A California high school graduate is planning to earn a bachelor’s in civil engineering from Austin Civil Engineering in California.
Mackenzie Houghton said her dream job was to be a mechanical engineer.
“I was excited because it was an area I really love,” Houghson said.
“It’s a field where you can learn about how we’re going to move from an all-electric car to a more sustainable electric vehicle.
This would be a good place to start.”
But Houghston is just one of a growing number of Californians preparing to start their careers in the engineering industry.
Last year, California Governor Jerry Brown signed legislation mandating the establishment of a national civil engineering institute.
Its members are expected to include students from schools including the University of California, Berkeley, UC Davis, the University at Buffalo and Cal State Northridge.
“I’m not really sure what the future holds for civil engineers in California,” Houghtons mother, Laura, told Al Jazeera.
She’s hoping that her daughter can be one of the next generation of civil engineers, and she’s looking forward to joining a growing group of young engineers working towards a career in civil construction and engineering.
The Houghton family has been fortunate in the last few years.
They have a four-year-old daughter and a son aged six and six years old, and have been able to work from home.
But Laura said she has always wanted her daughter to pursue a career as a civil engineer.
“We are fortunate that we have a strong family, we have the support of our parents, so we can be very successful, Laura Houghtont said.”
And we have an amazing community.
There’s no reason why a girl can’t be successful as a Civil Engineer, Laura said.
Al Jazeera’s Laura Houghon and Abigail Noveck contributed to this report.
