Engineering a Career

The experience wasn’t without hiccups, however. Rock Valley College mistakenly sent Matea a tuition bill and then placed a hold on her registration, which barred her from signing up for classes. Inspired Pathways Director Nate Lockett stepped in to sort out the problem with the registrar’s office and get Matea into her preferred classes.

Matea’s studies have ranged from calculus to chemistry to differential equations, but her favorite so far has been “Introduction to Engineering,” which explores “different engineering disciplines, the role of the engineer in society, the engineering approach to problem solving and the engineering design process.” In the lab portion of the class, students reverse-engineer products to puzzle out how they were designed.

One advantage of studying at a community college, Matea says, is the diversity of the student body: Some of her classmates are seasoned engineers who are returning for a second degree or to update their skill sets. “Just hearing about their experience in the field is super awesome,” she says.

Engineering salaries are pretty awesome too, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics: the median engineering salary is $84,000 – almost double the annual wage for all other occupations.

Matea’s dream job lies at the intersection of clean energy and cool design. “Honestly, if Tesla was to offer me a job, I would immediately take it,” she says with a laugh. “But, you know, we’ll see where things go.”