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Title:
Career interests, aspirations, and negotiation of place in engineering

Abstract:
Engineering students face a range of decisions when determining their post-graduation plans, yet we know little about how they navigate this process. Career interest is often studied in conjunction with other constructs (such as engineering identity) and earlier in their undergraduate education (such as the career goals of first year students). In addition, the existing research on career plans is largely quantitative in nature and predominately focuses on whether students plan to stay in or leave engineering. Given the attrition from the engineering workforce, particularly for underrepresented groups, it becomes important to understand the career interests and decisions of undergraduate engineering students at the end of their degree programs.

This seminar will highlight the complexity involved with studying career interests and decisions, emphasizing the need for further qualitative research on this topic. I will present findings from a set of interviews with 20 civil engineering students in their fourth and fifth year of undergraduate study. Each participant completed three interviews over the course of eight months. Key findings include specialization interests and their critical influences, other career motivations (purpose, work environment), and the process of negotiating whether to stay in or leave engineering. This study identifies key experiences that allow student to explore their interests. Future research will focus on how students navigate the job search process and finalize their post-graduation plans.

Bio:
Dr. Maya Denton is an Assistant Professor of Engineering Pathways in the Gallogly College of Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. She received her B.S. in Chemical Engineering from Purdue University and her M.S. in Environmental and Water Resources and PhD in STEM Education from the University of Texas at Austin. Prior to graduate school, she worked as a chemical engineer for an industrial gas company.

Her current research focuses on engineering career pathways (including the career interests and decisions of undergraduate students) and the use of assets-based frameworks. She was recently recognized with the 2024 ERM Apprentice Faculty Grant award. She teaches courses in first-year engineering, engineering professional skills, and graduate-level engineering education.

Citations:
Denton, M., Borrego, M., & Knight, D.B. (2022). U.S. postdoctoral careers in the life sciences, physical sciences, and engineering: Government, industry, and academia. PLOS ONE, 17(2), e0263185. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0263185

Denton, M., Borrego, M., & Boklage, A. (2020). Community cultural wealth in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education: A systematic review. Journal of Engineering Education, 109(3), 556-580. doi: 10.1002/jee.20322