Career Paths I Have Considered

I have heard that studies have shown that most people change careers an average of seven times prior to retirement. Over the years I have given some serious thought (however briefly in some cases) to various career paths, both completely different from engineering and within the umbrella of engineering with its numerous specialties.

Geologist

As my 6th grade class went through our science textbook for the year, I found myself very fascinated by the different types of rocks on the earth, especially metamorphic rocks. There was a Magic School Bus CD-ROM computer game I liked largely for the activity that allowed the player to experiment with scratching a piece of paper with various types of rocks, such as slate and shale. Even before learning the differences between the types of rocks in 6th grade, at my 4th grade camp I purchased a piece of quartz, because it was too beautiful for me not to take home. As I reflected on such memories later, it occurred to me that I could have been passionate about geology, with an emphasis on rocks and minerals.

Lawyer

My past was characterized by some physical and verbal abuse, not by either of my parents as was the case for many, but it was from a close family member. I very frequently felt somewhat defenseless if my mom was not around to diffuse it. My aunt told me I should retaliate because it might surprise the person so much to see me fight back that the poor treatment would stop, but fighting back wasn’t something that felt natural to me. I was (and still am) also convinced that doing any harm back to my relative would have resulted in greater mistreatment rather than stopping it.

All this gave me a desire to defend people, seeing and promoting the best in them when others attack their weaknesses. Therefore the thought of becoming a lawyer entered my mind briefly, until I considered the kind of personality I would need for such an occupation, which does not match the personality I have. Now my desire to defend others is seen whenever I tell someone what he or she just said was mean (regardless of whether or not the one of whom negative words were spoken was around to hear it), as well as when I choose to focus on the positive aspects of a person. Words can either hurt or heal, and especially having been the recipient of hurtful words early in life, I prefer to choose to speak words of healing and edification so others don’t have to feel as weak and defenseless as I did.

Pop Star

Those who know me reasonably well will not be surprised to hear that I dreamed of becoming a pop star. At the very young age of six years I decided I wanted to grow up to be a singer, because God gave me a gift and a passion for singing. By the time I turned nine years old, however, I realized that I was far too shy to make a career of music. I have my mom to thank for forcing me to audition for my very first solo at church, which gave me greater confidence for future solos at school, church and eventually elsewhere.

Although my desire to be a famous singer/songwriter like Taylor Swift was renewed many times between ages 10 and 22, I realized that in addition to not having a sufficiently outgoing personality to compete in the music business, there was a risk that comments from “haters” would discourage me from pursuing that dream anymore. Music is too important to me to let that happen, so up to this point I have kept my own songs mostly within my circle of family and friends. Every now and then I think about sharing them with the world more actively (and I intend to take piano lessons again toward that end), but for now they are well known only to me.

Consumer Electronics Power Circuit Designer

About a year to a year and a half into college (late 2009 to early 2010), I was of the mind that I wanted to be involved in the design of consumer electronics. Not the printed circuit boards, because although they are fascinatingly complex, designing those has never particularly interested me, but the overall power circuits, especially for those devices that are powered by batteries. My dream job at that point would have been with LG or Panasonic, because I loved my first cell phone (which was made by LG) and my first CD player (which was made by Panasonic). I wanted to help make delightful products such as those for a company to which I felt perhaps unreasonable loyalty because of such products. At this point my memory is a little fuzzy about why I moved on from those aspirations. It may have been a combination of an unpleasant interview I had with someone who apparently scorned my idea for a lamp with a heart-shaped light bulb and the draw I was feeling to the next career path I will describe. Either way, I probably will never work at either of those companies, at least not in the consumer electronics products divisions.

Electric Vehicle Engineer

Growing up, I was absolutely fascinated by batteries. The electrochemical inner workings and the power they were capable of producing truly brought out the budding scientist in me at just 10 years old. If my mom hadn’t taught me it would be unsafe to do so, I probably would have dissected several of the 1.5 volt alkaline cells I used in my electronics. My aunt also instilled in me a love for cars, especially the Ford Mustang (of which she has owned at least three). Both of these passions tugged at my mind on occasion in the years that followed, but it took until my college years before I finally combined them in my imagination of the perfect job for me.

In 2011 I took a class called Energy Conversion, in which I learned about fuel cells. Since they are so similar to batteries, I was quite interested in them and chose them as the topic for my required term paper. By then I had also realized I was passionate about electric cars, so for about a year I imagined myself as a fuel cell expert who would be hired by an automotive company to aid in its development of electric passenger vehicles. My enthusiasm for fuel cells faded once I realized most automotive companies who were working on electric vehicles at all were focusing on battery-powered designs. After that my focus shifted back to batteries and since then I have continued to work toward my ultimate dream career of becoming a battery engineer for an automotive company such as Tesla. Of course, I wouldn’t mind working for Ford either, especially if I was able to be a part of the release of an electric Mustang. I just want to be involved in the development of electric cars for the next generation.