Education · 1 of 5

The path

A normal engineering degree, taken in an agricultural college.

1. 1

   High school

   Grades 11 and 12

   Calculus, physics, chemistry and biology. Farm or shop experience is genuinely useful here in a way it is not in most engineering fields.

2. 2

   Bachelor's degree

   4 years

   Agricultural, biological or biosystems engineering, accredited by ABET (the accrediting body for engineering degrees in the United States). Purdue, Iowa State, Nebraska and Texas A&M all run large accredited departments.

3. 3

   Internships

   Summers

   A summer at an equipment manufacturer, a food plant or a conservation agency. This is how people get hired.

4. 4

   First engineering job

   Year 1

   Design, testing or project work under a senior engineer.

5. 5

   Professional Engineer license, if your work needs it

   4 or more years

   The Fundamentals of Engineering exam, four years of experience, then the Principles and Practice of Engineering exam.