Today I had a conversation with a Career Center advisor about my plans for pursuing a Master's in Biomedical Engineering in a non-traditional way. I had done research on my own after I originally made the appointment. What I discovered through this research was Boston University's LEAP program (which I discuss a bit here).
Lucky me that I had found this program on my own.
I had a series of questions for the person I spoke to, who in my mind I was considering somewhat of an expert-- or at least experienced enough-- on the field of engineering as it pertains to post-bachelor's plans. I imagined a few more possibilities for my future to be revealed. I did not expect to know more than this person.
For some reason, the LEAP program was completely unfamiliar to the engineering liaison at a campus career center. On the one hand, the majority of people this person deals with are probably people who are currently in or have completed a bachelor's in engineering, so knowing about the LEAP program is unnecessary. However, this position is one that should be knowledgeable of various pathways to becoming an employed engineer! Especially when the program has been around since the 1980s!!
Anyway, this all brings me to my point that unless you do the research yourself, you can't always take the first answer you hear as the only answer you believe.
My impatience of having to wait for the first career center meeting I made led me to stumbling upon the exact type of program I was looking for. That led to me doing more research on the topic, more research on schools, and has gotten me to consider my financial and employment situation-- all to prepare for this next step. And when I finally spoke with someone today-- a month after my original appointment was made-- I was not only knowledgeable of the field and potential path to that field, but I had familiarity with suggestions that were made, and most importantly I was able to ask very specific questions for my situation, furthering my knowledge of this path.
Now, consider the world in which I had waited for the meeting to answer my multitude of questions. I would have:
1. Undergone 4 weeks of anxious waiting and worrying, compounded with depression. Me=emotional wreck unwilling to do menial tasks.
2. Never read 3 different books outlining ways to save for college, let alone even start thinking about such.
3. Never looked through a huge book of scholarships (okay, I'll admit that I practically read the entire thing), enabling me to compile a due date calendar. *My cousins and a few friends benefited from this as well.*
4. Wasted time that could have been used to start preparing for the GREs.
5. Been disappointed with the answer from the career center; "The program you want is not offered."
6. Given up and pursued multiple other careers that didn't fully hold my whole heart.
7. Feel lost and miserable.
The research was totally worth it, if only for the sense of control over my situation.
Through my experience, I cannot emphasize enough the importance of researching your own answers. Relying on someone else to know the answer may not always work out for the best. No one knows everything, and sometimes a job title or age may trick your brain into believing someone's answer is true, even when they may not really know. You can really only trust what you know, so why not just find out for yourself?
Feel free to share questions, advice, or stories in the comments below!
