Sometimes Only You Know Best

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 I had done research on my own after I originally made the appointment.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!

Undecided majors

Just the other day I came across a friend's Facebook post where she felt that while she is close to graduating, her heart belonged to a different major.

And all I could think was, "Oh no, maybe there's a chance that it won't turn out like my experience."

It's frustrating to go through a few years of college like you did high school, then one day come out of the fog to realize you're not fully interested in the major you chose. Now if that fog clears in the first few semesters, you're still capable of switching majors and not falling too far behind (depends on how closely related your existing and future majors are).

Honestly it's hard to not feel the pressure to go straight to college after high school, but I would still suggest weighing your options before even making that commitment if you're not fully set on something. You should at least have a general idea like "I want to teach", "I want to pursue law careers", or "I like turtles". With that mindset, you can find a school with a good program for your subject (but also make sure they have something else you might be interested in, in case taking a few classes changes your mind).

Personally, I applied to a lot of schools for a lot of different majors, and my major was determined by where I decided to attend. I applied to The College of New Jersey for teaching, the College of Saint Elizabeth & Lehigh for psychology, University of Maryland and Northeastern for architecture, just to name a few. As you can see, I had no long-term plan for anything besides just getting into and graduating college. Would I have succeeded at any of the majors? Yes. Would I have enjoyed the classes and projects? Yes. My proof? I have a bachelor's degree in a field I don't want to pursue at this point in my life.

Have I learned from my personal experience? Yes-  the specific experience of not consciously choosing my major with my heart is the catalyst for everything leading up to this blog.

It only took me 10 years to finally be honest with myself and how I've passively let school happen to me. No joke, I almost didn't apply to TCNJ, where I ultimately ended up. My major going in? Undeclared Education. But at orientation they had us pick classes that were dependent on the grade level you wanted to teach. Even back then I had a hard time feeling great about my decision, but that was a symptom of me being unsure of becoming a teacher in the first place.  I ended up just going with it because I didn't think I had any other realistic options,

But my point is at some point the decision you let happen to you will catch up at some point in your life, and you will beat yourself up over wasted effort. Might be a love tap, might be powerful enough to knock your socks off, but you will ruminate on this time of your life if you are unsure or if someone else is  influencing your decisions.

Anyway, here are some tidbits of advice to those that dubs themselves in a similar position:

*Give yourself some time to reflect on what you're good at, what you are passionate about, and the type of work environment you'd thrive in, and go from there.

*Use lots of career books from the library that help narrow down paths you may want to look into further or books that showcase what people do for a living.

*If you're interested in a specific topic or job, read a variety of books on the subject or the career itself for ideas. (The Institute for Career Research puts out books on specific career fields-- I highly recommend reading these-- and kids' books and magazines typically discuss very uncommon jobs)

*Intern, volunteer, or take a part time job to get a taste of the field you're considering. That way, you can talk with people who have jobs similar to the one you're pursuing to discuss what they like and don't like about the job and what schooling and training they did. You'll also make contacts, gain references, and have experience for your resume if you pursue the career path further. (If not, you'll still have a well-rounded life experience and skills that should transfer to other occupations.)

Finally, please PLEASE PLEASE don't just attend college for the sake of attending college. Have a clear goal in mind, and take the time you need to figure out that goal if needed.

Feel free to comment below with your own story, tips, or questions!

Happening quickly

Today I recieved some more information about Boston University's LEAP program, which allows people with a non-engineering degree to take basic engineering classes before entering the Master's program.

This is something I never thought existed, and surprisingly enough it's exactly what I was looking for... The thought of having to go back to school for a second bachelor's for engineering PLUS then pursuing a Master's would not only be ridiculously expensive, but also keep me in school way longer than I'd hoped for. I was turned off from that path, and luckily (as I explain in this post) I found a better alternative.

Anyway, I found out that I could apply this fall for the Spring 2016 semester, which is really great since it means less waiting.

However... It means less time to get myself ready.

Checklist for applying:
Fafsa
GRE
Letters of recommendation
Fill out and pay for application
Cross fingers

Financial checklist:
Better paying job(s)
Save more money
Find and apply for all the scholarships and grants

Moving:
Downsize
Decide between RA/CA and living in a form v. seeing if I can get a job as a teaching or research assistant to get costs covered. Or both?
Downsize more

The good thing is, I feel so much more ready, knowledgeable and cognitively present in this process, something that I didn't necessarily experience when I entered undergrad. I feel like I let school happen to me as an undergrad, but I have a readiness and enthusiasm this time around that I feel really good about.

Taking steps

Finally I was able to get my hands on a bunch of books on different aspects of biomedical engineering, including a godsend of a book from the Institute of Career Research. It explained more intricacies of the field than any other website I found, including licensing/testing information, letters from people in different branches of the field, and a bunch of helpful organizations and websites.

If you're considering a career change or want a overall view of a field you're interesting in I would definitely suggest looking into that book series.

Outside of that, I took out some other books from my library - mostly kids books, since that's really all I could find that wasn't fiction. Luckily the few I looked through had specific programs that piqued my interest.

Definitely helpful for me to have found these books, because I still want to do more research to narrow down what I want to pursue further. I'd be crazy to follow this path at this point in my life without some serious focus and direction. No repeating history for me.

Basically, use the Career books, do the research, and really know what path you want to take instead of blindly following the directions others (parents, friends, teachers, advisors, etc.).

Wait, did that really just happen?!?

"I have a bachelors degree but I want to become an engineer" 

That was my google search today. 

This was not the first time I've searched this topic, but it must have been the first time for this particular string of words, since the 1st link to pop up brought me to this Q&A page. 

As I read the OP's question, I was unsure if the comments would lead me to the answer I was looking for, but then again none of my other search methods were fruitful. I stuck with reading through the comments, taking some of the advice with a grain of salt since most of them were suggesting the OP take any entry-level job, figure out what he really wants to do, then go from there. (I have another post with my summation of useful advice and my reactions)

Aaaaanyway, so one commenter laid the golden egg right in front of me: a link to Boston University's Late Entry Accelerated Program. 

EXACTLY the type of program I've been wondering exists since my original investigation into the engineering field back in December 2013 (yes it's been that long). 

Holy cow. I can actually feasibly do this. 

The Google Struggle Bus

On the struggle bus a bit today, because of a few roadblocks (not being able to shadow people in the field, library not sending along the books I requested, and having to wait until Tuesday until I meet with the career counselor from my alma mater). I'm antsy and want answers!! 

So when I got home today, googling "I have a bachelors degree but I want to become an engineer" brought me to this Q&A page about pursuing a career field different than the Bachelor's degree earned, which offered some advice I've been unsure of taking...

1. Don't just chase the "up and coming" career trends of the day, because you'll graduate with everyone else who pursued that career, putting you in a flood of similarly qualified candidates PLUS all the people already in the field who updated their skills in that area. 
2. You still have to pay for the education, so you're still going to have to work somehow and earn the money. 
3. "If you don't have a strong, strong desire to pursue a particular career which requires an advanced degree, don't get one."
4. "Don't forget something like the Peace Corps, Americorps, Teach for America, WWOOF or other volunteer/see the world/make little money type of thing. It could function as a stopgap job, yes. But it could also open some doors to options that you would never have considered. Note, the selfish need not apply lest they mar the spirit of the program itself. Oh and the first three also offer a pretty nice student loan forgiveness package if you complete your term if I recall correctly."
5. Just use the skills you have and market yourself at an entry-level position, and you might find that you enjoy the work there. But, you have to give yourself enough time (8 months or so) to really know how well you fit. 

My thoughts: 

1. I'm now looking to enter an ever-developing field, but am pursuing it out of genuine interest. Also, I feel like there are a lot of branches that I can take, or I might discover a new one somewhere along the line that has not been pursued as of yet. 
2. I realize I will need a job while I'm in school, so I've been considering things I could do now to prepare myself both monetarily and skill-wise. 
• Options: bartending, massage therapy, and sticking with tutoring/subbing (possibly teaching, but I'd have to be crazy desperate to try teaching & learning at the same time). 
3. I'm like ~80% sure of my current pursuit, and I feel like actually being involved in a project and learning more in-depth will bring me deeper into the field. That's just how I am though - lots of widespread interests. 
4. Not for me right now, unless things don't pan out again.
5. Related to 2, I could totally work at whatever school I get into with the skills and experience I already have. 

Summary of recent job search - Part 2

Job Search & Applications

So as a spin-off of the Park Ranger jobs, I also went back to looking for job openings at places such as the Liberty Science Center, Franklin Institute, Philadelphia Zoo, the Marine Mammal Stranding Center, and other similar places that would offer jobs that would utilize my education degree and allow me to teach science in an informal setting. Getting to work at places I admire was another incentive.

As a part of my search I used AdventureJobs.com and wikipedia (yes they have a page for that) to identify nature centers and science museums, and used a google form I created myself to compile all the information. This was a solution to my problem of endless searching and an infinite number of tabs I would have to return to; instead, all I did was copy and paste information about the company, the place, the position, and a link and I moved on to the next company. 

Through this process I also applied to all 6 locations of NatureBridge, a summer camp in Massachusetts, Sierra Nevada Journeys, The Franklin Institute, and an aquarium in Georgia.

I then got the inspiration to possibly follow my childhood dream of working with dolphins, and found a lot of rehabilitation and research centers in Florida with various openings. Even with the discovery of open positions, I found myself considering taking volunteer or internship positions.*

Interviews & Rejections

So here are my totals as of 2/13/2015:

• Applications: 77
• 67 Park Ranger
• 6 Nature Bridge
• 2 camp/nature centers
• 1 museum
• 1 aquarium
• Interviews: 2
• 2 camp/nature centers
• Rejections: 25
• 23 Park Ranger
• 1 camp/nature center
• 1 aquarium
• Still-Hopefuls: 50
• 44 Park Ranger
• 6 Nature Bridge
• 1 camp/nature center
• 1 museum

Man, is it tough to keep applying to the Park Ranger jobs when I've only heard back positively from a living person for one out of 67 applications. Sheesh. At least I've got the process down to ~15 minutes so it doesn't take that much of my soul. 

Stopping to reevaluate

*Reflecting on my job search now, I realize how off track I was getting with my search for a new path.

I talked with my mom yesterday and she made the point that I got off track and that I wasn't really pursuing something that would take me further towards a career (because I was looking for part-time/seasonal work). I agree completely - I found myself wondering what I would do after the summer season ends for all the jobs I was applying to, and realized I didn't have much of an answer besides "working in a restaurant or other part-time, non-fully committal line of work".

Not saying that those jobs are ones to avoid, but for someone who feels that need and drive for something that can become a stable career with benefits, I wasn't heading on the right track.

Part of the conversation I showed her a list of all the jobs I've considered/am considering, but that's a post for another day. But this conversation finally led to...

New Focus

I feel like I can say with more confidence that I would like to pursue a career in Biomedical Engineering and Technologies, since the topic has interested me throughout the years and I feel like I would not only enjoy the challenges but that I would fit well in the field.

It's definitely different from the job searches as of late, but being realistic about the jobs I'm applying to I'm not sure I'd be happy with constantly being in a state of searching for a job when the season is over.

More about this pursuit in other posts...