OT: Engineering Clubs/societies/honors

[Wesson Bulldog]

Need advice on the right ones to get into. My youngest son is ChemE at State and will be a sophomore. What should he join or do while he's there to make himself more marketable for co-op, careers etc.? Join LinkedIn or some other professional social media?

 

[jethreauxdawg]

Need advice on the right ones to get into. My youngest son is ChemE at State and will be a sophomore. What should he join or do while he's there to make himself more marketable for co-op, careers etc.? Join LinkedIn or some other professional social media?

Get good grades and a co-op/internship. If he doesn’t have above 3.5 GPA, the other stuff is a waste of time. That gpa mark seemed to be the cutoff for the good co-ops/internships. Apply for jobs at the career fair this fall, don’t wait and plan to get his first internship the summer before senior year.
Also, there’s a good chance his GPA only gets lower from here forward because the classes get harder (or that was my experience in ME)

 

[Boom Boom]

Need advice on the right ones to get into. My youngest son is ChemE at State and will be a sophomore. What should he join or do while he's there to make himself more marketable for co-op, careers etc.? Join LinkedIn or some other professional social media?

Find a good group to jointly do homework in.

Throw a couple clubs on the resume, just so there's something there. No one cares. Just be prepared to answer a question about it in the interview. How you answer and what it says about you is what matters, not the club.

 

[MSUDAWGFAN]

I was a Chem E back in the day. It was a while ago, but I'm not sure how much it's changed, but all I did was have a job in the summer/Christmas break and keep my grades up. People hiring for co-op aren't expecting someone to have 10 years of experience. They will be there to give them that experience.

My co-op boss was a different kind of person though. He would file through the list of resumes the night before and if they had a 3.9 or higher (maybe a 3.8 or higher) he would put them to the side. Below a 3.0 and he set them to the side.

Some hiring managers will have different requirements for GPA. Maybe it will be a 3.0, some may be a 3.2 or a 3.5.
And Boom Boom is probably right that it doesn't matter what clubs so much, just that he is doing something. They want to know if he has some sort of social skills to know if he will fit in with their perosnnel.

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

Sounds good . He works here locally at Ace Hardware when he is hone for any decent stretches and has 3.8. Thanks for the advice.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

Need advice on the right ones to get into. My youngest son is ChemE at State and will be a sophomore. What should he join or do while he's there to make himself more marketable for co-op, careers etc.? Join LinkedIn or some other professional social media?

Heh...the club that made the indelible mark on me was the aezeotrope society. That all hinged on Dr. Wehr hosting homemade beer competitions at his house. Good times.

 

[Boom Boom]

I was a Chem E back in the day. It was a while ago, but I'm not sure how much it's changed, but all I did was have a job in the summer/Christmas break and keep my grades up. People hiring for co-op aren't expecting someone to have 10 years of experience. They will be there to give them that experience.

My co-op boss was a different kind of person though. He would file through the list of resumes the night before and if they had a 3.9 or higher (maybe a 3.8 or higher) he would put them to the side. Below a 3.0 and he set them to the side.

Some hiring managers will have different requirements for GPA. Maybe it will be a 3.0, some may be a 3.2 or a 3.5.
And Boom Boom is probably right that it doesn't matter what clubs so much, just that he is doing something. They want to know if he has some sort of social skills to know if he will fit in with their perosnnel.

I'll add that if you can add something unique that will prompt a question, that when answered will get a chuckle....that leaves a good impression and is worth a ton.

 

[MSUDAWGFAN]

Sounds good . He works here locally at Ace Hardware when he is hone for any decent stretches and has 3.8. Thanks for the advice.

If he makes it through - and I say that seriously, not tongue in cheek - he will be fine.

My first Chem E class was Mass & Energy and they had to have that in McCool hall because there were about 80 of us. The next class, Fluid Flow I walked into one of the two classrooms in Etheridge and thought "There is no way everybody is going to be able to fit in here. Not enough desks."

Come to find out, only about 20 made it to Fluids. 13 of us graduated.

And get him to find a group to do homework with. It will help out tremendously. Engineering is hard.

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

Absolutely

 

[uptowndawg]

I review resumes, interview, hire and mentor young engineering interns and recent hires on the consulting side of the oil and gas world. I don’t think societies matter as far as credentials go, but could be a good networking platform. Gpa matters just to show you’re not an idiot.

I think the best thing an aspiring engineer can do is talk to as many co-eds and working engineers of all ages to really find out what the working world is like. Find out what he likes and doesn’t like in those talks. Talk about his likes and dislikes with the next person. Then about 10 people down the line will be an interview and it will be more meaningful because of those talks. Enter the working world with a humble and learning attitude. Use your youth as an excuse to ask dumb questions.

ETA: I’d be happy to be one of those working professionals he talks with. Pm me and let me take a look at his resume.

 

[Wesson Bulldog]

I review resumes, interview, hire and mentor young engineering interns and recent hires on the consulting side of the oil and gas world. I don’t think societies matter as far as credentials go, but could be a good networking platform. Gpa matters just to show you’re not an idiot.

I think the best thing an aspiring engineer can do is talk to as many co-eds and working engineers of all ages to really find out what the working world is like. Find out what he likes and doesn’t like in those talks. Talk about his likes and dislikes with the next person. Then about 10 people down the line will be an interview and it will be more meaningful because of those talks. Enter the working world with a humble and learning attitude. Use your youth as an excuse to ask dumb questions.

ETA: I’d be happy to be one of those working professionals he talks with. Pm me and let me take a look at his resume.

Once we get through moving in and all that I'll get back with you.

 

[turkish]

Need advice on the right ones to get into. My youngest son is ChemE at State and will be a sophomore. What should he join or do while he's there to make himself more marketable for co-op, careers etc.? Join LinkedIn or some other professional social media?

I am squarely mid career. ChemE. Work with lots of 1-5 year engineers in a world-scale petrochemical facility. Clubs don’t matter so much. Intelligence (yes, even some book smarts in this field) and tact, interpersonal effectiveness are the important qualities. Don’t be awkward. Be likeable, affable. Club presidents that are super gregarious and real go-getters can be great, sometimes off-putting. If he needs clubs to develop, polish those qualities, then get plugged into the biggest ones there. With one exception: AIChE was where the connections with hiring companies were made. That’s a must

Coops and internships with the types of companies he’s interested in working for are super important.

Two classmates with whom I was very close have risen to executive level in my company… the type that have campus buildings named after them one day if they kept close ties with the school. Incredibly impressive people. Both were in that 3.6-3.8 GPA range. Both super easy to talk to. Both very driven. One was president of 10 extra curriculars. One never went to a club event whatsoever.

TLDR: Grades, personality, some experience, and exposure to employers.

 

[Barkman Turner Overdrive]

Heh...the club that made the indelible mark on me was the aezeotrope society. That all hinged on Dr. Wehr hosting homemade beer competitions at his house. Good times.

It was Dr Gardner during my time.

 

[Barkman Turner Overdrive]

Find a good group to jointly do homework in.

This is key.

 

[BulldogBlitz]

It was Dr Gardner during my time.

Gardner? Holy smokes he was tame with us. Wouldn't have figured he would do that