economics of operation or safety to life and property. </p>
<p>This is of course a very broad definition. So, I would recommend researching the more specific fields in engineering to see if any appeal to you because they are all different. I recommend the Bureau of Labor Statistics website –> [Architecture</a> and Engineering Occupations : Occupational Outlook Handbook : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics](<a href=“http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Architecture-and-Engineering/home.htm]Architecture”>http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Architecture-and-Engineering/home.htm)
This will also give you an idea what the job outlook for different engineering occupations is like.</p>
<p>Remember though, you are just a junior in high school so I would not worry about it so much. It is really good that you have a plan in mind though. Keep up the good work!</p>