Higher education

There are many opportunities to obtain a Master's degree in MA. I was overwhelmed by how many schools there are in this state! I have a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering and am often asked if I want to go back to school. Right now I enjoy working and learning about my job, but I do feel that I would go back to school sometime in the future. I am a strong believer in continually learning because it helps you develop skills that you may not be using while working. Even if it has nothing to do with your job, such as the calligraphy class I took at the beginning of the year, you are developing new skills that you might not otherwise learn on your job.

The U-M alumni club in Boston puts together and advertises different events that are helpful for someone considering their options in higher education. They recently held a Business school information session for those interested in starting an MBA. I plan to attend an upcoming one that talks about the law school admission process. Basically, the deans of admission from four universities (including Michigan) will be answering questions about how law school applications are reviewed. These types of events are valuable resources if you are considering going back to school.

Even if you are not in a big city setting, look for these types of events going on in your area. You can gain valuable knowledge and network with faculty and other prospective students.

Meeting people

After college, it seems harder to meet people. Coworkers are good connection points, but it can be hard if there are not many people your age. It is especially difficult if you move away from the place where you grew up, like I did. I was lucky because I knew two people really well and I moved in with them. They were able to teach me a lot about MA, including places of interest, how to use the subway, and driving techniques for this part of the country. I am so grateful for the help they have given me these last two years. I am also fortunate to have many people at work that are close to my age.

Recently, I have started talking to people online. Many people email me to say they are from Michigan or went to U-M, too. It is a great thing to have in common! Also, I have been involved in events put on by the alumni club for Boston, including watching the football games at a bar in Boston. It is second best to being in the Big House! I have found that being open to meeting new people and just making it a point to meet others is the key to widening your social circle.

Mentoring

The company I work for suggests that we find mentors to talk about how our career and life are going. The mentoring can be formal or informal, but it should be done on a regular basis. Usually, new hires are assigned a mentor when they first start, but somehow I was not given one. I am looking for one that can provide me with career advice, possibly someone who has experience in an area in which I am interested. Some ideas for my mentor would be someone in business, law, or another area of engineering (in case I want to move laterally within the company). With everyone's busy schedules, it seems like it would be hard to work regular mentoring into the week, but it also sounds like a worthwhile endeavor, both for the mentor and the mentee.

I will be doing some weekly mentoring of my own starting tomorrow. My company sponsors mentoring for students at the local high school. This is something I have always wanted to get involved with, and, with almost two years of work experience, the opportunity has come at a good time for me. I am sure I will learn just as much as the students! It's back to 10th grade math for me, wish me luck!

My journey's beginnings

I graduated from UM in August 2004 with a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering. Since I did not have any internships during school, I knew that I would probably have to use networking to get my foot in the door. It's that whole vicious cycle of "you can't get a job without experience, but you can't get experience without a job." If I had to do it over again, I would get a summer job as an engineer so that I would have that experience to add to my resume. I would suggest using networking to get the summer job because it is very competitive.

I had been working at a church on campus for all four years of college, and was able to continue working there while I looked for mechanical engineering job. My friend and classmate from the Boston area was able to get a job in the defense industry after graduation. After a year, the company was hiring a large number of people and she was able to get me a job there.

In senior year of high school, we were told to write where we saw ourselves in 5-10 years after graduation. I wrote that I would be an engineer living in New England, and that is exactly what I am doing! For me, it was a big decision to pick up and move to Boston after only having visited the state of Massachusetts once. My friend who got me the job was a large influence on me because she had lived in Italy and California and wasn't afraid to travel. When I was growing up, travelling was not something my family did. I have an uncle in California, but my family basically was in Michigan and never talked of moving. It helped that I knew people in the Boston area (the friend and her family), and that I would be moving into a furnished house that she rented very inexpensively. Everything was set up for me, and all I had to do was move my stuff, which the company paid for (bonus!).

I had also interviewed in western Massachusetts, but it was for an application engineer position that I was not really excited about. Plus, I would not know anyone and I didn't know how I would handle that. In the end, it is really good that I did not get that job. It's funny how things work out like that.

I grew up in a town 30 minutes from Detroit, and now live 30 minutes from Boston. I have found that living close to a large city is very important to me since there are airports, concerts, sports, theater, etc. near big cities. Boston is a great city with a lot of history, and I am so glad that I made the decision to move here. My rationale is that I am young, energetic, and have no desire to settle down yet, so why not see what's out in the world?

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