For my senior project I chose to dig into the career path of engineering.

I did this by first

researching the job and learning what an engineer does. I learned that engineers often use

design and problem solving in their daily job. I found this interesting as I have always loved

design and like the idea of solving problems. I also took an intro to engineering class through

Delta College this last semester that had given me more insight on the career field. Once I

decided this career was one I wanted to further pursue looking into I found a mentor. My mentor

was J. Cole who works at Meridian Early College and has a degree in engineering. He teaches

a class called Geo-Design that features an online design program that seems to reflect a lot of

the type of work an engineer might do and the programs they may use. First I had to find a

problem to solve for my senior project. After brainstorming several ideas I decided on solving

the problem of not having anywhere for dry erase board markers and the eraser to go. After

deciding on this problem I came up with a solution with the help of my mentor. We talked

through a lot of different options and this gave me insight on how engineers work with others in

their daily lives to solve problems, not just themselves. I liked this aspect of learning that

engineering is also a social career. I like the concept of working with not only your own ideas,

but others too, to come up with one unified idea.

After we came up with what we thought was a good solution I designed our product on a

program called Fusion. This program allowed me to add dimensions to sketches that then could

be expanded into a product that could then be 3D printed. Through using this program I learned

a lot about how to create a product with an online program. I know engineers use different

programs every day in their career. Therefore, it was nice to learn that I could manage to learn a

program and create a product through it. Even though I know I would be using a different

program in the real world, I liked learning that I could learn a program no matter what it was.

After creating the product on Fusion I learned that I loved that aspect of engineering. I enjoyed

making an idea come to life on an online design tool. I also liked learning a new program and

then applying my ideas to create an actual product that would solve a problem. After the product
was printed we tested it out by adding magnets to it and putting it on the white board. Here, we

found it did its job and held the markers and eraser in one easy to reach spot for teachers.

Watching something I created solve a problem was something that appealed to me at the end of

the project. I liked the idea of creating something that would actually make a difference in some

aspect of someone's everyday life.

Overall, I learned a lot through creating this product. I learned about the process

engineers go through and some of the skills they may need to have. These skills include

working with others, solving problems, using online programs, and being able to test and make

changes to a product. I also learned that I enjoyed seeing something I created be put into an

actual real life model that then could be used. In the end, I realized that I wanted to further

pursue engineering in the college classroom.