Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1104607
APRIL 2019 I PCB007 MAGAZINE 53 I was hoping to gain from my final internship before graduating. I could easily chalk this up to getting lucky or being in the right place at the right time, but I don't think that's like the takeaway from the story, nor do I want the takeaway to be that something will always fall in your lap, so it's okay to be lazy about job hunting. The takeaway is that being involved, especially with the right people and groups, will present all sorts of unknown opportuni- ties. Many times, networking is overlooked. Dunn: Yes, as you saw at Geek-a-Palooza, I am a firm believer in networking and creating op- portunities to meet others and build relation- ships. I am also a big believer in workplace programs for high school and college students. It sounds like having an engineering-based program available at the high school level may have helped you identify your interest in engi- neering at a younger age. Workforce programs are also gaining a lot of traction as we try to expose and encourage students to look at en- gineering as a career. What types of programs might have caught your interest? Olson: You're right. As I alluded to in one of my previous answers, there weren't a lot of oppor- tunities in electronics and engineering at my high school, and I wish there had been. It's interesting because a lot of my fellow students seem to have had some exposure in high school through their robotics team or something else. I don't have any idea what the percentage is, and maybe it's because we're in a metropoli- tan area of Minnesota, but I've noticed a dif- ference here. Overall, we're trending in the right direction as far as what is being emphasized in high schools. I played sports in high school, and I think it's beneficial to be a more well-round- ed student. I'm not in education and I'm not claiming to be an expert on the subject mat- ter, but I've seen a positive difference between when I was in high school versus the kids com- ing into college now. I'm from Wisconsin, and I heard that my high school now has a technology lab space and is even teaching certain engineering courses now, which my younger cousins took. The classes may not offer the same depth as college-level courses, but it's still a good thing to expose students to all of these different subjects that may help them relate the material they learn in their math and science courses to modern technology and real-world applications. As soon as I graduate and start working and finally have some free time again, one of the first things I want to do is get involved with a local high school or middle school with some sort of STEM team, and if a school doesn't have a program like that, I'd love to start one. Because, again, if something like that existed when I was in high school, I probably would have joined and maybe would have selected the correct major for myself on the first try. The point I'm trying to make is any program that exposes students to science, engineering, and technology is great. When you're growing up, you form opinions about what is possible by looking at what and who are around you, such as projects, careers, etc.; it all shapes your outlook. Everyone's perspective is relative to their environment, so the more exposure to STEM, the better. Our reliance on technology in the modern world isn't going anywhere. I really like the idea of technical competi- tions like FIRST Robotics. It doesn't have to be robotics, but that's the most popular program. Any sort of competition where you can get stu- dents working together as a team to complete a project is a great way to incorporate compe- tition while exposing students to STEM. The coolest part is being able to offer the students a tangible outcome to all the work they put The point I'm trying to make is any program that exposes students to science, engineering, and technology is great.