As high-school students start to think about what they want to do when they graduate, TRU’s Department of Engineering gave many from School District 73 some food for thought in a career that’s up and coming.

Students from Grades 10 to 12 recently spent a day exploring their various options in software engineering. This was the first Discover Day collaboration between TRU and School District 73.

Students were introduced to the unique program offered at TRU, which is the only program offered in the Interior, and met with the dean and associate dean of science as well as several faculty members. They jumped into a variety of activities that gave some insights into the different career options that software engineering has to offer.

During the day, students learned about the different aspects of the profession, such as what a software engineer does, what the average salary and career experience is for software engineers and what it means to have a professional engineering license.

The Department of Engineering faculty led activities for the students in two engineering specific labs. One interactive lab project involved a budget planner coding project, while the other gave students a chance to design a game console using FPGA.

The day’s activities also involved interaction with current TRU students, including a presentation on university life from second-year students, a discussion on the engineering design lab with first-year students and a lecture series where the high-school students talked with third-year students.