Engineering a successful career

engineering072: Engineering Day at the Kern County Museum
Kern County Museum docent Dave McKinley seems to have caught the attention of Arvin High students Gabriela Perez and Erik Salinas with his explanation of how an oil drill bit works.
"I have a compressor rated at 200. How do I tie it into which sections? You have to have a lot of math and science training to figure out those kinds of engineering questions."

South High School juniors Terri Guinto and Noor Saba nodded their heads in mild amazement as they listened to Occidental of Elk Hills, Inc. Engineer Kimberly Thomas. Thomas was one of dozens of professional experts who assisted 335 Kern County high school students seeking career information on Feb. 23, Engineering Day at the Kern County Museum.

"You may have a great system already in place," Thomas continued, "But you are constantly making it better by doing research. That's why I love being an engineer."

Guinto and Saba smiled and then asked a lot of follow up questions. Such is what happens every year on this day, sponsored for the seventh consecutive year by the Society of Petroleum Engineers and the Kern County Superintendent of Schools' (KCSOS) Jobs Plus program. Attending were mostly juniors and seniors with a sprinkling of sophomores who are Engineering Career Academy members or are taking math and science courses with an interest in learning more about engineering as a career.

According to Federal Labor Bureau Statistics, the engineering industry is facing a shortage due to an aging workforce. Their statistics show degrees in engineering reached 1,700 in 1985 but plummeted to 300 by 2001. A statistic that was not lost on Chevron engineer Michael Haar, who was representing his company at one of the many vendor information booths set up inside the museum's main gallery.

"We are not graduating enough engineers -- we see that in our industry (oil) more than perhaps any other," Haar said. "Many engineers are in their 40s, 50s and 60s. They are going to be retiring soon, and who is going to take their place? That's why we are encouraging the students here today that this is a field wide open for them."

One of those listening nearby was South High senior Jason Ward, who began taking computer aided design courses when he was only a sophomore and will be attending UCLA next year.

"We have an excellent math and science program at South, and it motivated me to see what different kinds of opportunities there are in the engineering field," Ward said. "I am really interested in civil engineering because it involves designing structures, which is something I could really enjoy doing."

During the day, students had a chance to stop and talk with vendors in the gallery, visit a project exhibition area, witness industry demonstrations and presentations, hear from guest speakers, get involved in hands-on-activities and tour the museum's Black Gold: the Oil Experience exhibit. They were even treated to a barbecue lunch provided by Halliburton.

"One of the great advantages for the students is they can meet with all these industry representatives and find out about available scholarships," said Jobs Plus Career Tech Andrea Parsons, who helps coordinate the event every year. "Networking with the reps has turned into very valuable internships for several students over the years. Plus, by attending this career day, teens find out there are more opportunities than just engineering within the industry, such as in the areas of accounting, human resources and others."

South High junior Alejandro Moreno had absorbed a lot by the time lunch was served.

"Oil is a big factor in our lives, and I can see how a career in mechanical engineering could open a lot of doors for me," Moreno said. "It all starts with math and science. Look around us, everywhere there is some need for both. I really like that."


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