Over the course of this previous week, I feel like I have made the biggest jump so far with my first interview in my journey. My first interview was Mr. Nilesh Doke who is an Engineering Manager at Texas Instruments. I am extremely grateful for the time he had set aside for me in his very busy schedule and I learned so much from the 30 minutes that we had.
During my interview, I got a brief but detailed overview on Semiconductors. I never really understand how semiconductors worked before and I only knew Texas Instruments made calculators. I was very surprised when I found out that the Texas Instruments calculators are only a small part of the things TI makes. Semiconductors very interesting to me and I am on the verge of changing my subject within chemical engineering from biochemical engineering to semiconductors. After this interview, I have become so interested in semiconductors that I decided to do my upcoming Research Assessment on this topic. As Mr. Doke spoke, I observed how passionate he was about his career. Usually, I know when people like their job or a certain subject but this time it was really obvious and it inspires me to one day be that passionate about my job. Overall this week, I have seen improvement within myself and feel more confident for upcoming tasks because of how much I learned through my interview and am a lot more excited to see what else is in store for me in upcoming interviews and my journey as a whole.
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In the last few days, I have been looking for more contacts and researching about biochemical engineering. We had a topic proposal due this week and I was unsure what I specifically want to target my chemical engineering journey with ISM. With this question in mind, for my Research Assessment 7, I decided to research biochemical engineering. Throughout my other research assessments, I noticed that chemical engineers and biochemical engineers typically work together and as I looked into it more, I discovered biochemical engineering is a branch of chemical engineering but a bit more advanced. I found it really interesting and decided to target this journey with ISM towards biochemical engineering.
Since I selected specifically to study biochemical engineering in the field of chemical engineering, I focused my research assessment on the outlook of a biochemical engineer. It helped me get a better grasp on what a biochemical engineer is and also a chemical engineer. I realized how in-depth and more complicated biochemical engineering as well as crucial to our society. The innovations they create help out advance our world to live better. While figuring out my topic with the help of my assessment, I started to find more contacts to contact so I can ask to interview them. I realized I could ask Mr. Doke when I interview him on October 19th for any contacts to build my networking as well. Because I have many things to ask Mr. Doke, I made myself a list to make sure I do not forget anything. This week overall has not been as eventful as last week but I feel like I have progressed further in the journey with my researching and topic selection. The past week has been one of the most eventful ones. We started off preparing for the Business Symposium. While remembering our professional handshakes and having our resumes ready, we went to Independence High School to practice professional conversations, improve interview skills, and learn the importance of networking. This experience was exciting as well as insightful. Along with the Business Symposium, I worked on my SMART Goals and started to make a list of professionals who asked I email them during my cold calls.
My most favorite part this past week was the interviewing process at the Business Symposium. I got the opportunity to interview with 3 professionals from different areas. During the interviews, I met and got to know more about the Deputy Chief of Police of the Operations Bureau, an IT manager, and a CEO of a newly created business called Takeout 2.0. They all had different backgrounds and they gave me contacts to help me start my networking. I was able to learn from their opinions and got feedback on how to improve my resume. I was really appreciative of the interviewers who took their time off to help us experience how it is like being in the professional world. The SMART Goals I worked on this week were essentially my short-term, midterm, and long-term goals. In order to come up with some goals that I truly wanted to achieve that related with ISM was a bit difficult. I managed to make one of my personal goals tie in with my ISM journey which was eye-opening because I did not realize at first how I could connect my goals together. For example, one of my goals is to finish all my college applications and turn them in at least one month before they are due. At first glance, I did not see how this goal is related to ISM but when I started deciding how to achieve this goal, the steps I decided to take could also apply to ISM so I can keep up with all my work. From this, I learned that everything has a connection even though it may seem like there isn’t so always look for one. There is a saying that it’s not called life if you aren’t trying new things. So I guess that means life happened this past week. We started making cold calls. Something I have never done before. In addition, my main focus for this past week was to finalize my resume and research metabolic engineering for my Research Assessment 5.
After multiple people looked over my resume, I made all the final changed and adjusted it so it would be ready for Business Symposium. I adjusted the color scheme to make it go with my portfolio. After making that change, I went and started adjusting my website to match. Piecing my banner and logo together with my website, it started to come together pretty well. There are some refining to do but I am actually surprised on how well it is coming together because I am not that great with technology. After submitting my final draft, I started making cold calls. I have made a couple of calls but not been successful thus far. I think this will take me awhile to get used to but I believe if I keep trying, I can do it. The main focus of my week that pushed me the furthest this week regarding my chemical engineering journey was my research assessment. I decided to research Metabolic Engineering this week because I was intrigued by the introduction of the article I came upon. I was curious how this topic played a role in chemical engineering so I decided to research it for my assessment. In the end, I ended up gaining valuable information which will allow me to better understand my topic in the future. This week has been full of improvement and innovation. I have been focusing this week towards designing my resume that I built last week and I researched food additives for my Assessment 4 research paper. Furthermore, I decided to push myself and started creating a banner and logo for my branding. I wanted to create something because whenever I do, I feel productive and more positive. While accomplishing these tasks, I started to get more ideas for the future.
The previous week, I had typed out all the information I would like on my resume with a simple design and wanted to add more color to it. In the end, redesigning my resume but with the same information so it would match my color scheme was my decision. Playing with the fonts and colors helped me find a perfect fit. It was quite difficult to create because I wanted to have the perfect set of colors but eventually, I was satisfied with the product. While working with different fonts, I ended up designing a banner for my website. Work was still needed since I and create more banner so I can choose the best one for my website. Along with designing a banner I created a logo I was proud of. Designing a logo for myself was something I have never done and I figured out that I truly enjoy designing. The main thing that pushed my the furthest this week regarding my chemical engineering journey was my research assessment. I decided to research Food Additives this week because I ended up choosing DNA Fingerprinting over it last time. After finding articles for this topic, I noticed I actually was able to understand the relative process and importance of it better than DNA Fingerprinting. It was a relatable topic for me because I am a person who always paranoid about the harmful substances in food. If I were to pursue this field, I would be able to work with professionals who try to limit the toxins and I would be able to reduce my paranoia. I believe this aspect has created a new path to follow along since it was by far the one that connected to me the most and will guide me on this journey. The past few days in my ISM journey have been full of ups and downs as well as growth. I have been focusing my attention towards DNA Fingerprinting so I could explore this subject for my Assessment 3 research paper. In addition, I have started to build my resume. I had some background knowledge when it came to these tasks but they were challenging nonetheless. As I faced these tasks I learned more about the assignment at hand and about myself.
At the beginning of the week, I was unsure of the topic I should research for my research paper. I was ended up browsing through the databases for ideas. When I came upon DNA Fingerprinting, it reminded me about the gel electrophoresis lab I did during my freshman year in biology and, Forensic Files, a show I watch periodically. Me being a very curious person wanted to learn about the connection between this topic and chemical engineering. I ended up learning the relationship between these subjects and chemical engineering with slightly surprised me because I did not realize the importance of their role in DNA Fingerprinting. It was difficult for me to grasp the entire process because the terminology was extremely advanced. This allowed me to get a glimpse of what the future would potentially look like. While researching DNA Fingerprinting, I was trying to select a template for my resume. I wasn’t sure how I wanted my resume to look but I knew I want it to match my color scheme. It was difficult for me because I am very indecisive and hate making decisions because I don't want to end up regretting them. I ended up selecting two different one and decided to make two and choose the one that fits best with my website. I created a list separately on what information I should put on it so I can easily transfer my information without wasting time. It made me realize how much more productive I felt one I realized I was being efficient. It pushed me in a way to always try to be more efficient with my work. I think this skill will come to great use in the future as well as along this ISM journey.I discovered that if I push myself, I can build upon this new foundation. Over this past week in ISM, the layout for my journey has started to become a little more clear. My main focus this week was to obtain more knowledge regarding chemical engineering. During this week, I looked up contacts for future possible interviews, created a website with a certain color scheme, and write my Career Outlook Assessment.
When I was looking up contacts for professionals in my field of interest, it was a challenge for me to get their phone number because the only way I could find contacts was through LinkedIn. I had to look up the company's website they work for and go through the company's directory to find some contact information if possible. After a while, I decided to look up university chemistry professors and UTD and UNT so I could create a network of contacts. At the end, I had 25 contacts but I will probably still have to find more. After looking for contacts, I went ahead and started to create my website for this year’s mentorship. I decide to use Weebly to create my website because it appeared to be more user-friendly which I greatly needed since I am not great with technology. I went for a teal-bluish color as my main color and the blue color gradient for my theme. I chose this color scheme because it reminds me of the ocean. The ocean symbolizes the beginning as well as chaos. However, the ocean can also be seen as a symbol of stability which motivates me. Lastly, the most important thing, in my opinion, I did this week was my assessment. I looked up articles on numerous databases that provided me a sufficient overall outlook on a chemical engineer’s career. It was quite difficult to find the right articles because most of the articles I found were research papers of chemists with lab reports on the experiment they tested. After many consistent tries, I found three articles I enjoyed reading and that provided the information I was looking for. I annotated my selected articles for information that would answer my questions. With my newly discovered answers, I wrote my Career Outlook Assessment. As I was writing my paper, I noticed how my personality connected with chemical engineering and it increased my passion for the topic. Overall this week, I have seen improvement within myself and feel more confident for upcoming tasks because of how much I learned through my discoveries. Second week? Done. Even though I didn’t realize that the week has come to an end, I feel like I’ve progressed a lot in this journey through ISM. The main focus this week for me was my introductory speech. I am not a very open person and I do not enjoy public speaking. It made me realize that once I start giving more speeches with more practice and more though, this could potentially change for me. This speech has already become the first layer of my foundation.
Who am I? What are my goals? What are my talents? When I first looked at these questions, my first answer was “I don’t know”. But then I remembered that it probably isn’t acceptable to say “I don’t know” when you are introducing yourself. So I turned to the people next to me and asked them how would they describe me as a person. Their responses were greatly varied but I noticed that they mentioned the tiniest details about me which made me think of all the things I do in a typical day. I made a list and narrowed it down to my actions, behavior, and emotion. With this, I got a bit of insight of myself and also started outlining my speech. I was about to write every single word I planned to say but realized that if I need to improvise a part my speech might not be that flexible. While writing my outline, I came upon a quote that made me stop and think... “We are shaped by our thoughts; we become what we think.” -Buddha. This quote inspired me to be become a more positive person and also support my speech. With that in mind, I tied my personality in with my topic of interest to create the connection. After I gave my speech in front of 6 people, I was given informative feedback which I truly believe it will help me improve for next time. I was really unsure how this speech would go in the beginning because the whole idea of only talking about myself it new to me. I was filled up to the top with I don’t know’s but now I after I have learned and gained experience along this journey thus far, I am not that full of I don’t know’s. This past first week has been a blur. Already, through the Independent Study Mentorship Program, we covered lots of information. From getting a brief overview of the course to meeting with our guest speaker Mrs. Julie Martin Leslie to creating our mission statements and selecting a quote, I have watched myself grow already this year. These new beginnings will guide me through the rest of the year for it has the become foundation for the rest of my journey in ISM.
The main focus these assignments was passion. Discovering your passion, finding a quote that highlights your passion, writing a mission statement that expresses your passion. The main reason I applied for ISM is because of how unsure I am about my future. The thought “Is this a great career for me or that other one I looked up 3 weeks ago” was swamping my mind. I did not have a clue what my true passion exactly was. But I did know one thing, whatever my passion might be, I will search for it with devotion. Going into this search, I have a fair amount of knowledge about chemical engineering. However, I have no idea if this topic is truly my passion. But with my dedication, I realized I could find out. With this in mind, I was in a pursuit of a quote that connected with me. After numerous no's and many maybe's, I found one that not only connected with me but encouraged me... “Sunsets are proof that endings can be beautiful.” -Siddhartha Gautama. With that inspiration, I decided to write a mission statement that fully outlines my thoughts, goals and passion. As this first week started to wrap up, I realized even though it is only the beginning, everything I do will be worth it no matter what. This path will lead me to the ending I am looking for. |