You see, most graduate students are in a state of limbo. A number of us are looking for jobs or thinking about doing further study. Some of us are so confused that they're not sure what they want to do. All we know is that we are passionate about something.
The reality is that I entered graduate school because I wanted to be able to package myself in a way that would set me up for quick, well-paid employment. First, for the practical sense that I need to pay off my student loans and second, because, well, I would love to see the products I help develop for the medical industry reach their commercial and healthcare-providing potential. In other words, I care. And I want to help people. That's the sentiment you sense from most if not all MTM students.
It's a two-sided coin, however, in that within this program there are so many directions you can take. There's the clinical, the business, and the engineering. It seems someone in this program might be well-suited for project management or as an important asset to a startup company. Hence, the good part is that you become a jack of all trades. But the "meh" part is that your work or your specialties may appear to be unfocused if you don't package yourself well. Especially if you go straight to graduate school from your undergraduate studies.
Here's where it becomes tricky.
I think that when you enter the (very broad) fields of Biomedical Engineering and Bioengineering, you have to know exactly what you want to focus on but that can be hard when the only thing you know (I know) is that I want to help people to the best of you (my) capacity.
The engineering part of the field has so many branches. In bioinformatics, there will be a strong emphasis in programming. In electrical biodevices, there will be a strong emphasis on electrical and computer engineering. In biomaterial biodevices, there will be a strong emphasis on chemical and mechanical engineering.
Now, add that to the complex nature of clinical development and product delivery. It can be a challenge.
When it comes to job-searching - the only directions I feel like I have is that I'm interested in learning more programming, I like biomaterials, and I want to collaborate with hospitals. How is that going to get me a job?
I'm on the job hunt now. Time to meet my potential employers.
Creating a life that reflects your values and satisfies your soul is a rare achievement. In a culture that relentlessly promotes avarice and excess as the good life, a person happy doing his own work is usually considered an eccentric, if not a subversive. Ambition is only understood if it's to rise to the top of some imaginary ladder of success. Someone who takes an undemanding job because it affords him the time to pursue other interests and activities is considered a flake. A person who abandons a career in order to stay home and raise children is considered not to be living up to his potential-as if a job title and salary are the sole measure of human worth.
You'll be told in a hundred ways, some subtle and some not, to keep climbing, and never be satisfied with where you are, who you are, and what you're doing. There are a million ways to sell yourself out, and I guarantee you'll hear about them.
