1. Broadening Your Education
Chapter 7
Broadening Your Education

2. Broadening Your Education
Co-curricular/Extra curricular Activities
No one will make you do these. You will have to “step up to the plate.”
May have greater educational value than even your required coursework.

3. Examples of Co-curricular Activities
Participation in student organizations
Participation in engineering projects
Pre-professional employment
Putting something back (service)

4. Types of Engineering Student Organizations
Student chapters of discipline-specific engineering societies
Engineering honor societies
Ethnic and gender-based student organizations
Engineering student council

5. Benefits of Participation in Student Organizations
Meet your social needs
Develop your leadership and organizational skills
Engage in professional development activities
Receive academic support
Participate in service activities

6. Participation in Engineering Projects
Student design competitions
Technical paper contest
Design clinics
Undergraduate research

7. Pre-Professional Employment
Summer jobs
Part-time jobs
Cooperative education (“co-op”) experiences

8. Benefits of Pre-professional Employment
Develop job search skills
Gain exposure to engineering practice
Make money
Apply your knowledge, skills, and abilities
Strengthen motivation to succeed in engineering study
Gain references for future employment

9. Cooperative Education
a program of study at an institution of higher education under which regular students undertake academic study for specified periods of time alternating with work experience in government, industry, business . . .

10. How Do You Measure Up? Your year in school Your academic performance
Your personal qualifications

11. Conducting a Job Search
Preparing a resume
Preparing a cover letter
Developing your interviewing skills
Identifying employment opportunities

12. Identifying Employment Opportunities
Networking/Informational Interviews
On-campus interviews
Using the Internet
Other sources?

13. Informational Interviews
What is it? – An information gathering session. Not a job interview. You are interviewing the employer.
How do you arrange an informational interview?
Preparing for the informational interview
Conducting the interview
Following up on the interview

14. Putting Something Back
Providing feedback
Serving as an ambassador
Helping other students

15. Group Discussion Student “Power”
Power (“the ability to influence others”) comes from at least three sources: 1) position; 2) knowledge; and 3) person.
In your group, discuss the “power” that comes to you from your position as a “student”
Appoint a leader to keep the discussion on topic and a recorder to document what was learned and report out

16. Alternate Group Discussion Topic Interviewing for Summer Job
In your group, develop a list (5-10) of questions you would expect to be asked during an interview for an engineering-related summer job.
Appoint a leader to keep the discussion on topic and a recorder to document what was learned and report out.