Even just picking a career or general field to pursue is often difficult. Mapping how to get to that certain career, especially if it's a lesser known one, may feel almost impossible. Do not fret though, there are many who underwent a similarly difficult phase in their life and were able to find a meaningful career just for them. These are their stories (click to read):
Business Associate
As a first generation immigrant, I had a unique set of pressures on me to have a lucrative and successful career when I grew up. Through high school, I was certain of my love for science, so I went to college to major in biology with a pre-med emphasis. Throughout this time, I pondered over whether or not becoming a doctor was my parents’ wish or my own. Because I loved science, I stuck to my degree, but chose a career path after college that allowed me to have experience in and exposure to other career interests since I wasn’t sold yet on the physician path. When I graduated, I chose a job that allowed me to work in marketing but to also have exposure to attorneys and doctors because of the field I was working in (medical-legal field, workers comp). I experienced all of the worlds I had an interest in and decided to dive further into the legal field. I took a job as an entry-level admin assistant at a legal firm and after a few months leveraged that to land a role as a law clerk at a small business firm in Minneapolis. That’s when I realized I had a passion for helping small business owners and wanted to run a business myself one day. Because of this, I decided to pursue my Masters in Business Administration and, with my continuing passion for science, specialize in the medical device industry. Now, I work at a job that both allows me to practice my business skills, learn what it takes to run a business, but also continue to practice my love for science, working with doctors, and making a difference in people’s lives that are suffering from disease. My path was never a direct one, but it just goes to show that there are many different ways to do things to get to where you want to be while also following your passions.
Financial Consultant
When I was in school I always had a preference for business, and math came fairly easy for me. I was involved in DECA at my high school, which really gave me a lot more exposure to the business world and career opportunities than I would have seen otherwise. The competition through that program also pushed me to gain a lot of great experience and exposure. I could see there were a lot of varying opportunities in the business world, and that definitely holds true for me today. The opportunities in business, even specifically in Finance, abound. Even at one specific company like Medtronic, there are so many different paths you can take and businesses or functions that you can learn about and contribute to.
I started down the Accounting major pathway in college, and found that the classes and topics resonated with me and clicked in a way that other subjects did not. I started my career with more of an accounting focus, in Big 4 public accounting, but even now working in Finance, that Accounting foundation is very valued. I realize that it can be tough to see what career options are a fit for you at such a young age, but I would strongly recommend Business, and specifically Finance or Accounting as an option that provides you with endless opportunities and paths to choose from.
Systems Engineer
In high school I was good at science and math and I really enjoyed problem solving based on technical knowledge, which led me to look into engineering. I decided to major in Biomedical Engineering (BME) for my undergraduate degree because I was really interested in biology and living systems. I did my undergraduate degree at Boston University and while I was there, I explored the variety of areas that BME encompasses by taking classes, joining clubs, and working in a lab. I realized that I was more interested in macro scale problems rather than micro (e.g., I preferred designing a new device rather than trying to synthesize a new pharmaceutical compound or study cellular level genetics) because I like to be able to see real world impacts to my work. I worked in a BME lab at Boston University for 3 years and I learned a ton, but I realized that I didn’t really want my career to be in a lab. I preferred to work on problems that would have a real-world impact fast, rather than work in a lab for years and years on a single project. Once I finished up my undergraduate degree, I knew I wanted to get some kind of graduate degree in the BME field, but I had trouble deciding between a masters (1-2 years) or a PhD (5-7 years). In the end I was deciding between a PhD program focused on the research into technology for low resource healthcare and a masters program focused on medical device innovation. I ended up choosing to pursue the masters because I wanted to be closer to real world impact; I wanted to be able to work on a project that I knew would be out in the world within the next few years instead of working on research and journal articles that may one day reach users.
My masters program was called the Center for Bioengineering Innovation and Design and Johns Hopkins University, and it was almost entirely project based. There were a few regular classes, but the majority was super hands on and real world, which I loved. I worked on 2 projects, one about developing a new, expensive, innovative medical device for cancer treatment in the US and one about helping patients affected by hearing loss through a lower resource, inexpensive intervention. My team and I worked on those projects from beginning to end, starting with identifying the need/problem we wanted to solve by shadowing in the hospital and interviewing doctors and nurses to see where they think an innovation would be useful. Once we had identified our problem, we got to brainstorm solutions, create prototypes, perform experiments, and even write business plans for our project to see what we would actually need in the real world to make our ideas a reality. I worked on a team with 4 other masters students, and while on that team I found myself fulfilling a particular role. I was not as focused on the technical details, more so on the desired outcomes and requirements the device must meet to be useful. I found myself helping the more technically inclined members of my team to coordinate with each other and ensure that our end product was able to do all the jobs it needed to, while also leading presentations and discussions with our stakeholders (doctors, patients, and engineering mentors).
While at my program, some alumni came to speak to my class about their jobs, and one spoke about her job as a Systems Engineer at Medtronic. She described her role as being very closely involved with new product development, but not too research heavy; systems engineers help to coordinate different departments and groups of people to make sure that whatever the development team is making will meet the needs defined by the doctors and patients who need that technology. She described it as “knowing 80% about every single aspect of a project” so that she was able to lead discussions and drive progress, but if more specific expertise is needed then she could reach out to someone on her team who knows “100% about maybe 1 or 2 things”. This job sounded like a great fit for me, so I applied and got it, and I’ve really been enjoying my role.
Financial Consultant
Choosing a major after high school was not an easy decision for me. I was undecided and was trying to make a decision between Engineering and Accounting/Finance. I have family members that worked in both of those fields, but it was still hard to envision what a day in the life would actually be as an Engineer or an Accountant. The paths are pretty different and the colleges I applied to required you to commit to either the school of engineering or school of business. So, even though I was undecided on a major I had to go with my gut and make a decision on a path forward. I ultimately decided to pursue business and completed my degree in Accounting at the University of MN - Carlson School of Management. After graduation I was lucky enough to join an industry where bio-medical engineering and innovation are the foundation of our business so I still get to work side by side with many different types of engineers. When I look back I did make the right decision going into business and Accounting specifically. There is more to Accounting and Finance than crunching numbers or doing taxes and it's really a field where you work with people and collaborate. Most of the Accounting and Finance professionals I work with are very extroverted and break the mold of the typical introverted person that works as an Accountant. I’d love to talk to anyone who is interested in Accounting, Finance, or business in general!
Design Engineer
The journey to my current career began in high school. I knew I had a talent for math but didn't know what my passion would be for work. During high school I joined the school's robotics team which had mentors from businesses around the area. By talking to these people I could learn more about the different types of science and technology work that existed. Through discussions with them and my parents I managed to find some businesses that let me job shadow for a day to learn more about the day-to-day lifestyle of an engineer. However, even after I knew I wanted to do some type of engineering there was still so many fields to choose from : computer, electrical, mechanical, biomedical, etc. During my undergraduate degree I got an internship at a medical device company and once I heard the stories from the patients who received their devices, I knew that this is what I wanted to do. After 2 more internships at the same company and then leaving to get a masters degree, I came back well qualified to apply for a permanent job and managed to land a role in the same company that I interned in and I'm still working there to this day.
Product Engineer
I graduated from Northwestern University in July 2019 with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. During my time at Northwestern I was a student-athlete on the swimming and diving team and was an active member on the solar car team. After graduating, I moved up to Minneapolis to work for Medtronic as a Product Engineer. I started out as an associate product engineer and now work as a Product Engineer II. I work primarily in our Neuromodulation and Pelvic Health business which includes products like our deep brain stimulators, spinal cord stimulators, and much more. In my role as a product engineer, I work with all different types of engineers and subject matter experts to redesign existing products to remove cost, improve manufacturing yields, or improve existing features. I spend a lot of time creating, testing, and reiterating new designs in the lab. Sometimes our products are tested for over a million cycles to ensure reliability and safety for the patient. With the medical industry reliability and safety are two of the most important rules. This gives me a fun design challenge to ensure our products are reliable for years in the harsh environment of the human body.
Software Engineer
I’ve been working at Medtronic since May 2020 and have been very grateful for the opportunity to pursue my passion for healthcare and technology. In my current role I develop therapy features for an upcoming implantable neurostimulator that will stimulate the tibial nerve. The product will be used to provide therapy to patients with overactive bladder symptoms. I started this role in March 2021, prior to that I was a firmware verification engineer testing therapy features of an upcoming rechargeable spinal cord stimulator to treat pain. My role presents me with many challenges, but the therapy we provide to our patients as well as the awesome people I get to work with is rewarding on a daily basis. In addition to the technical reasons why I have found my roles here at Medtronic challenging, COVID has also resulted in many difficulties. My experiences working in both remote and hybrid settings parallels that of our public schools, and I am inspired by the perseverance of this generation’s high school students to continue their studies amidst a global pandemic. Today’s high-school students are the next generation of innovators, some of which I hope will soon be my coworkers. Considering this, I find myself personally invested in their development.