It was a similar challenge three African American female mathematicians who worked at NASA faced when they helped bring astronaut John Glenn back into orbit. The Hollywood movie Hidden Figures depicts the true story, which involved using a mathematical theorem known as a Euler equation.

"I did a subject about the rocket equation – it was absolutely amazing," Ms Hamilton Smith said.

"The whole idea of making something go that fast is exciting.

"I am attracted to things that involve lots of maths."

The 21-year-old who hopes to one day become an astronaut recently shared her passion for rocket science with female high school students in a bid to get them more interested in studying science-related subjects at university.

A new national survey of 14,000 graduates from 38 universities found 9 per cent of female students wanted to enter STEM careers compared to 28 per cent of males.

When Ms Hamilton Smith asked year 9 students at a Sydney girls school if they had thought of studying engineering and in particular, aerospace engineering, many had told her they had not considered it as a career option.

"The wannabe astronaut came out in me when I taught space exploration to the students at Monte St Angelos," she said.

"I did the trajectory with them and simplified it to point they could understand it."

While Ms Hamilton Smith has her sights set on designing aircraft, cars and working with rockets, a new survey has found females still lag behind males when it comes to pursuing science as a career.

A report by the Regional Australia Institute and NBN also last year found that one in two Australians will need skills in programming, software development and building digital technology to remain competitive in 2030. It found today's preschoolers will need a mix of computer technology and "soft" communication and creative skills to find their place in the jobs market.

Graduate careers publishing company GradAustralia has released the results of a survey of 14,086 students from 38 universities around the country which also found that more than half of students surveyed felt their courses failed to properly prepare them for the job market.

Martin Smith, director of graduate career development and employability at the University of Wollongong, said universities were striving to create "real-world experiences for their students".

"Students and their families and the community in general are interested in the return on investment on their higher education studies.

"We are seeing better resourced university career services, more innovative ways for students to get practical work experience. And we are getting better at engaging with our industry partners.

"But as enrolments increase at all universities it is becoming increasingly difficult to provide those workplace experiences, so we are seeing group-based projects and activities."

He said greater analysis of the GradAustralia data was needed to determine the proportion of students in generalist arts and science degrees who said they were not properly prepared for the workforce.

"Traditionally the data shows us that people in those kinds of degrees will go on to do further study at honours or post-graduate level to move into research and other career paths," Mr Smith said.