Mechanical Engineering

Are you a fan of the TV shows Myth Busters, How It’s Made and Modern Marvels? Then you might want to consider a job in the manufacturing sector, which, according to one report, currently has 600,000 job openings in the U.S. High schools and companies are partnering with trainers like “Project Lead the Way” to find skilled workers for this new era of manufacturing – workers with not only physical prowess, but more advanced technological training. As trainer Ira S. Wolfe recently told Bloomberg BusinessWeek, “The trades are not just about swinging a hammer anymore; they involve applying brainpower and advanced education.” Could this be your answer to the job shortage?

In the next few weeks, Alexandra “Alex” Kukoff, a 14-year-old entrepreneur from California, will begin reviewing designs submitted by engineers to create a special pair of closed-captioning glasses for hearing-impaired moviegoers. It is a story of how a new entrepreneur with little technological expertise can use the Internet to make the necessary high-tech connections to turn an idea into a prototype [an early sample or model built to test a product or concept].