Deciding on a major when you get to college can be daunting. What’s even more daunting is when you decide to go into a field such as engineering, which has countless applications in several areas and industries. So, how do you decide which focus is the right fit for you? Looking at successful engineering companies and firms can help you figure out what your most lucrative choices might be. When it comes down to being an engineering student, it’s important to have a solid understanding of what your life will be like as an engineering major as well as post-graduation.

What To Expect As An Engineering Major

Majoring in engineering requires studying a variety of fields, including science, math, and even business. The broad nature of the skills you master in your introductory years as an engineering student means that there are a variety of disciplines for you to choose from as you continue to specify your education. You’ll be trained in identifying and solving problems, communicating effectively, and formulating and carrying out experiments. Depending on your concentration, you may also need to take courses in ethics.

Each engineering major will have a different set of skills that they hone in undergrad. These skills will ultimately prepare you to work effectively in the environment most relevant to your field of study, and each environment is different. For example, if you’re planning on becoming a biomedical engineer, you may need to learn how to use medical technology like MRI machines. You may also need to learn how to use specialized work gear such as flame-resistant clothing if you’re working as a fire engineer. Fire engineers help keep buildings up to code and may also investigate certain fires. If you aren’t as excited about science but are still interested in finding a lucrative engineering job, Civil Engineering may be a good fit for you. While considered one of the “easier” engineering jobs to get, the day-to-day demands of your actual career are much more stressful than other types of engineering. Ultimately, what concentration you choose to focus on as an engineering major comes down to your aptitudes and interests. However, keeping in mind the average starting salaries as well as where you would like to be working in five or ten years can also help inform your decision.

It’s important to note that, regardless of the field of study you choose, a career in engineering entails dedicating yourself to staying up to date on the latest advancements, discoveries, and creations. Engineers are lifelong learners, so you must be willing to attend conferences and presentations even once you receive your degree. Doing so ensures that you will always stay at the forefront of your field and stay competitive in the job market. How exactly do you find a job, though?

Staffing Agencies Are One Route To A Career

Of course, once you graduate with your engineering degree, you’ll need to find a job to put your skills to use. Enter businesses like Enser Corporation. Enser Corp is an engineering staffing agency that was established in 1947 to provide solutions for engineering service demands, including areas like design, testing, and analysis. The agency can help place you in a job ranging anywhere from Mechanical Design to Finite Element Analysis, making them the perfect choice for recent graduates. Enser prides itself on offering a caliber of service that’s unmatched by other engineering firms. Best of all, since they serve both you and a specific client, it’s in their best interest to find suitable job placements for both parties. This can make the job application process much simpler and far less stressful. Some agencies will even be able to help coach you through designing your resume and fielding interview questions.

The public has always been intrigued by a good story about the tainted history of the prison system. The subject of Alcatraz or “The Rock” has become a movie of the same name and a tourist destination of the coats of San Francisco. Digging deep and spending the time it uncovers facts make for a better, and more researched paper. 

Showing you went the extra mile to gather and investigate the information can be the difference between an A or the dreaded words scribbled in red at the top reading, “See me after class.” Here are some tips to write the best historical paper that will impress even the toughest of college professors.

A Good Beginning

Just like your favorite novel, a good beginning to a paper catches your professor’s interest. It doesn’t matter the subject when it comes to comprehension and the use of well-organized thoughts. A paper that jumps from topic to topic isn’t going to fare well in a college course. Be sure to capture the intrigue of the reader (in this case, your professor) but without being too dramatic. You want it to be interesting but not the next best selling fiction novel. 

It needs to be well written and in your own words. Plagiarism is a serious and illegal issue. Your professor has heard it all too. There are programs are designed to check your work. If you need to reference someone or their work, make sure it’s accurate to utilize proper use of quotations if needed. 

Research Your Subject

Research papers should consist of more than hours of staring at your computer screen. If possible, contact (or if you reside nearby) take a trip where the action existed. When writing a paper about, for example, former inmates and life in prison, you may want to speak to the person themselves or the staff. As long as you’re permitted, sitting down and getting a first-hand experience helps create a better, well-researched paper. 

Diving into the history of a well known former inmate through books, newspapers, and online sites may give you a plethora of information. However, if the guards or free former inmates (or the person themselves) doesn’t mind talking, it’s a good opportunity to absorb a wealth of information. Basic details include early family life, what happened before, during, and after jail, the trial, and the crimes themselves.

Don’t Be Afraid to Dig Deep

Historical papers about deceased prisoners may prove difficult if you’re unsure of where to look. Local libraries can assist you in pulling up old newspaper clippings, microfiche, and if famous enough, a documentary. Taking a looking into public death records can list the former addresses and the current one, including family members of the deceased. When contacting family members, remember to be courteous and be prepared to be ignored. 

Many relatives may have chosen to place that part of their lives behind them, leaving you to piece other the information you already obtained. Government websites can have data such as arrest date (or dates) reasons, for arrests, and trial information. During your quest to find information, attempting to find former cellmates or correspondence can encourage you to be more accurate during your search. Include factual information from the mouth of the inmate’s family to help solidify your historical research. Don’t overlook the library and historical videos and local museums that may have their own websites (or better yet, tours to take!). You may be able to contact amateur historians who’d be more than happy to share what they’ve found. Just be sure to always fact check the information, even if it seems legitimate. Being objective can be difficult, however, it’s essential when writing a paper with historical value.

The word recycling for most people conjures up images of newspapers, soda cans, milk cartons, shopping bags, water bottles and other common household items. In a world that is leaning more and more towards recycling so that residents of this planet can do their part to save the earth, recycling these common items has become a necessity for many, not something they do if, and when they feel like it. 

However, did you know that everything from carbide bushings to crayons can be recycled as well? 

There are many reasons that you should recycle, but if you already do and want to do more to reduce your carbon footprint on the planet, then read on below for a few of the strangest things you can and should be recycling today.

Used Cooking Oil

While the idea of recycling your used cooking oil collection may seem a little strange, it is one of the top items on this list. Think about it, you don’t want a bunch of cooking oil sitting around your kitchen, as it is a dangerous fire hazard, and you don’t want to toss it in the trash can to leak everywhere, so what do you do with it? Recycle is the answer! 

Sports Equipment

Thinking about tossing those old tennis balls, your yoga mat, or even your kid’s old baseball glove? There are quite a few places and sites out there that will accept your used sports equipment and put it to good use, so that it’s not filling up the landfills and destroying the planet. 

Artificial Christmas Trees

At the end of the holiday season last year was your artificial Christmas tree a little worse for wear? If you intend on buying a brand new tree this upcoming holiday season, you’re probably wondering just what you can do with the old one. You don’t want it cluttering up a corner in the garage or taking up space in the attic do you? Luckily, you can recycle that old tree since there are programs in different areas of the country that will take it off your hands. 

Bike Tools and Gear

There are quite a few places and sites out there that accept old bike tools and gear for recycling. Some of the things that are accepted include bike frames, worn tire tubes, bike tools, helmets, bags, bike pumps and more. One of these sites takes these tools and gear and recycles them to deliver to poor economic climates such as the Carribean, Africa, and parts of South America.

Toothbrushes 

Did you know that every old toothbrush you’ve thrown away over your entire life is still here on this earth? Since it takes centuries for a piece of plastic to decompose, it’s not hard to believe since toothbrushes are made of plastic. There are sites now, who partner with toothpaste companies that accept the recycling of old toothbrushes, toothpaste tubes, and even floss, since they come in plastic as well. So, save up those oral care products and reduce your carbon footprint on the earth by recycling them. 

Holiday Lights

As the Christmas season approaches more than one person will plug in a string of holiday lights only to find half of them don’t work. Not only does this mean a trip to the store for more lights, it also means you have to find something to do with the old string. Never fear, there are places that will let you recycle them as well, and many will give you a discount on a new string through them as well. 

These are just a few of the strangest things out there that can be recycled you might not have known about. Do the right thing and start recycling these things as well.