#27 Differences between Engineering & Engineering Technology Majors & Jobs Transcript

THIS IS AN AUTOMATED TRANSCRIPT… PLEASE FORGIVE THE TYPOS & GRAMMAR! xo-Lisa

 

Matt Franchetti  00:00

When I took my very first engineering course, I’m sitting in the orientation class. And the professor in the front of the room says, Look to your left and look to your right. And one year, these two people will not be here. But our first to second year retention rate was 33%. And oh my gosh, he took the weed out approach. There’s really no threshold, everybody come in, if you pass your calculus, if you pass your chemistry, if you have a decent GPA, you’re in the program and you remain. So it’s kind of teaching someone to swim by throwing them out in the middle of the lake. And then if you make it back to shore, you know how to swim. But if you don’t, you’re not meant to swim. And a lot of schools take that approach where it’s very competitive, like you’re looking at who should be your peers and your partners, I help you on your journey through education. But now they’re also competing against you. There are a number of slots, where for us, we now take the approach everyone’s admitted we want everyone to be successful.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  00:48

While even teens and some children are aware of college majors and jobs in the field of engineering, most of the parents on the teams I work with aren’t even aware of Engineering Technology, majors and careers. If you’re obtained has considered engineering, I’m going to urge you to listen to a Doctor Frank Hattie shares about the differences in these two fields and who might find a better fit in the engineering technology field. Or if your student considered engineering then ruled it out. For some reason that initial interest might be a good reason to consider this relatively unexplored field of engineering technology, Matt leans into his vast work experience, as well as being an Associate Dean of an engineering college to lead your family through the process of figuring out if engineering or its counterpart, engineering technology might just be the right fit for your team. I’m Lisa marker Robbins, and I want to welcome you to College and Career Clarity, a flourish coaching production. Let’s dive right in to a great conversation. It is my pleasure to invite Dr. Matt Frank caddy to the podcast, we are going to discuss Engineering and Engineering Technology. As a college major and career coach, I find that students are very unaware of a fascinating and awesome field in technology, which is engineering technology. And I know most people are aware of engineering, but they really might not even know enough of the ins and outs to make an educated decision. Matt from the University of Toledo you’re a Professor and Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies with the College of Engineering at the University of Toledo welcome to the podcast.

 

Matt Franchetti  02:44

Thank you. It’s a pleasure to be here.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  02:47

Well, we’re excited to dive in and try to help families figure out if this could be a fit for them. So I frequently have students say to me, I want to be an engineer. Those are students who like math and science, they know that there’s good I looked at your resume, there’s fantastic opportunities for a wide variety of jobs, we know that they’re gonna make a good living. And when I say Well, are you aware of engineering technology, and they’re unaware? So let’s just start with the fields of engineering, science and engineering technology. And if you could help, because I’ll do a horrible job at it. If you could help us differentiate the two, that would be awesome.

 

Matt Franchetti  03:35

Yeah, that’s great. It’s a really good question. We get that all the time. Here at the University of Toledo, we happen to be a university that has both Engineering Science and Engineering Technology programs, where you’ll find many universities maybe have just the engineering science or just the engineering technology where we happen to have both, really, you can differentiate the two in a few different ways. The first way is academically. So engineering technology programs are algebra based programs, and the engineering science programs are calculus based. So you’re gonna get a little more math intensity in your engineering, science. And maybe a little more practical application based in your engineering technology programs, as you move in is the big thing. And the coursework in the engineering technology programs is more hands on and applied, you’re going to have a lot more labs, where you’re actually learning concepts and applying them in real time in real life, where the engineering science tends to be a little more theoretical. So if you were a student, let’s say you took your calculus AP courses really loved it. Engineering, Science may be a great fit, because it’s really going to build on that. But let’s say you’re in high school now and you have a shop class that you just love, a manufacturing process. Of course, engineering technology may be a really great fit for you, if that’s your passion.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  04:43

Those are some good tips along the way of what to look out for. Sometimes I meet students who they’re successful in AP Calc, but they really liked that hands on piece right so it’s not just about math aptitude, although that it probably does come into play, which I want to be sure we talked about that. But it’s also knowing what you’re wired to love to do. So just because you can do calculus based math, that doesn’t mean that that’s where you necessarily should concentrate your time.

 

Matt Franchetti  05:17

Yeah, that’s a great point. And we do find that too. If we find a student where let’s say he was involved in he or she, they were involved in a lot of different clubs, where they activities with their hands, if it’s makerspace, and they’re still great at math and engineering technology may be really a great fit for that student. So again, aptitude is a big piece. I’ve always thought it’s a lot to put on a 1718 year old, what do you want to do with the rest of your life? My personal journey, when I started in college, I was good at math and science. And I said, engineering sounds like a good fit. It’s a four year degree, the money that you can generate in terms of income is pretty good. But I didn’t know what I wanted to do. My whole first year, I was undecided. And I didn’t know exactly what branch I wanted to, to go into. Luckily, at the university, I was able to find someone that connected me with different pathways, what’s the best fit, and ultimately did find a home and took courses that allowed me to pursue different pathways, and in the end, ultimately, did select that. So having the information up front, I think is a really good thing for students to have. Now, back when I was doing that, in the early 1990s. There wasn’t the internet, there weren’t these great podcasts to give information to make decisions. So I kind of had to learn firsthand and do it that way. So this is great for the students to be able to understand what are the jobs like an engineering technology versus engineering science. I think one thing to to point out about the fields too, are just the size, that each year, the US graduates about 130,000 engineers with bachelor’s degrees, and about 13,000 or 10% are engineering technology, and 90% are engineering science. So the Find a few more jobs on the engineering science side. But it’s also supply and demand that we see our Engineering Technology, students get just about as many job offers as our engineering science students. So again, in terms of job security, and that job placement, both are pretty strong. It’s just supply and demand kind of matches what the field is.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  07:03

That’s actually really fantastic information. Because we always say like, you don’t want to go study something for four years, and then hit a field that’s in a 5% decline. And you can’t find a job because we’re spending a lot of money on college, my youngest is a junior at University of Cincinnati. So I’m in the middle of paying for it. And we want to set these students up for success. And I like you, I went to college in the 80s. And same thing we didn’t put the time and or the intention. Now I have a question on your own journey. So you did go to the University of Toledo. When you said you went in undecided. You went in to the engineering school but not decided on your specialty. Is that correct?

 

Matt Franchetti  07:44

That’s correct. I so at the University of Toledo, we allow students to come in undecided. And you bring up a good question too, about selective schools versus open schools, you’ll find some programs you mentioned University of Cincinnati happens to be a selective program where students apply and they may or may not get in based on their credentials. And the number of students that applied the University of Toledo happens to be an open school. So if you meet our admission criteria you’re brought in. In fact, our motto is that we recruit a graduating class, not a freshman class, every student that we bring in, we want to see here that next year and walking across the graduation stage and in four years, so at the University of Toledo we do a lot of students to come in either undecided engineering, science or undecided engineering technology. And then we gear the programs to more application based if they’re undecided Engineering Technology, then more of the theory and math if it’s engineering science. So way back when when I went through the journey, I went in the undecided engineering science pathway and really pursued more that direction. Because I did enjoy high school math, I did enjoy the chemistry, the science courses. So that’s the pathway I chose. But the other option was available.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  08:47

And I love that because you by giving us that differentiator there between like a selective program. So we’ll just pick on Cincinnati, since we’re both in Ohio, and we know about both programs. So you’re applying to a specific engineering major at Cincinnati. They don’t have really those stated minimums, but we know that the requirements are quite rigorous. So you’ve got some schools that are structured that way. And then you’ve got some schools that are more engineering at Toledo can you apply specifically to civil engineering if you wanted to, but you also have the option to go kind of pre engineering engineering undecided figure it out. Right?

 

Matt Franchetti  09:29

That’s right. So we allow students to be admitted directly to the program. If they meet the admission criteria. It’s the same for every program. They’re admitted directly, I would say most of our students 95 plus percent will go in specifically to a major and then maybe 5% will be in that undecided range. And we do have students that maybe let’s say don’t meet the admission criteria to a program, and they can come in what is called our dear set program where we get them into a position to be successful and take some early math courses and science courses to be prepared to do well in the program to go through. So a few different routes. So if you want to be an engineer, we’ll find a pathway for that to happen for you.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  10:05

Toledo is a place where you can do that. And that’s where I think this goes back to, to your point, when we were in high school, we didn’t have resources, and we weren’t doing the high school exploration to try to nail this down. So we took a very different approach to all of this. You guys are here to set students up for success. So when we’re at the high school level, not just on figuring out what we want to do, and being intentional with that, but also asking the right questions of the colleges. As you and I are giving these two examples. And I know in the thread where I was asking where I was looking for a guest to come on and discuss this, I had a professor from Purdue, say, hey, I’ll come on and talk about this. They’re all of these schools out there, Purdue would go in that selective category as well. You’ve got to ask the right questions, right? At Johns Hopkins University. So let’s go Uber selective now. So we’ve got that whole continuum. There’s a place for everybody. That’s what I love about this. But if you go there in engineering, they don’t take any transfers internal or external transfers into biomed. Engineering at Johns Hopkins, but they will for other fields of engineering. So it’s just another another demonstration of how important it is to ask the right questions. On the front end, you mentioned that you guys have some minimum criteria.

 

Matt Franchetti  11:29

Right.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  11:29

So students should absolutely ask about minimum criteria. What are they for the University of Toledo to be admissible into the engineering school?

 

Matt Franchetti  11:39

Yeah, that’s a great question. So for engineering science students, it’s a little bit higher threshold, they need at least a 22 on the LSAT and a 3.0 high school GPA. And for engineering technology, it’s a little bit lower, they need a 2.5 high school GPA and a 21 on the AC T with at least a 20. Math ATC subscore to come in.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  12:00

Have you ever read the book Mindset by Dr. Carol Dweck?

 

Matt Franchetti  12:03

Yeah, great book.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  12:04

Great book. So I love I feel like how you all have set it up, is and that motto of like having a graduating class, right, not a freshman class, you’re allowing for what’s discussed in that book, I actually I have a quarterly parent book club for flourish. That’s the book that we’re reading for the second quarter of 2022. While we’re recording this right now, but just that idea of the fixed mindset would say, well, a student couldn’t have a 2.5 high school GPA and a 20 AC T and successfully complete an engineering science curriculum. But it sounds like you all believe in that that ability, that growth mindset for students to develop and find their own while they’re at in college.

 

Matt Franchetti  12:55

Yeah, and that has changed and adapted over the years. For example, when I took my very first engineering course, I’m sitting in the orientation class, and the professor in the front of the room says, Look to your left and look to your right. And one year, these two people will not be here that are first, a second year retention rate was 33%. And oh my gosh, she took the weed out approach. There’s really no threshold, everybody come in, if you pass your calculus, if you pass your chemistry, if you have a decent GPA, you’re in the program and you remain. So it’s kind of teaching someone to swim by throwing them out in the middle of the lake. And then if you make it back to shore, you know how to swim. But if you don’t, you’re not meant to swim. And a lot of schools take that approach where it’s very competitive, like you’re looking at who should be your peers and your partners to help you on your journey through education. But now, they’re also competing against you, there are a number of slots, where for us, we now take the approach, everyone’s admitted, we want everyone to be successful. And now I’m proud to say that our retention rates here at the University for engineering programs, and science are close to 90% First, a second year. Because the idea is we want every student to be successful, we happen to have a lot of first generation college students. In fact, I’m a first generation college student myself, that will come in and we created a new physician called a success coach. So in addition to an academic advisor, each student now has a life coach. So you’re struggling with test anxiety, you’re not able to pay the rent, there are things going outside of pure academics, this person is there to be that resource and support to help get you through that. So that’s a good question, I think for students to ask to what does that support structure look like? Is it this very competitive model? Or is it this open collaborative here as a team to help each other learn and grow and really create these market ready engineers? And that’s the approach that we take. But again, it’s like you mentioned the beginning. It’s a spectrum. And there are many different programs to apply to many great questions that you should be asking and really finding out what’s your best home ultimately, for your degree, the university, the city, it’s all kind of built into one big package.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  14:44

I could see the universities that do take more of that weeding out approach if if a student just said, do you take a more collaborative approach or a weeding out everybody wants to say like we’re here to support, but that data point, I think That’s where that is not subjective. That’s an objective question of what’s your retention rate? So how would you word that? What’s your retention rate of your first year engineering students?

 

Matt Franchetti  15:11

Yeah. What’s your first a second year retention rate for students who start in your program? Year one, are they they’re the start of their sophomore year. For me, that’s a great indicator of is the student going to be here and be successful? Like I’ve known some students that will transfer to us that have been in this floating loop of trying to get into the professional program, and they’ve started pre engineering. So the retaking courses trying to get their GPA from 3.6, to 3.7, to be finally admitted in, and then they look back and say, Maybe I just wasted $20,000 on repeated courses for two years when I could have been in a program and have graduated with a shorter timeframe. So yeah, a lot of great questions to ask, I think as you move through that first year, second, the first to second year retention rate is great question to ask. I think the advisor to student ratio question is a great one to ask because that’s going to be an indicator of support the national average. And what they recommend as a best practice is somewhere between one to 250 students per advisor, or one to 300 students, per advisor. If it gets above that, that may be a bit of a concern. Another question that we really recommend that students ask is, when am I going to see my first engineering professor. And of course, in some programs, they may not see an engineering professor until their junior or senior year. And they may have, let’s say, teaching assistants that are really leading their freshman and sophomore courses. One approach that we take here at the University of Toledo that we think helps is that every year every semester, each student will have at least one engineering professor teaching a course. And in many cases, they’ll have multiple engineering professors, that we really try to move away from teaching assistants teaching our undergraduate courses, we want the professor there to build that sense of community be there to help and be a resource as well.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  16:53

It sounds like that really fits in with this idea of the the success coach, right, the life coaching that they’re getting. I have a question just about the university as a whole. So is that success coach? Just something that the School of Engineering is doing at Toledo? Are they doing that across all colleges at the University,

 

Matt Franchetti  17:12

so it’s across the entire university, University wide initiative.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  17:16

I love that. That’s great. As you were talking, another thought came to mind to help educate our families on the different types of engineering programs that could be out there. So we talked about, you’ve got your selective programs, you’ve got an open program that does have a minimum, but you guys are very open and and to taking kids and and trying to set them up for success. You talked about schools that do pre engineering. So these could be selective or open, right. But this idea of so at Cincinnati, you apply to the Your major is in Ohio State pre engineering. Yeah. So this is great. People don’t know I always say living in Ohio, we are so blessed with the number of universities private and public that we have. Ohio ranks sixth in the United States for the number of public school options that we have, and ninth in the United States for the number of private school options. So I always have to brag on our Midwestern State in terms of that. So let’s throw Ohio State into the mix, since we’re staying in the Buckeye State here, talk about that type of a program, what their admission in their selective school, but criteria, and then that progression into your niche, your specialty. How does that work?

 

Matt Franchetti  18:36

So the question is about transferring if a student were, say at Ohio State and wanted to

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  18:40

No, let’s say, how does Ohio State or schools like Ohio State? They have the pre engineering schools? You mentioned that before? How does that work?

 

Matt Franchetti  18:51

Yeah, the pre engineering. So a lot of the selective schools will not necessarily publish what their admission criteria is in terms of AC TSAT high school GPA. And as you probably have discussed previously on podcasts that due to the COVID pandemic, many schools have dropped test scores to get into programs as have we and they call it Test optional for students to get in. So they kind of look at the student holistically. So what’s your GPA? What courses did you take? Are you involved in different programs and things? So many of the selective schools if you are what they define as a top tier students, so let’s say you maxed out on the AC T, the highest score you could get, you’ve got over 4.0 high school GPA, you may be admitted directly to your major at selective schools. But then let’s say you’re in this kind of middle bands, where you’re performing very well. Maybe you have high 20s on your AC T, maybe even low 30s near 30. You may be admitted into pre engineering, and they admit more students than they necessarily have seats for as the students come in. And again, I don’t want to say it’s fully competitive, but they have X number of students leyline in that are in this middle position, and then you’ll have just the smaller band that actually will be brought in into the actual professional program that second year is how it works. So it’s really looking at the fundamental building block forces that first year, which would be the physics, the calculus, chemistry, maybe some major specific courses. And then they evaluate your performance on that. So what’s your college GPA at the selective school that you’re at, and they have a certain number of seats, and they make a decision based on your GPA, how you performed in your courses, and you get the slot. And if you’re below that certain threshold, it’s either wait another year and reapply, see if you can get your GPA up, and you’ll be reevaluated with the next group. Or you may make a decision to either switch to a different major, or you may make a decision to switch to a different university, depending on what’s best for you and your circumstances. Which could

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  20:41

be heartbreaking. I mean, if if a student did their due diligence in high school, which, of course is what I’m all about, trying to get them to do, and so that they can make as I don’t think you can plan out your whole life, but to make an educated decision on what you want to study. And what that first step into the world of work is, let’s say they did their due diligence, I’m actually working, we just had a student in my last cohort of my launch Career Clarity course, he really loves the idea of civil engineering. So if he went to a school that admits you, as a pre engineering student, in for sure you want to be civil engineering, there are some risk involved, that you may not be in that top level group of kids who’s actually going to be admitted then to the major and then to your point that you have to figure out I’m going to major in something else. Am I going to transfer? How am I going to handle that? So that’s another set of questions that the families really need to do their due diligence on is in nursing is another big one like that to where is this a direct admit program? Or is it a pre engineering? And then I’m gonna have to be a top student to get one of those coveted spaces?

 

Matt Franchetti  21:52

Yeah, I think also, it’s a fair question to ask. So let’s say I’m a student that’s admitted to pre engineering. Number one, how many students did you admit to the pre engineering program this year? And then number two, let’s fast forward a year, how many students were actually from that group get into the actual professional program? And that will give an indicator of what your chance I want to want to say chances. But what’s the probability of you being successful necessarily, because everyone typically is a top performing student, if they’re admitted to pre engineering, so they’re competing against some really, really bright people?

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  22:22

Yeah, you might have been the big fish in a small pond at your high school. But now you’re going to be swimming with all those big fish at the college level. I always advise students, it’s fair to ask, what was the GPA of those students who got into the program that I’m aiming for, and students can underestimate this I love this is why I love you guys success coach that you’re doing, they underestimate that dip, usually down to the college GPA, because college is harder, it should be harder, right?

 

Matt Franchetti  22:54

Speaking of that, too, I had a student come into my office last year, and he sat down and said, I’m ready to transfer out of engineering. I said, I’m not doing well. So I think I’m gonna go to business that I had these really great hopes I was going to do on I’m not performing. And here I think he’s like, kind of failing out and maybe really struggling. I say, Okay, so what’s your GPA? And he said, I’m a 3.0 GPA. And I said, what you’re struggling with a 3.0 GPA? I said, Do you know what our average graduating GPA is? For students? Be sure the graduate and it’s right around a three point I’ll give her a 10th of a point. And then I asked the follow up question. I said, How many perfect 4.0 Is do you think we graduate each year in engineering at the University of Toledo? And he said, probably 75. And I said, No, we maybe have one each year that comes out with the perfect 4.0. And then he went on to say, Wow, I didn’t know that. He said I had a 4.3 GPA in high school. And for me to get my first B and my first C, I didn’t feel like I was performing where I should. And you brought up a great point that it is a different ballgame. You’re now in the major leagues, I think there’s a way to, to look at it going from high school to college, and the performance standards are different. And a 3.0. GPA is actually pretty good in college where some students are they’re failing when they get anything lower than an A. So it’s that expectation setting to I think, is a pretty critical part.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  24:10

To that mindset, right? I mean, no wonder kids are I mean, so stressed out. And we know that anxiety is a problem. Stress is a problem for these kids. Like let’s be more transparent with I love the that you just shared that because I’ll tell you, even those selective programs that you’re talking about, they’re not graduating 4.0 engineering majors either. And hey, families, there’s another question to ask right? And let’s normalize that, because that is a huge adjustment for the kids. Well, let’s talk a little bit about careers in engineering. So we’ve talked a lot about the curriculum between Engineering Technology and Engineering Science, and the questions to ask the colleges and what your college experience is going to be like. So now they’re graduating, you’re talking about those kids that you’re putting out there only One 4.0 a year, what do we need to be aware of for engineering science and engineering technology jobs?

 

Matt Franchetti  25:07

It’s really interesting to me. And it gets confusing for students, I think when you discuss engineering science versus Engineering Technology, because they look like the same major, for example, we have a Computer Science and Engineering major. And then we have a computer science and engineering technology major. So the question for students is, yeah, we talked about curriculum, but then what’s the jobs look like? An example that I really like to give is related to our civil engineering graduates, versus our construction engineering technology graduates. So those are kind of the two fields, the engineering sciences, Civil Engineering Technology is the engineering construction technology. So the civil engineer graduate would be the engineer that say, working in the office, developing the plans for building looking at safety factors, working with the architects, and really that design. So is the steel beam, Is it strong enough to be able to support the load that we expect on this building. Now, the Construction Engineering Technology student, the graduate, he would essentially be the project engineer on site while that building is being constructed. So he would be that lead point, he or she Excuse me, would be that lead point, where the building again, is being constructed that point of contact, working closely with the civil engineer, but again, more than that, on the site. So really, the big difference is the Engineering Technology students and the different majors as a graduate, it’s going to be more of that application based. So a good quote that I wants to read is, it’s actually from a bet, which is the accrediting board for engineering programs. And that’s another great question for students to ask. We’ll link

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  26:28

to that also in the show notes that their sites have fantastic resources, a b, e t.org. And they’re the accrediting site for engineering and engineering technology programs. But go ahead, what was the quote that they had?

 

Matt Franchetti  26:43

They say once they enter the workforce engineering, science graduates typically spend their time planning while Engineering Technology graduates spend their time making plans work. Oh, I love that. So I think it’s a great way to think about the different pathways if you’re looking engineering science versus entering technology. So really, the engineering science, it’s more of the pre stages before you’re actually in construction, or designing or manufacturing. And then our internet technology graduates are more on that back end. Now. We’ve got the plans made. Now let’s build it. Let’s quality our hands dirty. Exactly. So they’re right there on site, excited to be part of that live action.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  27:20

So it’s really thinking like, how do you want to work? Or do you want to generate the ideas? Or do you want to get your hands dirty in the field? So why don’t you leave us with some tips for being successful in engineering programs? What would your advice be to our typical high school student? And what would your tips be for them?

 

Matt Franchetti  27:40

I would say the biggest one, and it seems the simplest tip when you’re in college, but you’ll be surprised how much it doesn’t happen is go to class. Right now the big transition we see for high school students is that you’re pretty much monitored. I don’t want to call it a prison. But you’re inside the classroom, you’ve got people watching, if you’re not in class, or parents are getting a call, you may get a detention if you’ve missed so many classes. Now let’s fast forward to college, most professors are not going to notify anyone or do anything if you’re not in class. In fact, most classes don’t take attendance. So there may be that desire to say I can skip class, no one’s watching me, I went to sleep and I’ve got this 8am class, I’m just going to skip it. What we found that’s one of the biggest indicators. If you show up to class every day, take good notes. That’s one of the first big tips. The second thing is look for early intervention opportunities. I remember a student a few years ago, I was teaching a class and it was the very end of the semester, came to me and said, I’m really struggling in class, what can I do to improve? And I looked back at his records, and he only turned in, I think, three of 10 assignments. And so the question then became, it’s like, Hey, did you talk to me earlier, I think we could have developed something, and we could have helped you on this pathway. So I looked at that and develop the term he took kind of the ostrich approach. Like he buried his head in the sand if I don’t see the problems are not there. Really the big thing is confronting them head on. The big issue we see to where students really struggle in engineering is mathematics. If you get behind in math in terms of assignments, understanding materials, quizzes, exams, that’s a downward spiral, because it builds on itself so much. If you get behind in the early concepts, fast forward 15 weeks in the semester, it’s probably not going to be a great outcome that you’re going to see. So if you’re struggling, reach out for help. A lot of students that I meet are ashamed or embarrassed. You mentioned the fixed mindset versus the growth mindset. Really everyone needs to come in with that growth mindset. This calculus PreCalculus may have been easy in high school, but now that you’re here in college, it’s moving very quickly. You may have a professor whose English is not his or her first language. So there may be learning that accent as you go through. So again, if you need help ask for it. If that’s teaching assistants, most colleges including us have free tutoring, but it’s really understanding these resources are there and taking advantage of them as you move through. So really staying real time. And the other one the last one, I’ll give us get involved like don’t just sit in your dorm room and do your homework and get your lunch and dinner and go back to your dorm room get involved in different groups. Many universities, including the University of Toledo have over 250 student groups. If there’s an activity that you’d like to do, chances are, they’re like minded people that enjoy that as well. In fact, I was walking across our campus the other day, and I saw students that were medieval swordfighting that there’s actually a group where they do a medieval recapture and swordfighting experience. So I bring that example up, because if there’s something you’d like, you’re gonna find some. If you

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  30:28

can find medieval sword fighting, you’re you’re gonna be able to find what you like that I can only imagine you’re walking across campus and then you’re like, hey, that’s absolutely fantastic. What you have been a fantastic voice about engineering careers and majors, the different types of colleges but also a tremendous advocate for the University of Toledo. One of your graduates was previously a podcast guest, Mike shooter, he lives here in the Cincinnati area, and he works in cyber security is very passionate about that. If you didn’t get a chance to listen that episode, Mike’s episodes a great one, and teaches us more about like different specialties in engineering as well from the experience that he got at Talena. Well, thank you, Matt. We’ll have to stay connected because I think you can provide more fantastic information for our listeners.

 

Matt Franchetti  31:21

Thank you very much.

 

Lisa Marker Robbins  31:25

For years, I’ve encouraged stem interested students with a particular wiring and aptitude to consider engineering technology as a possible career field. If today’s episode piqued your interest in either of these fields, my weekly challenge is to dive into the show notes, where I’ve provided you two resources with more information on the programs and careers in engineering technology, as well as for universities. With well respected Engineering and Engineering Technology programs. There is much to be learned not only about college and majors, but also careers by investing some time on college websites and doing a visit whether virtual or in person. This is a great practice for any career field your team might be considering. If today’s episode was helpful to you. Please share with a friend who needs this too. Sharing following the podcast rating and reviewing helps me resource more students to launch into a successful future. Thank you for listening to the College and Career Clarity podcast, where I help your family move from overwhelmed, confused, to motivated, clear and confident about your team’s future.