Plastics Engineers

If you are a high school student, you may seek to join the Technology Student Association, which provides students a chance to explore career opportunities in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, enter academic competitions, and participate in summer exploration programs. Visit https://tsaweb.org for more information.

Your school's career services office or science teacher may be able to arrange a presentation or question-and-answer session with a plastics engineer, or even a tour of a local plastics manufacturer. During these tours, you can observe working conditions and discuss employment possibilities with engineers. If you're a college student, you can also join SPE-Inspiring Plastics Professionals and become a member of a student chapter, which provides opportunities to gain valuable experience and contacts with similarly interested people. SPE also offers podcasts and journals that will be of interest to students and young professionals.

School career services offices may also arrange visits to community colleges, vocational-technical schools, and universities that offer technical programs. Another way to explore this field is through a summer job at a plastics-processing plan, where you will learn the basics and experience the varied areas involved with producing plastics parts.