1. Briefly, describe your field and your work. What does a civil engineer (or molecular biologist, or statistician etc.) do? What is your specific job?

2. What is your typical day like? You might want to discuss:

where you work (office, lab, outdoors); special clothing or equipment you wear/use; travel opportunities (such as to professional meetings); whether you work alone, in a team, or as a supervisor to other workers (a common stereotype of scientists is that they always are secluded from other people); whether you have any flexibility in setting your hours, working at home, etc.

3. What is your home life like? ... family, hobbies, what you do to relax. This is an important question! Young people often think that scientists and engineers don't have a home life ... they see them as spending 24 hours/day at work!

4. What kind of training do you need to work in your field? Be sure to mention anything students should do during elementary and junior or senior high school such as taking math and science courses, doing science or math hobbies, volunteering/working in someone's office or lab, etc.

5. What do you like least about your work? It's tempting to either skip this or dwell upon it(!) but every job has its down side, so be sure to note whether there's something you would change if you could.

6. What do you like most about your work?