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Hello! My name is Ethan and I am a current high school student. I'm conducting an interview with any professional in the engineering field for a Foundations in Health Science Class project about careers! I have created a total of 13 questions. Comment on this post, answering all 13 questions to be apart of my assignment.
1.What profession did you choose?
Why?
2. How many years of college did you need to go through?
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job?
4. How can I decide if I should earn a Ph.D. in this field?
5. Were you in a college program?
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date?
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field?
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession?
9. Was there a particular subject you struggled with during your school years?
10. What skill sets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career?
11. What was the hardest thing you had to overcome to get to were you are now?
12. When do you see yourself leaving this field?
13. What was the worst experience you’ve had in this field?
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4 answers
Updated
Robert’s Answer
1. Biomedical/Clinical Engineering; enjoyed STEM topics and medicine in general.
2. Four (actually five, in a Co-op Program, with back-and-forth work & study with no summer vacations).
3. Bus boy, rock drummer, engineering assistant, research engineer, product designer, dept. manager.
4. For the most part, PhD degrees in this field help in research and in teaching; otherwise, just work hard and smart.
5. I was in the College Prep program in high school, if that’s what you’re referring to.
6. No pivoting; returned after Bachelor’s degree and took post-grad business classes.
7. No shadowing; just emulated what made other people successful.
8. Joined the radio club and attended Advanced Science Seminars.
9. Had trouble with biochemistry.
10. Learned how to manage complex projects: technically, financially, motivationally, and on-time.
11. Managing a variety of “difficult” people .
12. I left this field when I retired.
13. Seeing some of my friends fail to become happy.
2. Four (actually five, in a Co-op Program, with back-and-forth work & study with no summer vacations).
3. Bus boy, rock drummer, engineering assistant, research engineer, product designer, dept. manager.
4. For the most part, PhD degrees in this field help in research and in teaching; otherwise, just work hard and smart.
5. I was in the College Prep program in high school, if that’s what you’re referring to.
6. No pivoting; returned after Bachelor’s degree and took post-grad business classes.
7. No shadowing; just emulated what made other people successful.
8. Joined the radio club and attended Advanced Science Seminars.
9. Had trouble with biochemistry.
10. Learned how to manage complex projects: technically, financially, motivationally, and on-time.
11. Managing a variety of “difficult” people .
12. I left this field when I retired.
13. Seeing some of my friends fail to become happy.
Thank you, this is really helpful.
Ethan
You’re welcome, Ethan. I respect how methodical you’re approaching this. I think you have a great future ahead!
Robert Epstein
Updated
Jon’s Answer
1. Electrical Engineering/Computer programming. I have always enjoyed working with electronics.
2. Four.
3. Electrical construction.
4. If your interested in performing research you will need a PhD.
5. Yes, if you mean did I attend college.
6. No.
7. I have had mentors while working.
8. No. I attended a small H.S.
9. Language Arts.
10. Beyond core skills, public speaking, managing teams.
11. Realizing not everybody was as driven as I was and that some folks had
no interest in working and just wanted a paycheck.
12. Retired.
13. Over committing and risking missing a major due date.
2. Four.
3. Electrical construction.
4. If your interested in performing research you will need a PhD.
5. Yes, if you mean did I attend college.
6. No.
7. I have had mentors while working.
8. No. I attended a small H.S.
9. Language Arts.
10. Beyond core skills, public speaking, managing teams.
11. Realizing not everybody was as driven as I was and that some folks had
no interest in working and just wanted a paycheck.
12. Retired.
13. Over committing and risking missing a major due date.
Updated
Diana’s Answer
1.What profession did you choose? Software Technology Consulting
Why? I really love how this particular field allows me to utilize my technology skills, but in a way that applies to businesses. This enables me to work within a wide variety of industries and has provided a lot of opportunities for growth within my career.
2. How many years of college did you need to go through? I have a Bachelor's of Science in Computer Engineering
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job? Babysitter, Restaurant hostess, Medical Office assistant, Electronics Lab assistant, C++ Developer
4. How can I decide if I should earn a Ph.D. in this field? I think that Ph.D's are great for somebody who is interesting in pursuing a career in teaching at the college level, or working within specific fields of research. I think in the business realm it doesn't hold as much value, and may not be worth the ROI.
5. Were you in a college program? Yes
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date? No
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field? No
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession? not related to my current profession but I was part of several engineering school groups, and leadership groups that I think were helpful
9. Was there a particular subject you struggled with during your school years? Chemistry, Calculus
10. What skill sets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career? Problem solving, Communications, General Business finance principals, Change management
11. What was the hardest thing you had to overcome to get to were you are now? Figuring out my true priorities in life, so that I could shape and align my career to line up with those priorities. Letting go of the stereotypical markers of career "success" so that I could pursue what really matters to me in life, and have a career that supports those. Even if that means I might not become the CEO of a fortune 500 company someday, and that's ok.
12. When do you see yourself leaving this field? I love my field, and actually currently work part-time so I'm really happy with my work life balance. I see myself staying in this field until I retire.
13. What was the worst experience you’ve had in this field? I don't think it's just this field, but in general I've had some challenging managers over the years that were not very supportive.
Why? I really love how this particular field allows me to utilize my technology skills, but in a way that applies to businesses. This enables me to work within a wide variety of industries and has provided a lot of opportunities for growth within my career.
2. How many years of college did you need to go through? I have a Bachelor's of Science in Computer Engineering
3. What jobs did you work before you landed your present professional job? Babysitter, Restaurant hostess, Medical Office assistant, Electronics Lab assistant, C++ Developer
4. How can I decide if I should earn a Ph.D. in this field? I think that Ph.D's are great for somebody who is interesting in pursuing a career in teaching at the college level, or working within specific fields of research. I think in the business realm it doesn't hold as much value, and may not be worth the ROI.
5. Were you in a college program? Yes
6. Did you have to pivot and go back to school at a later date? No
7. Did you shadow another professional in the field? No
8. Did you join any school clubs related to your current profession? not related to my current profession but I was part of several engineering school groups, and leadership groups that I think were helpful
9. Was there a particular subject you struggled with during your school years? Chemistry, Calculus
10. What skill sets did you learn or gain while pursuing your career? Problem solving, Communications, General Business finance principals, Change management
11. What was the hardest thing you had to overcome to get to were you are now? Figuring out my true priorities in life, so that I could shape and align my career to line up with those priorities. Letting go of the stereotypical markers of career "success" so that I could pursue what really matters to me in life, and have a career that supports those. Even if that means I might not become the CEO of a fortune 500 company someday, and that's ok.
12. When do you see yourself leaving this field? I love my field, and actually currently work part-time so I'm really happy with my work life balance. I see myself staying in this field until I retire.
13. What was the worst experience you’ve had in this field? I don't think it's just this field, but in general I've had some challenging managers over the years that were not very supportive.
Updated
Brian’s Answer
1) My work involves analyzing how semiconductors, or "chips," respond to variations in their manufacturing process. I've always been fascinated by computers and the factors behind their ongoing performance enhancements.
2) I completed four years of college and four years of graduate school, earning two master's degrees.
3) My past jobs include dishwasher, camping gear salesperson, IT support, research assistant, and teaching assistant.
4) Consider education as an investment, and evaluate if the time and money spent on a PhD is worthwhile given the career opportunities it provides.
5) The question is unclear.
6) I once considered pursuing an MBA, but ultimately decided it wasn't cost-effective.
7) Yes, multiple times throughout my career. It is one of the best ways of learning new material
8) Not directly.
9) I struggled in my major ( Physics ) :)
10) I learned multiple programming languages and data analytic techniques.
11) Understanding how to work in a team.
12) When I retire
13) Overall, I've had a positive experience in my career. Stressful moments are inevitable, but they're just a part of life.
2) I completed four years of college and four years of graduate school, earning two master's degrees.
3) My past jobs include dishwasher, camping gear salesperson, IT support, research assistant, and teaching assistant.
4) Consider education as an investment, and evaluate if the time and money spent on a PhD is worthwhile given the career opportunities it provides.
5) The question is unclear.
6) I once considered pursuing an MBA, but ultimately decided it wasn't cost-effective.
7) Yes, multiple times throughout my career. It is one of the best ways of learning new material
8) Not directly.
9) I struggled in my major ( Physics ) :)
10) I learned multiple programming languages and data analytic techniques.
11) Understanding how to work in a team.
12) When I retire
13) Overall, I've had a positive experience in my career. Stressful moments are inevitable, but they're just a part of life.