Simone Wright

Goals for Summer 2020

My goals for the summer are to learn how I can advance my non-academic career. I have been in academia long enough to know burnout, and yet I know that I want to pursue a doctorate. I felt looking into an application of my degree would provide a sense of renewal for my career goals. I wanted to learn more on economic and sustainable practices that improve our quality of life. In turn to use that experience as a catalyst for my professional goals.

I hope to learn how to better navigate sustainable technology from an Earth Science background and see how sustainable tech can be used to further our knowledge of planetary systems. I plan on becoming a distinguished professor in a field that intersects with horticulture and geological development. I know a step in the right direction is to understand sustainable practices and technology. I want to give as much of my time to my internship and focus on building these connections, from application to theories to later use in research.

Some of my work ethics have been suffering since the transition into remote internships, but I have been better at separating my time. I was able to create a routine for myself, that accommodated a full-time job and my internship. From the handbook and other resources, I feel more confident in how I prioritize my time, and efforts when going about my internship.

GeoScience Career Panel Reflection

Last Friday’s career panel was helpful on how I can see my career vary and expand. Someone who resonated the most was Ellen Gray. I was always interested in science communication and I genuinely felt guilty about it. I was actively an editor in a science communication magazine throughout college and even thought about going into this field as a career. Yet there was always that doubtful voice that told me I wasn’t utilizing my degree nor living up to the very dreams I had coming into college. I knew these thoughts were silly but when hearing Ellen’s journey, it brought some comfort that I was on the right track.

What surprised me the most was the variety of careers you can obtain from an Earth Science degree. I was under the impression that with this degree we’d have to go into some scientific field and that’s all. However, that’s never the case, and the panel really helped to highlight that. I was really stuck for a while whenever I thought about my life after college. I convinced myself that the only thing I could do with my degree was geology, planetary science, etc. I felt quite disconnected and honestly discouraged towards the future I was building for myself, but after hearing feedback from the panel and connecting with my advisor I gained a lot more clarity. I know that my path is not defined and uncertainty, but that’s okay because it can foster a creative career that I couldn’t dream of having.

Final Reflection

This summer I have been lost for words at the overwhelming events that left not only me but the World in shock- COVID, BLM, elections. All the while getting my degree in a field that did not feel tangible. However, after this summer I feel confident in the unknown opportunities that may present themselves. I know that I can achieve my career goals with the tools and experiences I have gained from this internship.

I initially applied to the GeoPaths Internship to give myself some type of leverage in my non-academic career. I wanted to gain clarity on where I saw myself going after college. I was dedicated to purse higher education and eventually go on to become a professor. When COVID hit, I was really struggling with the idea if my career goals were actually “goals” instead of dreams I forced myself to believe. I did not want to put myself in a position where I did not feel comfortable in my skills. At the time of starting my internship I did not feel prepared nor ready to even see myself outside of academia and really on the road to a fulfilling career; I was stuck. Every goal felt distant up until I started the internship: I got to work with James Richards, at Sunbank Solar. I wanted to find ways to apply my degree in commercial use, i.e. construction, green energy, etc. However, I always suffered from performance anxiety; I always believe my skills are never enough for the task at hand. When starting off my internship with James, I was set with the tasks to edit video content for Sunbank. I had to find ways to share educational and instructional media to consumers on why solar water heaters are beneficial. Going into to this internship I already knew I had a learning curve knowing the field is green energy: while also working another full-time job in green waste. I felt out of my element and honestly a bit scared for the future, but I saw that as an opportunity to dive deeper into my internship. Personally, I have not worked with Premiere Pro, or google analytics. I have a history of participating in a Student magazine, so I am familiar with Adobe but I still have my reservations. James always reassured me that my perspective was necessary and my skills where always enough. The fact I have a basic understanding of green energy and know how different solar water heating systems work. I was providing a new perspective that will attract a larger audience. I got to ask critical questions to not only to my peers through zoom, but to my coworkers on ways to further my understanding of the field. I gained knowledge on different avenues that I never thought about; different applications of my degree that eventually lead me closer to some of my career goals. Throughout my internship with Sunbank, I have been editing videos and thought up new ways to add to the company site. A lot of the work I have been doing has been around marketing, creative advertising, and educational outreach. I have never taken a class in any of these subjects, yet I instinctively knew the skills to do the tasks. I learned about new avenues of my degree that helped me develop a deeper understanding of the Geoscience. I really did not solidify where I knew where I was going until the career panel, on how our career paths may not always be linear. Ellen Gray, a graduate alumnus, gave her story on where her career took her after she pursued her Masters in Geoscience. She got tired of school for a while and eventually moved across the country. In turn, leading her to become a science writer at NASA. I thought that was serendipity. I thought about science communication but ultimately ruled it out because I felt such an immense pressure to be in a “hard science.” I could atone this feeling to a set social pressure to see myself in these spaces but that is not fair. I know I belong in these spaces; yet imposter syndrome can take over and I was not immune to its unraveling abilities to limit oneself.

In retrospect, I am glad I got this opportunity and that I was able to learn from every moment. Something I was insecure about throughout the internship was the feeling that I was ever doing enough, or that I was ever good enough. Though I know I was only comparing myself to my peers in these situations and forcing a limitation that only hindered me. I was stuck with a competitive mindset believing that I had to know the field I entered and all things about it. However, that feels like a limitation to me, the joy of your career path is not knowing the journey. It is the passion of knowledge that leads the taker, yet internally I still felt that I was left with nowhere to go. I was so fixated on the end goal, of becoming a professor, that I neglected the very things that go along with being an educator. I failed to remember that every moment is a learning moment, no matter how small. The work my peers did in other internships reminded me how much I liked where I was; reminding me how much I should value the path I am taking. I got to (safely) enjoy the outdoors and expand myself on passions I wanted to integrate into my life. I got to witness diverse aspects of my summer play into discovering what revitalizes my passion for knowledge. In turn, inspiring me to achieve my goals even if it feels like a dream.