STEM Career Exploration Assignment
Worth 50 points
This is an activity to help you to imagine yourself as a working adult and to begin thinking
about the careers you may be interested in as well as the skills you need in order to achieve
your future goal. Many of the jobs around today most likely will be completely different by
the time you graduate from college but the general skill building blocks are still important.
For instance, if you are interested in being a biochemist you will always have to understand
the chemical and physical principles of living things and of biological processes such as cell
development, growth and heredity, you may just need to have additional skills in order to
stay competitive in the future.
If you need help deciding which career to research, read through the publication here
http://www.burning-glass.com/media/3326/RealTime%20Insight%20Into%20The%20Market%20For%20Entry-Level%20STEM%20Jobs.pdf
Also included in this publication is information about job availability after graduation from
college as well as salary information. You will notice that jobs in STEM fields are more
plentiful and yield a higher salary than jobs in other areas.
Assignment:
Part 1. Job announcement: Use the template below (on the next page) and Microsoft word
or Publisher to help you create an announcement for the future job that you may want. In
other words, a company usually publishes a job announcement describing the points on
the next page so that potential applicants (people who apply for the job) understand what
the company is looking for. This job announcement should be AT LEAST one page in length
and include all of the sections. If you need any examples take a look at:
Go to this website and put in a key word like (engineering, environmental scientist, health care) to
see potential jobs: http://www.usajobs.gov/
This is an example of what you will make:
http://www.me.berkeley.edu/industry/MagCanica.pdf
Part 2. Resume: Next, create a resume for a dream job you would like to land (when you are about
25 years old), based on the skills you would find listed on a jobsite like the usajobs.gov site above.
Obviously, since you are in eighth grade you have not gone to college or perhaps even worked so
make up what you think you can realistically accomplish in the next 10-12 years. A sample resume
can be found online or below.
Part 1:
COMPANY NAME
Job Announcement: TITLE OF JOB
XYZ COMPANY OVERVIEW:
This is a description of the company’s main goals and why they are looking for new employees. They may
also explain their mission and their goals for the future.
COMPANIES MAIN FUNCTIONS:
JOB DESCRIPTION:
Description of the position available, the responsibilities associated with the position and the skills the
person they hire should have.
SAMPLE TASKS:
The tasks the person who is hired for this job will perform.
JOB QUALIFICATIONS:
This is where the required education and skills are explained.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TYPE OF PERSON COMPANY IS LOOKING FOR:
TRAINING AND BENEFITS:
In this section the additional training that will be provided for the person hired as well as the unique
benefits such as autonomy, exciting travel opportunities and quick advancement.
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
The amount they will pay, the number of vacation days, holidays, retirement and health benefits.
CONTACT:
Who you contact regarding the position (this is usually someone in the human resources department).
http://www.usajobs.gov/GetJob/ViewDetails/313692900
http://www.me.berkeley.edu/industry/MagCanica.pdf
http://breitlinks.com/careers/career_pdfs/CareerCluster-ag.pdf
Part 2: Resume
MARIA W. HUMPHREY
128 Village Ave. #36  Sometown, AZ 85280  Phone: 555.555.5555  mh@somedomain.com
Goal: Seeking Summer Design Engineer Internship Within the Manufacturing Sector
College junior majoring in manufacturing engineering technology who is highly motivated to secure a
design engineer internship. Honors student with practical work experience within the manufacturing sector; technical
skills in AutoCAD, SolidWorks and Creo Elements/Pro; and a foundation in automated manufacturing systems and
simulation modeling techniques.
EDUCATION
ABC UNIVERSITY (ABET-accredited institution) — Sometown, AZ
Pursuing Bachelor of Science in Manufacturing Engineering Technology, 2009 to Present
Cumulative GPA: 3.75  Anticipated Graduation: 2013
Honors: Dean’s List (all semesters); Tau Alpha Pi (Engineering Technology Honor Society)
Completed Coursework Includes:
– Introduction to Engineering Technology
– Manufacturing Processes / Six Sigma Quality
– Technical Drafting & CAD
– Strength of Materials / Material Analysis
– Computer-Aided Design & Integrated Manufacturing
– Geometric Dimensioning & Tolerancing
– Engineering Mechanics (Statics & Dynamics)
– Computer-Aided Planning (CAP)
– Engineering Problem-Solving Tools
– Principles of Numerical Controls
– Fluid Power Systems
– Tool & Die Fundamentals
WORK EXPERIENCE
XYZ MANUFACTURING — Sometown, AZ
Large furniture manufacturer
Production Operator (full time in summers, part time during fall and spring semesters), 8/10 to Present
Gained manufacturing experience working with sophisticated automated systems used in the mass production of highquality furniture and assemblies. Operate, adjust and maintain assembly-line equipment according to established
guidelines. Key Contributions:

Design Engineering Projects: Selected to assist tool design engineers in the development of jigs and fixtures
using AutoCAD, SolidWorks and Creo Elements/Pro. Helped deliver solutions that saved an estimated $48K
annually by reducing costly hand work, minimizing waste and improving quality control.

Manufacturing Problem Solving: Demonstrated technical troubleshooting strengths in pinpointing and
resolving equipment malfunctions related to statistical process control (SPC) issues.

Production Line Operations: Consistently commended for adhering to company SOPs to ensure optimal
production efficiency, quality and safety.

Top-Rated Performance: Earned outstanding marks on performance reviews, with special recognition for
teamwork, attention to detail and going “above and beyond” to drive corporate goal attainment.
COMPUTER SKILLS
Intermediate to Advanced Proficiencies in: AutoCAD, MS Excel, MS Word, MS Access
Basic Proficiencies in: SolidWorks and Creo Elements/Pro (Pro/ENGINEER)