Planning ahead in your youth will help with your decisions later in life. To be successful in your life in whatever you want to pursue, there are a few ideas you should take into consideration. Your skills, your qualities and your qualifications. The career that I want to pursue in my future is biomedical engineering. This career involves coming up with solutions to problems involving the human body.To be a biomedical engineer, you need to have qualifications by having a particular degree. You also need to be skillful with design, computer modelling and knowledge of anatomy and physiology. The qualities you need to have are being innovative, creative and a good communicator. This Inquiry will describe these three areas of importance in a career and state deliberate acts I can take that can set me apart from other applicants in this career path. As Mark Twain said, “The future interests me - I am going to spend the rest of my life there.
A Biomedical Engineer’s job is very interesting. In this career, you conduct research and publish the results; consult and collaborate with other doctors; and design and develop medical products. To summarise this career, a biomedical engineer takes engineering principles and design concepts and combines those principles and concepts with medicine and biology. This career interests me because it combines many things that are intriguing and changing constantly. It is also a highly regarded job that pays well. When I work in the future, I want to be doing something that I take pride in, enjoy, have the right skill set for, and will keep me interested every day. I think that for the person that I am and the skills and qualities that I portray, Biomedical Engineering would be a great career path for me.
Everybody wants a job that pays well enough to support themselves and their family. When I chose to research the career of biomedical engineering, pay was not one of the first things I considered. However, pay is still important for the future. This graph shows the level of pay for a biomedical engineer as opposed to other careers. The average yearly pay for a biomedical engineer is $70,000 NZD. Compared to jobs such as surgeon or anaesthetist, a biomedical engineer pays reasonably low. However, compared to jobs such as a plumber or an electrician, a biomedical engineer pays a good deal more. I think that this level of pay meets the need in terms of pay with my job. To be able to pay off student loans,save, and have a small amount of disposable income suits my goals.
Qualifications are the most important thing needed to get into certain careers. To become a biomedical engineer, you have to have an Undergraduate Degree in Biomedical Engineering. This involves biological modelling, the use of mathematics, physiology, and computational tools to gain information on the biological functions of living organisms. To pursue this career path further than four years of study, you can gain a Master’s Degree or a PHD in biomedical engineering. This is only available at Auckland University. As my expert, Kara Laurenson said: “In a pile of CVs for a biomedical engineering job, the most important thing is the qualifications.” This graph shows the years of study required for certain jobs. An average amount of study needed for a biomedical engineer is 4 years. Compared to a surgeon or a general practitioner, who both have over 10 years of study required, biomedical engineering does not require too many years of schooling. Although qualifications are very important, they are not the exclusive requirement to pursue this career.
The skills in your tool box are a key part of your future. As Brian Tracy once said: “All skills are learnable.” Every person has their own skill set and every career has its own requirement for skills. One of the skills involved in biomedical engineering is knowledge of engineering and how it relates to human biology. This is a skill that is used in the field because much of the job revolves around engineering equipment. The skill about knowledge in biology involves knowing about anatomy and physiology. This is the science about bodily functions,the different systems within the body (such as the musculoskeletal system, the endocrine system). I can develop this skill by studying biology at my school and spending more time around my father who studied biology at university.
Another skill involved in biomedical engineering is design skills. This skill involves being able to draw technically, be able to come up with your own designs, and be motivated to create something innovative and useful. This skill is something that many people enjoy developing in their free time by doing things as easy as colouring in drawings. I need to develop this skill more because it is a skill that I have not advanced in my life. I can grow this skill by spending more time doing technical drawings and taking the subject of Design and Visual Communication at school.
The last of the important skills involved is having knowledge in interaction and communication. As a Biomedical Engineer, you are constantly collaborating with other doctors, having appointments with patients, and working with other people. Developing people skills - as my expert, Kara Laurenson said - is the key part of a job in the medical profession. This is a skill that I love to display through presenting to my classmates, having interesting conversations, and performing on stage. After a conversation with biomedical engineer, Brett Cowan, I have discovered a good new way to communicate. Telling a story can help bring a point to life and keep it in a listener’s brain. Brett told me a story about his use of this strategy, which was very effective. I will use this strategy of communication in my future. Currently, I possess a few of the skills involved in biomedical engineering. However, I must continue to work hard to develop these skills through my classes, my activities outside of class, and my future outside of school.
Every person possesses certain qualities that will shape their lives. Juvenal once said “All individuals have, like uncut diamonds, shining qualities beneath a rough exterior.” Qualities are attributes or characteristics displayed by someone. Brett Cowan is a leader in the biomedical engineering company, ESR. He said that in a job interview, an employer will look for how you control yourself and will ask about your qualities. For my job, there are certain qualities that can set you apart from other applicants. The first of these qualities is creativity. Because this career involves innovation and being able to think for yourself. Coming up with new ideas, and being able to see things that others can’t. Creativity is a quality that some people really enjoy developing. I can do this by spending more time drawing and transferring the things in my mind to paper. This will be a great way to harness my creativity as I do not usually spend time drawing.
The second important quality to become a biomedical engineer is to have critical thinking skills. This involves thinking outside of the box and being able to make your way past obstacles by thinking deeply. This is important in biomedical engineering because it is a job where you are constantly having to think about the best ways to research and experiment. I can develop my critical thinking skills by spending more time thinking over my ideas and thinking slowly. I can set some time aside every day to stop my constant fast thinking and stop and mull my ideas over in my head by myself. This will then train my brain to think slowly about problems more often, and then find the best solution.
The final important quality involved is being able to work well under pressure and be adaptable. This quality is perhaps the most important because sometimes biomedical engineers are put under stressful situations. An example of this is biomedical engineers working tirelessly to find a vaccine for Covid-19. These engineers would have the pressure on them everyday of knowing of all the deaths they could prevent. They would have to demonstrate this ability and adaptability to be able to continue working. Working under pressure is a quality that I can develop from playing in a cricket team as I have for the last 6 years. Cricket is a game where a team is constantly under pressure and it is important to be able to develop the skill of adaptability. I think this will help immensely with my future career.
Having a written plan for your future will help you be ready. A timeline showing the deliberate acts I can take in order to stand out in my career will be something I look back on for years to come. This timeline that I have created shows what I can do in year 10, senior school, and after school to be able to have a successful biomedical engineering career. It displays what acts I can take to gain qualifications, to develop my skills, and to expand my qualities. I think this timeline will be something I keep with me for years to come.
For the next 10 months, I will be in the 10th year group. I can use this time to my advantage and get ahead of others who are my age looking to do a similar career. To get qualifications as early in year 10, I can strive to get Curriculum level 5s or above in all of my Inquiries. Achieving this goal would mean I am set up to be ready to understand how to learn as well as knowing the curriculum well. This will in turn, get me ready to study at university and get the qualifications I need for this job. Another way to get qualifications in year 10 is to study Design and Visual Communication. This subject will set me up with qualifications to do it in senior school and beyond. It will help immensely with the knowledge I need for a biomedical engineering course at university. Another thing I can do to gain qualifications during year 10 is to get a part time job. Working part time will help earn money, and will be a great thing to put on a future curriculum vitae. It will show an employer that I am committed to working and that I have had past experience.
During year 10, there are also certain skills I can pick up. In class, I will work hard to seek teacher assistance when I need it. This will develop skills of asking for help and working with others. I can also keep up with my work in oral skills and speech through the school. This will help develop my communication skills. When I am not in class, I can spend time learning from my father. This is a task that I do not have to go out of my way for as he is constantly happy to talk about his medical knowledge. Another skill I can develop outside of class is homework. A good homework ethic will set me up later in life to have a skill in working at home and the workplace.
By taking certain steps, I can also develop my qualities for the future. In class, I have the choice of what to study for my Inquiry. This means to become motivated, I can research creative and innovative people. Doing this will develop the quality of creativity and innovation. If I see these people having ideas, it will spark me to do this myself. Another way I can develop an important quality is to have a regular time in my day to tidy my things. Usually being quite a messy person, this time will help my organization, something that is important for a biomedical engineer.
With less than four years of schooling left, I need to make the most of my time. As Aristotle said, “the roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” I think that this is true because when I look back on these years, they will hopefully have brought the best opportunities so far. I can take advantage of the opportunities. Gaining qualifications in my time at senior secondary will help with my future job. For NCEA level 1, 2, and 3, I would like to endorse these all with excellence and get the rank scores I need for University entrance.This is a goal that is set very high, but I think it will be achievable if I work hard enough. It will show a future employer that I have qualifications, and will help me make it into the university I need to attend for the qualifications I want. A way outside of school to gain qualifications is to get a driver's licence. This is something that employers will look for on a curriculum vitae and is a handy tool. I would also love to spend a year in the near future getting work experience. Being able to see what happens in different careers will be a huge qualification.
Having so many opportunities at Tauranga Boys College will come in handy. Expanding my skills will not be much of a challenge when we are constantly being encouraged to join in with every activity. Some of the things I can do in class time to gain skills is to practice my written communication through report writing. I can also do this by signing up for debating. A goal that I would like to achieve is to transfer my inquiry skills that I have learnt in year 9 and 10 into NCEA to help with my excellence endorsement goal. Outside of class, I would like to make the 2nd 11 team for both football and cricket. I think this will help my skill of working as part of a team.
To improve my biomedical engineering qualities, I will have to go above and beyond with co-curricular activities. These activities may involve production, where I will learn how to be adaptable. Shiela-Winn Shakespear festival, where I will learn to be creative with my ideas. This will help grow my creativity because I can have my own vision of how I think a piece should be performed. I can also spend time seeking help from a careers counselor. This will help me with gaining more knowledge about my career, as well as being brave enough to actually take time to go.
Once I leave school, the whole world opens up to me. After school, I would like to gain the qualification of a biomedical engineer. I can do this by getting a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering degree at Auckland University. This will be the last thing I need in terms of qualifications before I am employed as a biomedical engineer. On my curriculum vitae, I have had that I have already worked in a part time job. I have endorsed NCEA levels 1, 2, and 3 with excellence. I have a driver’s licence. I have spent a year getting work experience. I have done volunteer work for Tauranga Musical Theatre. And, I have a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering degree. This is a curriculum vitae that I am very proud of.
In an interview, an employer will ask me about my skill set and my qualities. After 5 years of making choices and going out of my way to gain skills, qualifications and qualities, I will hopefully be confident. I will have design skills, knowledge of engineering biology and anatomy, and communication skills. I will also be a problem solver, a critical thinker, creative, and able to work under pressure. These skills and qualities will set me apart from other applicants.
In conclusion, it is important to plan ahead for a successful career. You need to develop the correct skills and qualities. You also need to have the right qualities to work in your industry. To be a biomedical engineer, you need to be creative, adaptable, and an abstract thinker. You need to have skills in design, engineering and biology, and communication skills. I can follow my career plan and make choices to set me apart as a biomedical engineer. Like the Canadian author Matshona Dhilwayo said, “a pink rose among a thousand white daisies stands out; be likewise.”