What should my son do with his life? 2

[mykidsfuture]

Hi, I just want to start by saying that I am not an engineer and please feel free to delete this post and ban me if you feel it's necessary. If so I appologize.
My 15 year old son is interested in engineering and I want to know what I can do as a dad to help.
He is on the honor role at school.
Does very well in math and science.
Seems to have a good eye when figuring out how things work, how they broke etc.
So what can I do to help? I will be enrolling him in the University of Western Ontario's summer camp for engineering. I also have solidworks software for his computer coming. I gave him my project MG Midget and we'll be attempting to put a 2.3 turbo Ford in it shortly. The project car should give him a basic understanding of computer management, wiring, mechanicals etc etc. and give him some experience with welding, basic tools etc, and putting square pegs in round holes.
What's a good type of engineering to get into for the future.
What else can I do?
Thanks for your time, and ANY tips or advice about where engineering is going, how to get ready for the job market etc. would be really appreciated.... absolutely anything that you as engineers think would help.
Dad (Jeff)

 

[Twoballcane]

Just saw this:

http://www.bnet.com/photos/5-college-degrees-that-really-pay-off/6216831?tag=fd-river14

for top 5 colleges that pay off in the long run and the top 3 are Engineering colleges with Engineering careers.


Tobalcane
"If you avoid failure, you also avoid success."
“Luck is where preparation meets opportunity”

 

[indme]

People who responded to my post about engineering not being the way to get rich:

Dean Kamen, Gates, Jobs and the like are not doing engineering. They are doing management. My point was that if you are a purist and want to deal with the details of engineering and design, you'll not be getting rich. You'll be making someone rich, and that someone is a manager or other type of non-technical/no-longer-technical person who isn't involved in the day-to-day engineering work. To become wealthy, you have to focus on soft skills and remove yourself from the commoditized engineering work. I've observed this, but yet to do it, hence I'm still an engineer doing the physics and detailed design. I make ~10% of the profit of my effort and non-engineers take the balance. So while I feel like the smart technical guy who makes the product possible, I am really the moron in the chain that does the hard work for the guys who reap the benefits.

 

[flash3780]

I don't think you can call Steve Wozniak anything but a computer engineer. All of the folks that I mentioned got wealthy using their engineering skills. Apple computers is a great example of a group of technical people coming up with a great idea and using their engineering know-how to make it happen.

Now, it's certainly true that it's difficult for a solo engineer to change the world... but get a few like-minded, energetic, intelligent engineers together and they can create great things... and become quite wealthy in the process.

That's not to say that you won't do just fine working for a company... but it's just a job. It's safe. Entrepreneurs are the ones who take the risks, and are rightly rewarded when they make the right calls. Engineering entrepreneurs have a leg up, because they have the ability to create things.

 

[p14175]

I would also encourage him to study music, art, and history. Engineering isn't all mathematics and making CAD models.