Florida State College at Jacksonville

(Dual enrollment STEAM options)

A CTE class stands for a Career and Technical Education class. It is a course that teaches students practical, hands-on skills for specific jobs and trades.

What You Learn in a CTE Class

• Real-world skills: Training for specific industries like healthcare, computer technology, automotive repair, or culinary arts.
• Hands-on experience: Working with professional tools, software, and equipment instead of just reading textbooks.
• Workplace habits: Learning teamwork, problem-solving, time management, and communication.

Why CTE Classes Matter

• Career exploration: They let students try out a job field before graduating.
• Certifications: Many courses help students earn professional certificates or college credit while still in middle or high school.
• After school: They prepare students to go straight into the workforce, attend trade school, or college

ENGINEERING

Engineering is the discipline and profession that applies scientific theories, mathematical methods, and empirical evidence to design, create an analyze technological solutions. Engineering balances technical requirements with concerns and constraints on safety, human factors, physical limits, regulations, practicality, and costs - often at an industrial scale. Engineering is the broad application of science, math, and problem-solving to design, build, and maintain the structures, devices, and systems our world relies on.

The field is generally divided into several primary no core branches, along with many specialized sub-disciplines.

The Core Engineering Disciplines

• Mechanical Engineering: Focuses on physical machines, thermal devices, and moving systems, ranging from small sensors to large engines and robots.
• Civil Engineering: Deals with the design, construction, and maintenance of public and private infrastructure like bridges, roads, buildings, and water systems.
• Electrical Engineering: Involves the study and application of electricity, electronics, and electromagnetism to create everything from microchips to power grids.
• Chemical Engineering: Applies chemistry, physics, and biology to design large-scale processes for manufacturing chemicals, fuels, food, and pharmaceuticals.
• Industrial Engineering: Focuses on optimizing complex workflows, manufacturing systems, and operational efficiency.

Popular Specialized and Interdisciplinary Fields

• Aerospace Engineering: A specialty focused on designing and testing aircraft, satellites, and spacecraft.
• Biomedical Engineering: Integrates biology and medical sciences with engineering principles to develop healthcare tools, prosthetics, and medical devices.
• Computer Engineering: Combines electrical engineering and computer science to design hardware components, processors, and integrated digital systems.
• Environmental Engineering: A specialized branch focusing on protecting natural environments, managing waste, and improving water and air quality.

What Computer Engineers Do

• Hardware Design: Build and test physical parts like microchips, processors, circuit boards, and memory devices.
• Software Development: Write code and build operating systems, applications, and firmware that make hardware function.
• System Integration: Connect physical components with software so devices work smoothly together.

Common Career Paths

• Embedded Systems Engineer: Program smart devices, medical equipment, and automotive systems.
• Hardware Engineer: Design and test physical computing infrastructure and processors.
• Network/Cybersecurity Engineer: Build and secure communication systems and data networks.