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.
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
Pamela D’s Answer
Tami’s Answer
Paul’s Answer
Michael’s Answer
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.
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.
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.
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!
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.
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:
Nikhil’s Answer
I hope this will be helpful in providing you the analogy to choose the best job based on your interest.