Getting into this whole roller coaster "business"

[JDo217]

For as long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be an engineer. I have two years of high school left ad during the coming school year, I will be seriously looking at colleges and universities. Being a roller coaster engineer would be awesome

 

Is there anything that I can do right now, or in the near future, that would give me some insight as to what being a roller coaster engineer would be like? I know around here where I live, it's possible for high school students to get internships with local politicians. But I doubt I would be able to get an internship with an engineering firm as I'm pretty sure I'm too young and lack experience in the field.

 

Since I'm on the topic of college anyways, I figure I'll ask: How is IIT (Illinois Institute ofTechnology)? I've been dreaming about going to MIT for a while now and I've heard either that it's a great school or that it's overrated. At any rate, I seriously doubt I would be able to make it in so I need to consider my other options.

 

I don't do a ton of stuff outside of school but I usually do some community service with some school clubs and I participate in a few youth orchestra, which I guess could work to my advantage as it would show that I can do stuff other than just math and science.

[TheBannedKid]

Being a roller coaster engineer would be like being a mechanical, structural, or electrical engineer. I don't imagine it would be much different, besides the fact that it's much harder to be a roller coaster engineer over a more generalize industry.

 

I'm an engineering intern in the film industry, initially interested in roller coasters but I later found my interest was in engineering altogether. You probably want to look into what it takes to be an engineer...decide what you like in engineering and take appropriate classes like physics and math. Get hands on with maintenance too...even if it's just fixing your car.

 

You really must love engineering, not just coasters.

[mcjaco]

IIT is an excellent school, as well.

 

It never hurts to take a look.