You must possess strong skills in decision making, math, organization, writing, and problem solving. You can start to hone these skills while you are still in high school or pursuing a GED by taking classes, or advanced college-prep classes, in math and science. It takes years of education to become a structural engineer. Make sure you know the day-to-day responsibilities and expectations of the job. A structural engineer performs a lot of tasks such as creating drawings, writing reports, and observing construction sites. You need to have strong skills in math, problem solving, and writing in order to be a successful engineer. You should practice these skills in order to develop a familiarity with what you will be doing on the job. You can practice your skills and stand out as a job candidate by participating in extracurricular activities and clubs. Clubs such as speech and debate, chess club, trivia teams, and mock trial are designed to utilize skills such as math, writing, and public speaking. Most engineering schools - and all of the stop engineering schools like MIT -- require an ACT or an SAT. You should study and do well on these standardized tests as to meet the requirements of the schools. You can take practice tests or buy study guides for these tests through the companies that create them.
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One-sentence summary -- Prepare for college before you apply. Know what a structural engineer does. Practice math, problem solving, and writing. Participate in extracurricular activities. Do well on your ACT/SAT.

This won't be necessary for all repairs, but it can be really helpful for items that need to be fixed while held at an angle. Nestle the broken pottery piece into the sand so that the cracked section is facing up. This enables you to use both hands to make the repairs. If you don't have sand, you can also use rice to the same effect. You could also use a large pot, a shallow serving dish, or something similar to hold the sand as long as it's deep enough to fully support the pottery. the edges of the chipped area to smooth ragged edges. Use fine sandpaper on both the edges of the broken-off piece and the main piece of pottery. Use a back and forth motion with light pressure until the edges are smooth. If you're fixing a crack rather than a full break, you don't need to worry about sanding the piece at this point. Wipe down the edges both from the main piece of pottery and from the broken-off piece. Let them air dry completely afterwards before moving on to the next step. This will ultimately help the adhesive do its job better as there won't be any dirt in the way. Squeeze the epoxy onto a non-porous disposable surface, like a thin sheet of plastic, and use a wooden or plastic stick to mix together the 2 components as quickly as possible. It'll start to harden after 3 to 4 minutes, so you need to work fast. Some 2-part epoxies come in a container with a syringe that will distribute both parts equally for you. If yours doesn't come with that, disperse each part of the epoxy in lines so that you can gauge by eye that the 2 components are equal. Avoid using superglue for repairs. Superglue is very thin, and while it's strong, it won't protect your pottery from future breakages along the same cracks as well as epoxy will. Use the wooden or plastic stick to line the edges of the piece of pottery as well as the cracked piece with epoxy. Don't worry about using too much or if it is going over the edgesyou'll be able to remove that excess epoxy later on. If you're working with a crack rather than a break, use a toothpick to apply the epoxy to the crack. Push the epoxy into the crack as far as you can, then squeeze the piece together so the crack adheres back together. It's totally okay if epoxy squeezes out around the edges. Get it in line as perfectly as you can and hold it in place for about 30 seconds or as long as the epoxy directions instruct. If you're worried about getting the adhesive onto your hands, wear a pair of rubber gloves while you work. If there is more than one piece to reattach, do one at a time rather than trying to do them all at once. If the pieces aren't staying together well because of the position of the pottery, use a small piece of modeling clay to pinch the edges together. It'll come right off once the piece has fully dried. You can use a razor blade or a sharp, flat-edged knife. Simply run the blade along the surface of the piece of pottery and slice off any sections of raised dried epoxy. Most fast-acting epoxies take about 20 minutes to fully set, but always follow the instructions for whatever brand you're using. Take 220-grit sandpaper and rub it very lightly over the sealed cracks on your piece of pottery. This will just finish the process so that there are absolutely no bumps or imperfections on your piece. To double-check the surface run your thumb over the sealed cracks. The sensitivity in your finger should allow you to easily feel if there are more sections that need to be sanded. You may not want to or need to do this since the epoxy dries clear, but if you think the cracks are too visible, use acrylic paint to cover those lines. Mix your colors carefully to get as close a match to the original color as possible. You can also spray an acrylic gloss over the repaired area if the rest of the piece is shiny and you want the crack lines to be less noticeable.
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One-sentence summary -- Fill a 1 gallon (3.8L) bucket with sand to use as a holder. Sand Clean the broken pieces with denatured or 91% alcohol and cotton balls. Mix a 2-part epoxy adhesive to fill cracks and reattach broken pieces. Apply the epoxy to each edge of the broken sections. Press the broken section back into place as firmly as you can. Scrape away the excess epoxy with a razor after 20 minutes. Sand over the edges of the cracks to make the surface perfectly smooth. Paint over the repaired cracked lines if desired.

It can be a pain, but moving even a few blocks can sometimes save you a lot. If you have the chance to move to the outskirts of a major city or even to a cheaper part of the country, you might save significantly. Move closer to work. This could save you money on housing and transportation. Look up prices in various neighborhoods through websites like Zillow. While you're at it, look up your own neighborhood. You may find you're paying too much where you live now. . Splitting your rent with another person (or more), even for just a few years, can provide major savings. Imagine cutting your rent in half or more! Ask friends and family if they have any responsible friends, co-workers, or family who are looking for a room. You can also use ad services like CraigsList to find roommates. with your landlord. If you have a good rental history and are a good neighbor, your landlord may work with you when you tell him/her the cost of rent may force you to leave. Use Zillow or a similar resource to demonstrate that your rent is too high. Offer to sign an extended lease for a discounted price. A mortgage can be your largest monthly expense. Finding ways to lower this cost can drastically improve your financial outlook. Buy a bank-owned property. These homes have typically been foreclosed upon, and the bank doesn't want to hold them, so they may auction them at less-than-market value. Consider refinancing your mortgage if you've held it for several years. You might be able to find a better interest rate. To keep your long-term costs down, retain the original payoff date, but the lower interest rate will reduce your monthly payment. Consider a micro-house. These homes are short on space, but they're easier on the wallet. In the U.S., the most popular micro-housing company, Tumbleweed, allows you to pay around $6,000 down and make monthly payments of less than $500. If you're struggling to find housing that you can afford, there is government help for people whose income is below a certain level. These services will help you find housing or even pay a portion of your rent. The U.S. government offers assistance through HUD, and many states offer subsidized housing.
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One-sentence summary --
Consider moving to a cheaper neighborhood. Find a roommate Negotiate Save on home ownership. Find housing assistance in your area.