There are many different jobs available for scientists in many different industries. Colorado College prepares individuals for these roles through their instruction in science, ability to work in teams, ability to work under strict deadlines, and strong project management skills. It would be difficult to capture all the different possibilities for scientists generally in a list, but there are opportunities at many different kinds of companies in roles such as research and development, quality, manufacturing, consulting, testing, etc.

• For these roles, laboratory and research experience are key qualifications. Familiarize yourself with laboratory protocols and procedures, emphasize safety, and learn how to use specific processes and equipment and become versed in software used to document and interpret results.
• Attending scientific conferences and presenting can be a great way to network and show off your work to potential employers! Employers feel much more comfortable hiring people who can prove their qualifications through research projects.
• Seek opportunities to do research as an undergraduate through National Scientific Foundation Research Experiences for Undergraduates (NSF REUs) or Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education (ORISE) and others.
• Network, network, network! Talk to folks who work in your target industry and ask them about the day to day tasks of their role, how they got into the field, and anything else you need to know to make confident decisions.

Industry Insights for Engineering

What do Engineers do?

Engineers work in a variety of fields to analyze, develop and evaluate large-scale, complex systems. This can mean and improve and maintaining current systems or creating brand new projects. Engineers will design and draft blueprints, visit systems in the field and manage projects.

Job examples include

• Chemical Engineers
• Mechanical Engineers
• Civil Engineers
• Computer Engineers
• Environmental Engineers

How much do engineers make?

Depending on the field, you can make between $77,000 to over $100,000 per year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2010, the median pay for civil engineers was $78,160 or $37.58 per hour. For petroleum engineers, the median pay was $114,080 a year, or $54.85 an hour. Biomedical engineers earned a median pay of $39.20 per year or $81,540 a year.

What are the education requirements?

Engineers need at least a bachelor's degree in an engineering field or more. In addition, engineers who offer their services to the public must get licensure in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

Job Skills and Requirements

• Creativity: You must be able to think of new systems and new ways to work. You must be able to think creatively and ask the right questions.
• Math Skills: You must understand complex mathematical analysis, calculus, and other mathematics for design and troubleshooting.
• Mechanical Skills: The ability to understand mechanical concepts and processes easily, as well as use equipment and tools will help you in your profession.
• Problem-Solving Skills: Engineers work to develop new solutions to problems. You will need the skills to identify the source of the problem and create and test solutions.
• Teamwork: Engineers will be part of a team in developing systems, fixing problems, or creating solutions. You will need to work well with others in order to get the job done.
• Listening Skills: Listening to workers, teammates and management is crucial to an engineer's job.
• Communication Skills: You must be able to communicate your plans, thoughts, and rationale in your job. Good communication skills will help you greatly in accomplishing your job.
• Project Management: Large-scale projects require the ability to manage time, supplies, personnel, and funds.

Industry Insights for Mathematics

What do Mathematicians do?

The diversity of fields that employ mathematicians is reflected in Mathematical Moments and Mathematics and Statistics Awareness Month themes.

Mathematicians make it possible to send secure emails and buy things online. Mathematicians are essential to analyze data and designing accurate models in fields as diverse as biology and finance. Mathematicians enabled researchers to complete The Human Genome Project quickly. And because of the prevalence of the computer at work and at play, mathematicians will continue to touch everyone in modern society.

General Recommendations for Mathematics majors:

In the past half-century, there has been a great increase in the importance of mathematics to our society. The need for trained mathematicians at all levels is on the rise as the use of computers and automation has spread to almost all sectors of our economy. Nowadays, technological, engineering and business problems are often of such complexity that they require a high level of mathematical treatment. Whereas in the past advanced mathematics was generally restricted to the physical sciences and engineering, today there is an ever-growing demand for mathematical expertise in the biological and social sciences, as well as in finance and business management and the burgeoning field of data science.

How much do Mathematicians make?

Employment in math occupations is projected to grow 27 percent from 2019 to 2029, much faster than the average for all occupations, and will add about 56,100 jobs. Growth is anticipated as businesses and government agencies continue to emphasize the use of big data, which math occupations analyze.

Math occupations had a median annual wage of $90,410 in May 2019, which was higher than the median annual wage for all occupations of $39,810.

Common Career Paths for Mathematics Majors:

• Actuarial science
• Data science
• Information technology and computing
• Business, management, consulting
• Teaching at the elementary or secondary school level
• Graduate study in mathematics or statistics, especially for an academic career
• Graduate study in applied mathematics or statistics, for a career in industry, business or government
• Graduate study in an interdisciplinary field related to the mathematical and statistical sciences

Professional Organizations

Networking with one's fellow scientists and engineers is extremely important for personal and professional development. Professional societies sponsor conferences, publish journals, and serve as reviewers or editors. They set professional and educational standards and provide job and career services for their members.

• American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE)

"world's leading organization for chemical engineering professionals," one area of interest is nanobiotechnology

• American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Focus is to "advance science, engineering, and innovation throughout the world for the benefit of all people"

• American Nuclear Society (ANS)

Non-profit, international, scientific and educational organization that unifies professional activities within the various fields of nuclear science and technology.

• American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE)

Represents more than 140,000 members of the civil engineering profession worldwide and is America's oldest national engineering society.

Mathematics Professional Organizations

• American Institute of Mathematics
• American Mathematical Society
• Association for Women in Mathematics
• Institute for Electrical and Electronic Engineering (IEEE)
• Mathematical Association of America (MAA)
• Society for Industrial and Applied Mathematics (SIAM)

Resume Tips for Engineers

While engineering jobs encompass a broad range of specialties, effective resume strategies are applicable across disciplines.

Here are seven pieces of advice from the experts to keep in mind when writing your engineering resume:

Think precision

Precision is paramount when it comes to engineering projects, and the same holds true for engineering resumes. Failing to proofread and correct all errors on the resume is a common mistake engineers make, according to Daniel Mullin, VP at Carroll Engineering, one of the largest consulting engineering firms in the greater Philadelphia area.

"It's imperative that you have a well-prepared, professional resume with no spelling or grammatical errors," he says. "Triple-check it and have other people go over it as well to make sure it's perfect."

Be concise

During his career recruiting and hiring engineers, Andrew Naslund, HR coordinator for consulting firm Mazzetti and Associates in San Francisco, has observed a tendency among engineers to "go into information overload on their resumes." His advice? "Don't."

"Resumes get accepted or rejected in 30 seconds or less, so you must be concise," Naslund says.

Skip Black, principal/owner of Minneapolis-based mechanical, electrical, structural, civil and environmental engineering firm Double Eagle Group, suggests creating a resume that is crisp and to the point. "Look at your resume with an editor's eye-just because you think the information is important doesn't mean the hiring manager will," Black says.

Ditch the objective and add a summary

"Do not write an objective," Black says. Not only does it consume valuable space, but it can also hurt your candidacy. "I've seen hiring managers disregard otherwise solid candidates because their objective did not match the specifics of the position opening," he says. Naslund agrees, but with this caveat: "If you are changing careers, then an objective is warranted. Otherwise, leave it out."

Replace the objective with a qualifications summary. Within a few hard-hitting sentences, your career summary should spotlight your most marketable qualifications. "The idea is to pique the interest of the hiring manager," Mullin says. Here's an example summary for a mechanical engineer:

Internationally experienced mechanical engineer with 15 years of experience and a strong background in Kaizen, ISO and automotive manufacturing. Qualifications include Six Sigma Black Belt, Advanced Pro-E license and PMP-certification.

Tailor the resume to the job opportunity

"I strongly recommend adding personal touches to the resume every time you send it out," Naslund says. "If it's obvious you have mass-posted and haven't responded to me specifically, the resume will probably be trashed."

Customize each resume you send to the specific role and engineering specialty you are targeting. "If you see a Monster ad for a project engineer, for example, bring all of your project management experience to the forefront on your resume," Naslund says.

List key accomplishments

"Use bullet points to make your resume easier to read," Naslund says. When writing bulleted accomplishments, keep the text to a few key points and quantify the results so employers understand the significance of your work. Here are examples from various engineering disciplines:

• Conducted process mapping studies to improve throughput by 36% and ensure compliance with customer specifications.
• Regarded as one of consulting firm's most highly requested mechanical engineers, maintaining 89% or higher billable utilization for the past 4 years.
• Co-developed material for cooling radiators that saved $300K/year.

Add a project list

Depending on your engineering specialty and years of experience, you may find a dozen or more key projects should be included on your resume. When this causes your document to overflow onto a third page, a separate project list sheet is an effective solution.

"If you can get your vitals on a page, that's perfect," Naslund advises. "If you need two pages, that's OK. For any more than that, split the document and add a project list. List projects by employer or client, and give a short-even one sentence-description of what you did. Most importantly, don't forget to include your project outcomes."

Be honest

Your resume should be compelling but never misleading or deceptive. "Don't be lulled into thinking that embellishing your resume is OK," Naslund warns. "Never put anything on your resume that you wouldn't tell your grandmother."

Give your resume a boost

To be considered for top engineering jobs, a comprehensive resume will go a long way in attracting hiring managers. Want to ensure your resume is a cut above the competition's? Get a free resume evaluation today from the experts at Monster's Resume Writing Service. You'll get detailed feedback in two business days, including a review of your resume's appearance and content, and a prediction of a recruiter's first impression. Let the experts at Monster help you design a resume that will get you a step closer to an awesome new job.

Resume Tips for Mathematics

Mathematics and statistics jobs require a high level of precision, so resumes for this field should exhibit skills and work experiences that are related to numeric accuracy. To do this, include information on things like related degree work, tutoring experience, and organizations of which you're a member.

Tips for Creating a Great Math CV:

• For a research mathematician CV, it is appropriate to list high profile referees from the dissertation process.
• When listing specific courses, avoid the basic subjects required by all mathematicians. This includes Real Analysis and Abstract Algebra.
• Keep your CV to one page; only go to two pages if you have more than 10 years of experience. If you use two pages, try to limit the first to 10 years.
• Have another set of eyes look over your CV when you are finished. Another way to catch typos and errors is to read your CV out loud.

TigerLink: CC's alumni online directory and professional networking platform compatible with LinkedIn

• The directory allows you to search for other alumni, and your inquiry can be as general or specific as you like using the advanced filters section. You can send a message to other alumni through the directory, too.
• The mentoring component empowers students and recent graduates to connect with alumni who can assist in exploring careers and industries. Alumni can choose to connect with students in a variety of ways as well as expand their own professional network and advance their careers through connections to insiders who work for top employers.