What part of your job do you love the most?
I am an incoming freshman (Undeclared) with interests in Civil Engineering, Environmental Policy, Biostatistics, Data Science, Sociology, Public Health, Entrepreneurship, Product Design, Network Administration, and Financial Analyst & Planning. I am exploring different career possibilities so I would like to get a peek into everyone's daily life. Any highlights in these careers? Is job prospect and salary important (of course happiness is my #1 priority though)
#public-health #business #public-health #Civil #Engineering #Environmental #Policy #Biostatistics #Data #Science #Sociology #Public #Health #Entrepreneurship #Product #Design #Network #Administration #Financial #Analyst #Planning #STEM #major #undeclared
55 answers
Sofia’s Answer
Hello Caitlin,
I am a business analyst at Airbnb. My favourite part of my job is being the liaison between our data science teams, engineering teams and the business unit. Everyone is very talented in different ways and so I get to interact with a bit of everything everyday. It is very interesting.
Your question includes very differing specialities. This this will narrow down as you go through university. I would suggest when thinking about your career to; yes, do something that makes you happy/enjoy but look for a profession that is in demand and is not likely to be phased out in the near future. Data professions are great.
Thanks, can't wait to put this advice into action!
Samuel
Ryan’s Answer
As someone who studied sociology in undergrad, public administration in grad school, served in the Marines, and spent the last 20 years in technology management, I've had quite a diverse career journey. Each of these experiences has helped shape who I am today and contributed to my professional growth.
Reflecting on my career, the part I love the most about my job in technology management is the opportunity to bring together diverse teams and leverage their skills to solve complex problems. As a leader, I find immense satisfaction in seeing my team members grow, both professionally and personally. I also enjoy the fast-paced nature of the tech industry, which keeps me on my toes and ensures that there is never a dull moment.
Throughout my journey, I've been fortunate to gain insights into various fields, from civil engineering to financial planning. I've realized that what's most important is to find a career that aligns with your passions and values. Job prospects and salary are essential considerations, but ultimately, happiness and fulfillment should be your top priority.
Keep exploring, keep asking questions, and be curious. Let the curiosity never stop!
Ivan’s Answer
I love that I can try to make customer laugh when they are having a bad day or if I am resolving their network wide outage. This comes with experience; being able to judge if it is appropriate or not. Customers do love it, as they can feel relaxed knowing I've got things are under control.
Ivan,
Cisco TAC Engineer
This was super helpful, thank you!
Samuel
Pamela D’s Answer
I'm excited to put your great advice to good use!
Samuel
Tami’s Answer
Thanks for the help.
Samuel
Paul’s Answer
Thanks for the advice.
Samuel
Michael’s Answer
Thank you for the advice.
Samuel
Precious’s Answer
I love helping people. Customer service is what I do. I work withtwo companys doing research and own two others one is Finance where I educate people who needs to get out of debt and needs to be financial free. Then I’m a Art Agent where I help Artist fine places to display their art. The other company is called Genus is Common where you do a video telling about yourself and what your Genus is so other like yourself would know you are already a Genus. I tell people about it. So you see everything I do is Customer Service.
Loved reading this, thanks!
Samuel
Pavol’s Answer
from my experience I would tell you to focus on getting the experience and developing your skills first. If possible for first couple of years focus on the jobs rather than salary. Every single job will teach you something. Then once you understand what works and what not for you start to build your career. And what do I love the most? When my peers are happy and satisfied with my work and that it helps to make their professional lives easier.
Thanks for your encouragement!
Samuel
Molly’s Answer
It sounds like you have quite an interesting set of interests and curiosity-- follow them!
Think about exploring ways that you could develop technical skills to use at an intersection of your interests-- for example data science for environmental policy, or taking a sociological approach to public health and social determinants of health, etc. Surely there are lots of ways. Talk to people you think are doing interesting work and ask them how they got there.
I work as a human-centered designer to develop financial products and services to serve high needs populations (low to moderate income borrowers, rural borrowers, etc.). My favorite part of my job is conducting qualitative research to learn more about the needs and desires of the individuals I'm designing for and being encouraged to use a creative approach to solving complex problems.
Human-centered design was a super helpful framework for me to think about solving all sorts of problems in different sectors-- as long as a problem involves humans, and they almost always do, I think it's a helpful framework. If you want to try it out, I recommend the free Acumen course: https://www.plusacumen.org/courses/introduction-human-centered-design
Beyond just work and salary, I'd recommend thinking about the kind of life that you want to live and the kind of person that you want to be-- what are your values and how do you want to live them? What are you curious about and what do you still need to explore? What social problems do you want to contribute to solving or making progress on? Who are the important people in your life that you want to make time to be near? What goals do you have for yourself outside of work and how can you build a career that will allow you to achieve them?
Keep following your curiosity and I'm sure it will turn out well! Wishing you all the best.
I appreciate your support, Molly
Samuel
Allie’s Answer
LOVE that you're focused on finding happiness in whatever career you pursue. My biggest piece of advice is be flexible, especially early in your career. Don't stress yourself out by thinking you need to find the exact right career path right away, people transition into different fields frequently nowadays! So do your research and make the best possible decision with the information you have at every step along the way. Informational interviews with individuals in different fields can be super helpful and LinkedIn is a great resource for finding these individuals and reaching out for conversations!
I am a Talent Acquisition & Development Partner at a tech company based in Boston. I love what I do but definitely didn't expect to be in this field when I was in college! I studied psychology undergrad and after graduating wanted to find a way to apply my interest in people to the business world. I decided to explore human resources and thought recruiting was a great jumping off point as I would get exposure to many different roles.
Surprise surprise, my favorite part of my role is working with people - in particular managers. As a recruiter, that means helping them find an awesome new hire for their team (and helping candidates find a great opportunity). As a talent development partner, that means working with managers to develop their team. Where are the gaps? What are areas for growth? What resources can we provide their direct reports with that will help them advanced their skills and their careers? How do we make sure our people are HAPPY and constantly being challenged in a way that keeps them engaged and helps them grow? These are the questions that get me excited!
Hope that helps!
You rock! This advice is very helpful.
Samuel
Katya’s Answer
When I work with different teams- every associate is different as humans, in their performance, their strengths and weaknesses- as a Leader I have an opportunity daily to support each in making them a higher performer.
The other part of my job that I love is engaging with clients and helping them in their financial journeys. Our clients come in and they depend on us to help them around their life stages. That could include getting started, debt consolidating, getting married, buying or saving for the client first home,ets. All these and many life stages require financing and to be that truth worthy bank professionals.
I can’t tell you -how much work and effort goes into delivering on our client experience. This is another part I enjoy. I get to observe, coach and deliver feedback to my team-this is a crucial part of why we keep our doors open every day and it might sound easy but it takes a lot of work to really understand and deliver to our clients. Every client is different and being genuine is critical. Being able to listen and hear to what our clients are saying and finding the proper solutions is important.
and of course- giving back to our communities- this is another part that I admire and take time and I pride in it. If I can deliver our financial literacy , educate, and make change- there is no other reward then to feel and know that I made a difference.
Best
Jeannie’s Answer
The part of my job I love the most is working with really smart people! : ) As a serial data professional, I have had the opportunity to work with several companies and in several industries and countries. Having this broad exposure has helped to keep things "interesting" while being able to stay focused on what I am passionate about...DATA. Regarding your question on job prospect and salary, the answer is (of course), it depends. Job prospect is important so that you can find a fulfilling role once you complete your studies and will have a pipeline of future opportunities throughout your career. Regarding salary, this is truly a personal decision. It's important to ensure you are set up properly for retirement and able to provide for yourself and your family now. The lifestyle you chose will determine how important salary is to your situation.
I appreciate your support, Jeannie
Samuel
Danielle’s Answer
I am in Quality Management. My specific role is the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) Manager. What I love most about my job is the fact that the work allows me to touch all aspects of our Managed Care Plan. I am responsible for ensuring our health plan passes accreditation and maintains or elevates the accreditation status we achieved. I enjoy having a level of knowledge about medical management, IT analytics, provider relations, delegation oversight, network management, credentialing, member services, etc. while having my own set of deliverables. However, with all that collaboration comes the need to constantly adjust to the needs of multiple personalities in order to communicate with everyone via their preferred method to ensure I am able to get what I need when I need it. This can be very challenging, especially when there are looming deadlines.
That said, it is important to understand yourself when selecting a career. Know what your goals are. Not just title and salary goals, but end goals. Are you looking to have a job that inspires? Uplifts? Are these feelings for you only or for you and everyone else involved? What environments do you thrive in? Do you like to work with others as part of a team or alone? Indoors or outdoors? Understand that a career is something that you hope to work in for many years and while every career takes time to cultivate and there are always changes along the way, there are certain things you can work on in the beginning to make the adventure more pleasant.
Danielle recommends the following next steps:
Thanks for the advice.
Samuel
Nikhil’s Answer
I hope this will be helpful in providing you the analogy to choose the best job based on your interest.
Thank you, this is amazing! I really needed it.
Samuel
ErikaLynn’s Answer
There are a lot of people who shy away from public speaking and at one point I was in that statistic. While my every day job responsibilities do not include "public speaking", having those skills help greatly in one on one or small group conversations.
If I can give any advice I would say join a Toastmasters group. Joining this will give you the skills to be more comfortable while having ANY type of conversation as well as give you tools on how to deliver information.
ErikaLynn recommends the following next steps:
ErikaLynn, thank you!
Samuel
Shirley’s Answer
Ken’s Answer
The most important thing that you can do is to find out what you might love best about a job in a specific career aera and factor that into planning for your career. Here are some steps that have helped many to make such a decision:
- get to know yourself to see how your personality traits might match with career areas to see how they match with successful people in those areas
- pursue face to face interpersonal networking opportunities with people in those career areas to determine if you are making a decision that will allow you to become involved in a situation that you will find to be comfortable and satisfying and productive for you.
Getting to know yourself and how your personality traits relate to people involved in various career opportunities is very important in your decision making process. During my many years in Human Resources and College Recruiting, I ran across too many students who had skipped this very important step and ended up in a job situation which for which they were not well suited. Selecting a career area is like buying a pair of shoes. First you have to be properly fitted for the correct size, and then you need to try on and walk in the various shoe options to determine which is fits the best and is most comfortable for you to wear. Following are some important steps which I developed during my career which have been helpful to many .
Ken recommends the following next steps:
Devika’s Answer
My most enjoyable part of the career is the people. I can do all the exciting projects but if I don't find people being supportive and fun I won't enjoy my job as much.
Job prospect is important, you would want to feel that you have an opportunity to grow in that field.
There are always highs and lows at work, there's no ideal position or place. It all comes down to what your priorities are. And priorities always change too as you progress in life and career, so don't worry too much on positioning yourself based on what others feel or view, at the end of the day you will decide what is important to make you grow as a person.
Devika recommends the following next steps:
Chaitra’s Answer
Kate’s Answer
We get to work with many stakeholders across our company, while focusing on collaboration and cross-functional interlocks which are often key to a program and project launch success.
Casey’s Answer
Melanie’s Answer
I love connecting with my peers and learning about the latest technology. The more knowledgeable I am then I know I will provide a better experience for customers. Verizon give us the tools we need to become a better leader and inspire us to be a better person overall.
David’s Answer
Hi Caitlin,
I also entered college as undeclared (once upon a time). I also ended up in a field separate from my undergraduate degree after having gone through unrelated jobs - restaurant business, youth counseling, paralegal work, and finally corporate (data & business sides).
Job prospects and salaries are important for several factors. Some jobs are only available in certain locations. You may either need to relocate to find a job in your career. You also need to consider your standard of living and expenses for both what you want to do in life as well as where you want to live. The Bay Area is an expensive place to live and would require a higher salary than for example, the mid-west. You can run searches but here is one article on housing costs: https://www.rd.com/advice/average-house-costs-in-each-state/
Your personality will also play a factor in your career. Are you happy working alone or as part of a team? Do you need to interact with folks every day? Are you comfortable with travel? How well do you do with unexpected change? I prefer to have future plans laid out in detail but the nature of my work requires me to be flexible as leaders change business priorities.
When I worked in mental health as a youth counselor, it was personally rewarding when you were able to connect with one of the youths or see them take steps to improve themselves. My particular location had some physical risk though as they could and sometimes did become violent.
I have been with my current company for 10+ years. I have been incredibly lucky to have been exposed to different aspects of the business, having worked in such areas as Operations, Marketing, and most recently Customer Experience. Right now I can both work remotely or go on-site. This gives me flexibility to spend time with my children but also go into the main offices to collaborate in person. Along with this, I enjoy designing business and data processes. How do I meet today's needs while setting up my organization (and company) for future success.
David recommends the following next steps:
Vanessa’s Answer
I work in Public Health, Emergency Preparedness and Response. What I like most about my job is that when a bad disaster strikes, I know that all my hard work, getting my community ready, means that more people will be safe. The disaster will feel more like a bump in the road instead of head on collision.
Harish’s Answer
When you get into a job, the part that you would love the most would be the fact that your work is being deemed as valuable and you are contributing to the team. Also, the desire to learn a new thing every day would make you want to spring out of your bed and go to work. This will keep you going for years and years in your life.
Hope this helps.
Lilian’s Answer
Ramesh’s Answer
Hi Ramesh, Can you speak a little more about these roles and why you think the student is a good fit?
Gurpreet Lally, Admin
Joyal’s Answer
1) Thinking outside box to solve a problem
2) Collaborating with colleagues
3) Learning something new in Tech everyday
I would suggest you to make your list. The list of items that drives you, the list that you are passionate about.
That would help you narrow down your next gig.
Bri’s Answer
My degree is in sociology and I work for the State of Illinois in Human Services specifically Mental Health. My favorite part of my job is helping people but also I got a great shift that works with my life. My job is to provide care/treatment or habilitation and development for people with intellectual disabilities. Like any other job it can be quite challenging. The reward is seeing the positive impact you have on someone’s life.
Frank Perez’s Answer
My-Phuong’s Answer
Alejandra’s Answer
Hi Caitlin,
I am a people manager at Cisco Systems. What I enjoy the most is to have the opportunity to listen to my team and coach them or give them advise on what excites or worries them.
Best,
Kumar’s Answer
We help customer and when they feel happy about their issues are getting solved I also feel proud and happy.
Rohit’s Answer
I enjoy all the learning opportunities i get on day-to-day basis.
Kawtar’s Answer
the part that i love the most is the fact that i'm talking to different people from all the globe which gives me an opportunity to know new cultures and discover different minds of people.
Krishna Chaitanya’s Answer
Vishal’s Answer
As a technical consulting engineer, I like coming to work knowing that I am likely to encounter a new challenging technical situation to which a solution will need to be provided urgently.
One gets to use problem solving abilities and remains always on their toes , while also learning to stay humble.
To get to be able to use and develop skills to calm the nerves of customers facing urgent and often catastrophic network snags and to help them restore functionality is an added bonus.
As with any job, you also get an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of the business side.
Michael’s Answer
Vishal’s Answer
As a technical consulting engineer, I like coming to office knowing that a new challenge may come up and a solution/workaround will need to be provided urgently.
This not only involves a lot of problem solving skills, but keeps you on your toes and teaches you to be humble and skills you to be able to connect the dots to solve a bigger problem even if it isn't something you were blessed with at birth.
To get an opportunity to calm the nerves of customers dealing with outages, and helping them fix urgent technical issues is an added bonus.
You've mentioned Network Administration, so you could expect the same, but less occasions of putting out fires; so more happiness.
As with any job, you tend to develop a deeper understanding of how things function at a business level.
Ken Meier
Ken’s Answer
Gonzalo’s Answer
Howard’s Answer
Catherine’s Answer
I am a Design Thinking Instructor at Fannie Mae. Here's a definition from IDEO University (https://www.ideou.com/pages/design-thinking):
Design thinking utilizes elements from the designer's toolkit like empathy and experimentation to arrive at innovative solutions. By using design thinking, you make decisions based on what future customers really want instead of relying only on historical data or making risky bets based on instinct instead of evidence
If you're interested in sociology, product/service design, or strategy I'd highly recommend the design field. There are many different types of roles such as Designer Strategist, Design Researcher, UX Designer, etc.
John’s Answer
The parts of my job that I like the most are the people that I work with and the opportunities that are available to help me grow. I work with people that take an interest in my career goals and help me find ways to be successful. I also have opportunities to volunteer, further my education, and have many different career opportunities within the company.
Kimberly’s Answer
Ralph’s Answer
Somnath’s Answer
I am a Manager at Cisco, and i enjoy the opportunity to Interact, listen and help my Team Members!
Mnason’s Answer
I work as a Cyber Security consultant, right from my college days designing, planning were areas I loved to do. I also love to explore new technologies and can get bored easily. My current role is to work on projects mostly involving new technologies, I design & implement cyber security solutions and because these engagements are typically 3-6months I keep learning new things. Thats what I love the most!
I hope you also find a job that you love. All the best!
Marianne’s Answer
Caitlin.
The part of my job I love is being able to help our business staff. I really love being able to make our business staff job easier or be able to help them solve an issue they are having that prevents them from getting their job done. I love my job because it is all about customer service and helping others. It is a great feeling at the end of the day when you are able to make a difference and help someone else.
Zynnya’s Answer
Marco Sanchez
Marco’s Answer
I hope you are well! I agree with you that happiness is the most important thing. As Mark Twain said: "Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life." That will make you specialize so much, that eventually, you will earn money. You also have the advantage that, at this time, being an entrepreneur is relatively simple. That is why there are many influencers, so, being the best in what you will decide, it will lead you to share your knowledge and passion with others. Personally, I developed my career in technology sales because I help people, I have never seen the economic remuneration with the main axis, but it is a consequence.
I hope the advice is helpful and I wish you the best of success.
Best,
Marco
Jerel’s Answer
Sheila’s Answer
This is a fantastic question and I'm excited to share with you my experience on "what part of your job do you like the most". Listed below are a few areas that I enjoy; although they are in no particular order. . .
1) I enjoy working with team members around the globe. I get to collaborate with various diverse teams across multiple time zones, learn about their cultures, their families, share in experiences, etc.
2) I participate on several internal teams defined by the manager, department and/or leadership. Wooowwwww! This is such an awesome experience that affords me the opportunity to learn a great deal about the company, other partner organizations that are outside of my projects, and pathways to working with subject matter experts (SMEs) for learning new technology
3) Training in various areas (ie, "How To Guides", Job Aids, Demos, Presentations, Templates"), which leads to my dabbling in fun stuff a little such as website design (ie, AT&T's internal tSpace, Wiki). This goes a long way because I often get a chance to train and mentor my colleagues along the way
I wish you much success on your journey and I hope you find the love and peace within your career.
Best of luck to you!
~ Sheila
Ronnie’s Answer
I'm excited to put your great advice to good use!
Samuel