High school graduation season is in full swing. Years of studying and hard work have paid off, and many graduating seniors are preparing to embark on the next chapter of their lives: college.
Deciding on a field of study can be a challenge for some, and even if one goes to college certain of a degree plan, the average student changes their major two or three times during their college years. While majors should be chosen based on talents and ambitions, it may be wise to research projected job growth for careers a student is interested in.
Forbes recently ran a story on “The 15 Most Valuable Majors,” showing that “engineering concentrations comprise one third of the most valuable majors.”
“These aren’t majors that anyone could do. They’re hard, and these programs weed people out… However, there is high demand for them and a low supply of people with the skills, so it drives up the labor market price.”
Civil engineering ranked No. 6 on Forbes’ list, so we took some time to ask a few of our recent graduates what they love about their chosen career.
Lauren Beavers, E.I.T., is a 2010 graduate of the University of Texas, and she chose engineering simply because she’d always been good with math and science. “The best part about engineering classes is that it’s not about memorizing, but about learning how to solve problems.”
Sarah Shepard, E.I.T, a 2011 graduate of Southern Methodist University, changed her major several times, but chose civil engineering after trying a few classes and deciding it was a good fit. “Civil engineering is a challenging and diverse field that can present any number of design problems, which can be addressed in several ways. I enjoy the process of determining what the driving factors are for each project and designing a solution to meet those needs.”
After receiving her degree from California State Polytechnic University Pomona in 2010, Brenda Rascon, E.I.T. feels that her education and experience are versatile. “The (engineering) program itself is described as challenging, but there’s no reason everyone can’t achieve it.”
Civil engineering may have been the only service we offer to make Forbes’ list, but projected job growth for other Bury services is looking great as well. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the average growth rate across all careers is 14 percent over the next 10 years.
Projected Job Growth 2010-2020
- Civil engineering – 19%
- Landscape architecture – 16%
- Urban and regional planners – 16%
- Survey and mapping technicians – 16%
- Mechanical engineering – 9%
- Electrical engineering – 6%
- Surveyors –25%
School may be out for the summer, but Bury has already mapped out our fall college road trip to visit with engineering students across the country. A full schedule of our campus visits can be found on the Student Programs page of our website, along with information about the internships we offer.
Congratulations, graduates!
