What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

Hey everybody, I would really appreciate it if everyone take the time to respond to this one.

Also how has FIRST effected your plans for after high school?

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

Wow..hmm.

It's funny because I walked into highschool thinking I'd go to college for Pre-Med or something in the natural sciences. Now, as a junior in highschool, FIRST, Team 25, and our awesome mentors have really made me rethink this. As I stand, FIRST has really inspired me to go into an Engineering based field, and I plan to do my undergrad in Engineering with a Pre-Medical concentration. What's to come after that I know not yet :D

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

Bio-medical is HOT right now...

Well, I was actually inspired to pursue engineering through FLL, but FIRST has strengthened my aim. I will say that I definently know people influenced by FIRST to pursue engineering degrees over other technical occupations.

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

It's interesting for me because I am really and in a tug of war with either engineering or forensic science. When I first enter High School in September i had my mind set on a forensic science degree and had practically my whole life planned out for my schooling career. Now after going through all of build season I am really considering a degree in engineering, mostly in part being taught first hand how to make a robot and also working with Dave Lavery, one of the greatest engineers I have ever met. Right now I'm thinking more toward the engineering side of schooling but I'm not that sure.

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

I've always wanted to do a career that involved problem solving and building of something (any engineering degree for me). When I first entered high school, I decided I would take some programming classes for fun, but never seriously wanted to do it (especially since both my parents are software engineers). Working with FIRST robots and taking those few programming classes has convinced me I do want to pursue a programming degree, and I much more enjoy programming hardware than computer software; I'm now set on getting a computer engineering degree. FIRST has also convinced me that I must work on robots forever, and I'm either getting a career in it or mentoring future FIRST teams (or maybe some of both?).

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

I am planning to go for Chemistry.

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

I would say that FIRST has had a profound impact on my choices after high school.

This is my fourth year as a member of The Who'sCTEKS, team 716. Before I joined the team, I never even dreamed of becoming an engineer - I didn't even know what an engineer really was. I had always loved science in elementary school, but I had many other interests as well - art, music, and the humanities. When I entered high school, I was experiencing a personal conflict because I had no idea what type of career would be most satisfying to me. I had too many interests for me to allow myself to focus on one career in a specific area. In short, I was completely unsure of my direction after high school.

When I joined the team, I was immediately hooked by the aspect of competition, while at the same time, impressed by the teamwork. I was amazed by the older students who were knowledgeable enough to work independently and solve problems with the robot - a device which, to me, seemed immensely complex and almost magical. But I didn't begin to consider a career in engineering until my sophomore year, when I was given the chance to lead a design sub team for the main arm of the robot. That year was so exciting for me because of the fact that we ended up winning the UTC New England Regional that year, and won two engineering awards. I was so excited by the prospect that something I had designed and built was responsible for our success. I felt elated by the fact that I had used my problem solving skills successfully, and that I was of value to the team. By the end of that year, I was so in love with design work that I truly set my heart on becoming an engineer.

I know I am not the only one who has been affected in this way. 100% of the graduates of my team have gone on to major in either engineering, science, or technology. The Who'sCTEKS have truly been able to fulfill the missions of FIRST in that the lives of so many students have been impacted. I am very proud to say I am one of them. Next year I will be attending the University of Miami and majoring in mechanical engineering.

Hope this was of some insight,
-- Jaine

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

. . . why is CS not considered engineering? . .I think you should have broken it down to EE ME CE and CS . . and added sciences to that list(physics chem bio).

and as far as first impacting my after HS stuff . . well I decided to do CS after my first CS class in HS(I loved it). but after I did BEST(soph, JR, SR years) and FIRST(SR year) I really changed from loving the really high lvl game Dev/ simulation(made a side scrolling shooter my JR year) side of CS and really started loving the lower lvl electronics/microprocessing side(I even went as far as buying a Z8 Dev kit my fish year and automated my house)

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

At Purdue computer engineering and computer science are different schools.

Department of Computer Science

School of Electrical & Computer Engineering

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

High school was a leetle while ago for me...

I planned to get a BS in Chemistry and an MD. What I ended up with is a BA in Political Science and an MBA. Life is strange...

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

yea, I realized I could have broken the degrees a little, better but there's no way to go back and fix that now.... I don't think. Any body know a way?
Thanks for all your feedback everyone!

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

I'll be studying Biomedical Engineering, and then off to Med school! Wooooo!

Yes, FIRST definitly had an impact. I can't say it any other way.

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

I'd love to become an equine vet and work rehabiliation of horses, injured, problematic, and otherwise impaired.

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

I'm in the mechanical side of a bachelors in electromechanical engineering.

It's basically an associates in electrical and one in mechanical glued together. It gives a nice base in most every subject with an emphasis on project lifespans (working all all the phases of a projects life) and real mechanical and electrical experience (lots of time in machine shop and making functional circuits. Lots of time spent on diagnostics of electromechanical systems (instructor drops a broken thingly on the table and asks you to write a report on why it doesn't work anymore). It's a nice mix if you like technology but don't want to spend 4 years learning theory. You won't be in a good position to get a masters later on, but I've no desire to.

I have no aspirations to be a full fledged engineer my self, so this degree is a nice pick for me. It makes me very attractive to the kinds of employers I like and the jobs I want. A position in a prototyping lab or research shop would be lovely.

-Andy A.

Re: What kind of degree do you hope to pursue after high school?
 

I want to be a truck driver. They make a lot of money and they have big trucks.