Professional societies define and promote the missions and goals of various professions. Below are links to the major professional societies in enginineering.

For Assignment 3, you will research and analyze the field of engineering which most interests you — presumably, the field/department in which you intend to major. You will research:

• professional societies in this field
• working atmospheres, conditions, and salary ranges for engineers in this field
• jobs and job opportunities in this field

Another essential research component of the paper is research into your own interests and best capabilities. “Research” into the your own past — through childhood and through the high school years — provides details about what kinds of work, study, and play have been most engaging to you. These research details, along with details provided by more conventional research into particular fields and jobs, allow you to articulate well-supported insights about your career decisions. 

Engineering and Me: Why I Want To Be A _______ Engineer

For this assignment you will be more successful if you use the recommended  library databases and you are required to review and cite the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook to research the engineering profession you are interested in.

When you are searching library databases, you can be sure the sources are of high quality and appropriate for academic work. However, it can be difficult to know what information is credible online. Ask yourself the following questions when considering a website: (The below questions are directly quoted from the Teaching & Learning Services at University of Maryland Libraries guide on Evaluating Web Sites, linked below)

1. Authority: Who is the author? Can you tell by the domain (e.g., .com or .edu) or Web address?
2. Purpose: What is the purpose? To provide research and scholarly information? To provide educational or factual information? To entertain? To advertise, market or sell something? To advocate ideas? To persuade you? Or, is there another purpose?
3. Currency: When was the Web site last revised, modified or updated?
4. Design: Is the Web site clearly organized and easy to read, use and navigate?

See the below guide from Teaching & Learning Services at University of Leicester Libraries for more information and a useful checklist to use.

Take a look at these two websites found through a Google search on "engineering careers". Evaluate the websites based on the above criteria.

For this paper, try including terms such as "career", "salary", "profession", or "job satisfaction" in your search.

• "bioengineering" AND "career"
• "industrial engineering" AND "salary"
• "civil engineering" AND "job satisfaction"

Remember to refine by date to show only recent publications!

Google Scholar is a great starting point to search broadly for scholarly literature. Use these simple tricks to improve your search results:

• To search by author, including the word author in your search, e.g., author:"donald knuth"
• To search for an article by title, enclose the title in quotes, e.g., "Are We Planning for Sustainable Development?"
• Use the date limitors on the left-hand side of your results screen to filter by specific date.

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