Pathways to an Engineering Career

Utilizing data from the 20-year record of the Longitudinal Study of American Youth (LSAY), this analysis uses a set of variables to predict employment in engineering for a national sample of adults aged 34 to 37. The LSAY is one of the longest longitudinal studies of the impact of secondary education and postsecondary education conducted in the United States. A structural equation model found that mathematics is a primary gateway to an engineering career, beginning with algebra track placement in Grades 7 and 8 and continuing through high school and college calculus courses. Home and family factors such as parent education and parent encouragement of science and mathematics during secondary school also enhanced the likelihood of a young adult becoming a professional engineer. In addition, young men were substantially more likely to become professional engineers than young women. Considering each of these factors, this article seeks to understand the varied pathways available to students interested in engineering careers.

[1]  A. B. Scott,et al.  From Whence We Came , 2004 .

[2]  Linda G. Kimmel,et al.  Pathways to a STEMM Profession , 2012 .

[3]  Xianglei Chen,et al.  Students Who Study Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) in Postsecondary Education. Stats in Brief. NCES 2009-161. , 2009 .

[4]  J. Parsons,et al.  Socialization of Achievement Attitudes and Beliefs: Parental Influences. , 1982 .

[5]  G. Brian Jones,et al.  A Social Learning Theory of Career Selection , 1976 .

[6]  H. Pachon,et al.  STEM Professions: Opportunities and Challenges for Latinos in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. A Review of Literature. , 2008 .

[7]  John Sislin,et al.  Enhancing the Community College Pathway to Engineering Careers. , 2005 .

[8]  D. Ruble,et al.  Cognitive‐Developmental Factors in Emerging Sex Differences in Achievement‐Related Expectancies , 1976 .

[9]  Susan E. Cross,et al.  Training the Scientists and Engineers of Tomorrow: A Person‐Situation Approach1 , 2001 .

[10]  J. Oakes,et al.  Keeping Track: How Schools Structure Inequality. , 1986 .

[11]  J. Duderstadt.  Engineering for a Changing World , 2010 .

[12]  S. Whiston,et al.  The Influences of the Family of Origin on Career Development , 2004 .

[13]  W. Mau,et al.  Factors that Influence Persistence in Science and Engineering Career Aspirations. , 2003 .

[14]  C. Bao Iturbe,et al.  Educating the engineer of 2020: Adapting engineering education to the new century , 2009, IEEE Engineering Management Review.

[15]  Richard T. Lapan,et al.  Career Self‐Efficacy and Perceptions of Parent Support in Adolescent Career Development , 2002 .

[16]  Seán Kelly.  The Black-White Gap in Mathematics Course Taking , 2009 .

[17]  E. McWhirter,et al.  Perceived Influences on High School Students' Current Career Expectations , 2000 .

[18]  P. Berger,et al.  Social Construction of Reality , 1991, The SAGE International Encyclopedia of Mass Media and Society.

[19]  Amy M. Hightower,et al.  Science and Engineering Indicators , 1993 .

[20]  N. Augustine.  Rising Above The Gathering Storm: Energizing and Employing America for a Brighter Economic Future , 2006 .

[21]  Leslie A. Hayduk.  Structural equation modeling with LISREL: essentials and advances , 1987 .

[22]  D. Super.  A life-span, life-space approach to career development , 1980 .

[23]  Jeannie Oakes,et al.  Multiplying Inequalities: The Effects of Race, Social Class, and Tracking on Opportunities to Learn Mathematics and Science , 1990 .

[24]  D. Super,et al.  The Psychology of Careers. , 1959 .

[25]  Catherine M. Millett,et al.  The human capital liabilities of underrepresented minorities in pursuit of science, mathematics and engineering doctoral degrees , 1999 .

[26]  James J. Duderstadt,et al.  Engineering for a Changing World - A Roadmap to the Future of Engineering Practice, Research, and Education (Flexner) , 2008 .