Its been a little over 2 months since I finished my bachelor's degree in plastics engineering, and everything is going great! I know some of my last blog posts were a little depressing, since I was unsure if I would miss school and all of my friends. So I wanted to post an update just to inform you that things are going very well.
I really enjoy my job at NxStage, and I am planning on representing them at the next UML career fair, so make sure you come by and say hello.
Also, check out my new blog at http://guthriegordon.blogspot.com/, so you can follow my new project: 'The Co-op to Corner Office Campaing' Check it out and leave me some comments!
Thanks for reading everyone. Good luck!
]]>I went back and read some of my old blogs, including the first one I ever wrote entitled “Back to School at last…” In this blog, I wrote about how I was tired of working full time, and how I wanted to stay in school for my master’s degree. I can certainly say that a lot has changed since then.
I am certainly not in a big hurry to get my master’s degree. Since I have spent the past four month’s job searching, I have found a master’s degree with no experience is not any better than a bachelor’s degree with little to no experience. Typically companies want 3-5 years of experience with a master’s degree for a job better than entry level. For this reason, I think it would be the best idea for me to get my master’s degree part time, while getting the experience I need.
As far as being tired of working full time, I think I am ready to enter the work place. When I start at NxStage Medical in January, it will mark the beginning of my fourth internship (my third in the medical devices industry). I think I know most of the Do’s and Don’ts of the workplace. I plan to work very hard to get a promotion to a full time position.
I feel like I have had a very successful college career at UMass Lowell. I built myself a powerful resume. I have worked three internships. I have lived on campus as a resident and a residential advisor. I have lived off campus with friends, lived off campus with my girlfriend, and even spent six months 200 miles away from campus. I have made many friends, and very few enemies. I am glad to say that I have no regrets about the past 4.5 years.
So if you are entering college, or you are part way through your college career; here is my advice:
Thanks for reading everyone, best of luck to you!
Happy Holidays!
]]>Here is the sweet half of it: I have a job, only a co-op, not a full time engineer, but nonetheless a job. In today’s tough economy, I am glad to have an entry level position in a field that I am interested in. I am also on the verge of accomplishing the most challenging task I have taken on so far; studying for my bachelor’s degree. I really beat the odds too, coming from a vocational high school; I was not even expected to go to college. I’ve managed to pull my GPA out of the hole I dug for it my first two years. Going from a 2.5 to a 3.0 is a serious challenge. I will be walking in the spring. I will not be cum laude, magna cum laude or summa cum laude, but that does not matter to me. I am proud of myself for what I have done.
Here is the bitter half of it: I will be saying goodbye to what has been my life for the past 4.5 years. I will no longer be a full time college student. I know that I have a lot of growing up to do. Society pressures us to get married and start a family soon after graduation. That’s how my older sister did it, that’s how my girlfriend’s older sister did it. And quite frankly, it scares the life out of me. Above all, the scariest part is that life will be taken off of auto-pilot. When you are a student, you have a schedule and a curriculum laid out for you:
· 2 tbsp. of electives
· 1 cup of gen ed’s
· 2 cups of core classes
· bring to a boil
· reduce heat and simmer for 8 semesters.
But now, there is no set path, no recipe for life. I have spent a good amount of time searching for a direction. I have been looking for someone or something to tell me what to do next. I have finally come to the conclusion that there is no one to tell me what to do, I have to make my own way.
In conclusion, I have long thought that college was supposed to be the ‘best time of your life.’ I felt like leaving college was the end of my young life. Now I see things in a different perspective. When I realized that I have unlimited opportunities and potential, I came to understand that I can mold my life anyway I want to. I am starting a journey, not as a passenger, but as the driver. I am excited to get out into the real world and make a name for myself. “Every new beginning comes from some other beginning’s end.”
Thanks for reading.
“Back when I was a freshman… You had to plug your computer into the wall to get internet!”
“There was no Southwick dining hall!”
“…Parking decals were free!”
“…You had to pay to get into hockey games!”
“…There was no parking garage on east campus!”
“…UML didn’t own a hotel!”
“…Prof. Johnston (intro to engineering) was still a student!”
“…There was no fence on the
“…Rowdy the Riverhawk didn’t look like someone from Sonic the Hedgehog!”
]]>NxStage is a company that manufactures dialysis machines, which are used for people who have kidney failure. They make both clinical and home use dialysis machines. NxStage’s R&D facility is located in
I was once told that an internship or a co-op is a long term interview. I believe this is the best approach to any internship or co-op you may be hired for through college. In today’s tough economy, it is extremely important to get your foot in the door. I am going to work very hard to make a name for myself at NxStage. This way, if anything opens up 4 or 5 months down the line, I would be an easy choice for the position.
I have not gotten all the details about the position yet, but I will be sure to fill you in soon. Thanks for reading!
]]>In Chemistry II, I have the third exam next Monday. The final exam will be the week afterwards on Wednesday. That’s already two exams in three weeks. In order to do well on these exams, I will need to ensure that I am able to do all of the assigned homework problems. I will probably have to study chemistry every day from now until the final exam.
In Intro to Philosophy, I have to submit a 5 page essay. This will be our third essay of the semester, so it will be graded the hardest. It is also worth more points. This is due the first day of finals, which is the same Wednesday as my Chem II final. Luckily, there is no final exam in this class.
In General Psychology, I have a group project to present next Wednesday. This will require a few hours of work over the next week. The final exam for this class will be on Saturday the 19th. Hopefully the exam will not be too difficult, and the professor will give a good outline for it.
My last class is Computer Aided Engineering. For this class I have a term paper due next Wednesday. Along with the term paper I must give a short presentation of my topic. This is due the same day as my group presentation. I also need to catch up on some homework assignments in this class.
As you can see there is a lot of overlap in my schedule. I am confident that a lot of you have pretty busy schedules in front of you. I suggest you lay everything out like I did, so that you can better prepare for your assignments. It is very important to finish the semester strong, to ensure you get the grades you deserve.
]]>Winter brings on lot of exciting things; holidays, winter break, snow, snowboarding. But don’t forget, winter also brings on term papers and final examinations. When we come back to school next week, it will be December. This means we only have two weeks left, and then finals. If you are new to school this year, don’t be scared, but definitely be prepared. Finals are no joke.
If a final exam is your only chance of passing a class, then you should start studying ASAP. If you have done well over the semester, finals are a good chance to improve or maintain your grade. I suggest getting your final schedule in advance, and planning out when you will study for each final.
Keep in mind, final schedules are pretty random, and they can be scheduled and day from Monday-Saturday. I would advise not to load up finals week with hours at work. Try to maximize your studying time. Forming studying groups can help to understand tough subject areas, and also reinforce your understanding by explaining things to others. Try to use your past tests as a guide for about ¾ of a cumulative final.
Enjoy you’re Thanksgiving weekend, but keep in mind that the end of the semester is near. Thanks for reading.
]]>I moved into Leitch Hall at the end of the summer of 2005. I know this may sound like ancient history to anyone who is just starting their adventure at UML. I immediately loved the atmosphere of east campus. My freshmen year was spent studying calculus, physics and engineering classes, and my grades were awful. I attended every class and did all of my homework assignments, but I did not take time to ensure I was doing the problems correctly. Given a second chance, I would certainly spend more time working on getting good grades in these classes.
My sophomore year was similar to my freshmen year, only I lived on North Campus in Smith hall. I loved how close it was to classes and how convenient the tunnel system was in poor weather. Again my performance was poor in the classroom. My first two years in college made my last two much more difficult, since I needed much better grades to pull up my GPA. Another big regret that I have about my first two years is that I was detached from campus. I did not participate in any extra curricular activities, and spent most of my free time off campus. Luckily for me I was able to connect much more my junior year.
Junior year I got a job as a residential advisor (RA) in Eames hall on north campus. Eames is the sister building of Smith, so it was all very familiar to me. I was able to make many friends and get more involved in school. It felt really good to be able to give back to the school. I also met my current girlfriend in the building. We have now been together for 2 years and share an apartment a few miles away from campus. My grades improved dramatically this year.
I took my second semester junior year off to get some working experience. I was offered a co-op position at Husky IMS in
When I returned to school the next fall, my grades skyrocketed. I think my work experience encouraged me to work harder to increase my GPA. This was the first time in my college career that I made Dean’s List. I also got the chance to rent out an apartment near campus with a couple of friends I had made in Eames hall. We had a lot of fun living there and all enjoyed having our own rooms. We did have a falling out with one of our roommates, which became a major issue towards the end of our stay. So I would advise anyone who wants to rent an apartment to be careful choosing roommates. After this year I got a summer internship working at Teleflex Medical in
Now I am in my last semester of college. I am really starting to feel like I am at the end of my rope. It is kind of a depressing feeling, but I am excited to move forward and explore some new opportunities. I am happy to say that I will be graduating with a 3.0GPA. I had to work really hard to dig myself out of the ditch I made my first two years. I do miss the dorm rooms, as you do not need to worry about bills and upkeep. I would suggest that every college student should live on campus at least one year to get the full college experience.
Overall, I am happy with the choices I made in college. I am very glad to have experienced a wonderful four years at UML. Thanks for reading.
]]>I have decided that I am going to sign up for 1 or 2 night classes next semester towards my master’s degree at UMass Lowell. I have been actively applying for both full time and internship positions. I have also narrowed down my search field to the medical devices industry. Two of my previous internships worked with medical devices, and I find this field to be the most interesting and the most meaningful to me.
I had originally hoped that I would find a full time employer that would reimburse any classes I took. However, I am finding that the job market is a lot tougher than I had hoped. I am going to stay optimistic, and hope to find an opening somewhere in the next couple of months. But I have accepted the fact that I may not have a job lined up for me right when I get out of school.
I think that patience and determination are going to be the keys to my success. With time, I am sure things will work out for me. I’ll be sure to keep my eyes and ears open, and to keep my head up.
For any of you out there who are actively job searching, know that you are not alone, stay positive, and don’t give up. For any of you going into school now, keep in mind that it’s a tough world. You need to make yourself a valuable candidate while you are in school. Do whatever you can to build your resume, because in the end it will pay off. A friend of mine who graduated recently told me to “Always plan things out two steps in advance,”
Hopefully the economy will get better, and many new jobs open up, but we cannot rely on it. We need to take control of our own futures.
Thanks for reading, good luck out there!
]]>The fact that this is a local R&D position in medical devices makes this job a great fit for me. So I want to do my best at this interview. Here are a couple of tips for job interviewing:
Prepare: Researching the company is important. You want to know what you are getting yourself into. If they have given you a job description, make sure you take time to read it thoroughly. You may also want to watch interview videos online and do practice interviews. Anything you can do to make yourself more confident will definitely help.
Be presentable and be on time: Make sure you dress appropriately for the position you are applying for. I typically wear a suit, since I am applying for full time engineering positions. I believe it is better to over-dress than under-dress. Make sure you get directions and give yourself extra time. The last thing you want to do is arrive late or miss an interview.
Show your knowledge: Try to relate the employer’s questions to what the company is looking for. This is why it helps to know the job description; you can tie past experiences into the companies focus. Stay calm, try not to over answer questions, and make sure to make eye contact.
Follow up: Make sure to send a follow up email and reassure the employer you are still interested in the position.
I have some preparation to do since tomorrow is the big day. I will be sure to post the results as soon as I find out. Thanks for reading!
]]>Psychology has about half the core classes that plastics engineering, or any engineering, requires for a bachelor’s degree. You will still need at least 120 credits to graduate, so the rest of the space is filled in with free electives. If you are an engineering major like I am, you may be a little unsure what a free elective is, do not be alarmed. A free elective is exactly what it sounds like; it is any class you want to take. So in Nicole’s case, she can use the classes she had taken in engineering as free electives towards psychology. This fills in approximately ½ the courses in the junior and senior year of psych.
Another helpful step is that her math and science courses can also transfer over. Since she has taken calculus, physics, and chemistry courses, she can use these credits toward a degree in psychology. Psychology, like many other majors, requires that students take math courses, and science with lab courses. Most students in these majors would take college algebra or quantitative reasoning since higher level math courses are not required. They would also probably take life science or exploring the universe for their science requirements. However, these courses leaves the options open to the students, if they wanted to take physics or calculus instead.
This is a one-way street however, if Nicole had wanted to switch from psychology to plastics, and it would probably take an extra 3-4 semesters to graduate. So the point is, if you are undecided about your major, or you are drawn between two choices, look at the program of study. The program of study lays out exactly what courses you need to take to graduate, and when you should take them. Start with the major that is more demanding, and more precise about what courses are needed. Then move to the major that is less demanding.
The bottom line is this; study something that you are interested in. If you do not like the major you are in, it may not be too late to switch. Good luck, and thanks for reading.
]]>Now that I am back, I found that I have much more free time. All of the hours I have put into my project every week are now open. This gives me the potential of focusing on my future.
As you may know, I am quickly approaching my graduation in December. As of now my plans for the future are unclear, but my aim is to either be working full time as an engineer in a field related to plastics, or to be studying full time for my master’s degree. I have been trying to work out teaching assistant and research assistant funding, which would waive my tuition and also give me a bi-weekly income that I could live off of. I have also been actively searching for jobs. Two big dates are coming up this week for my job searching: The UMass Lowell Career Fair on Wednesday, the 21st, and the 2009 MassPlastics show on Thursday, the 22nd.
The career fair looks a little bit more promising this semester as compared to last semester. There are about 6 companies looking for plastics engineers, of which 2 are actually hiring full time positions. The rest are either hiring interns or just accepting resumes. Since I am graduating in December, and positions will be opening in January, this gives me a good advantage over the students graduating in May 2010.
The MassPlastics show is a trade show similar to the ACS Rubber Expo that I attended last week in
Hopefully with a little bit of luck, I will get some positive leads that will land me a few interviews in the next few weeks. Good luck with your job searching if you are attending the career fair this week. Thanks for reading.
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The First Part of My Research Project...
The show that I am going to be presenting my project at gives awards for the best research paper, and the best poster presentation. I am making a poster, but I do not think I have a very good chance of winning. Last year, they gave out four $1500 awards. They were given to the best : undergraduate poster, graduate poster, undergraduate paper and graduate paper. This year they are only giving out two $1000 awards, to the best poster and the best paper, grads and undergrads mixed. I think it is very unlikely for an undergraduate to be able to compete against a graduate. Graduate students have more time, funding, resources as well as experience.
I am still very excited about going to this show. I think it will be a great experience for me, and I will be able to meet some potential employers at the show’s career fair. I still have a decent amount of work to do, so I am going to make this a short entry.
I’ll keep you posted on how the presentation goes, and I will try to post up some pictures from Pitsburg. Thanks for reading.
]]>My first instinct is to take my degree and use it. I would like to get a steady income so I could afford things that always seemed out of reach in college. Like a new car that I could make payments on, or a nice TV for my apartment. I realize that these are material things that I don’t really need, but I think it would be nice to not feel poor for once. I am concerned that I would quickly become dependent on my higher salary, and I would not be able to go back to school full time.
So naturally the second choice is to stay in school. But I am unsure if I want to stay in Umass Lowell plastics. I am curious how much more I could learn. I feel like I would be more challenged in a new school with different professors and a new atmosphere. I know that it would be easier for me to get my masters in plastics engineering at UML, but that is not entirely a good thing. I think employers may see this as a disadvantage. Also, I feel I would be passing up a chance to experience something new. I am also unsure whether I would be able to get teaching assistant or research assistant funding to study for my masters at a different university.
I am pretty sure whichever path I choose to follow, I will have some joy from my choice, but also some regret of not choosing a different way. I know that I am quickly approaching a great accomplishment that I should be very proud of. I also know that I am blessed to be able to finish school debt free. However, it is very difficult to appreciate these things when I am stressed about my future.
I am going to look at a few schools in October, and also a couple of career fairs. Hopefully something inspires me to take my next step. I am going to talk to some of my advisors at school to get their opinion. Please leave any comments that you think may help my choice.
Thanks for reading.
]]>Over the summer I have been working on a non-funded undergraduate research project. You can read about it in my previous entry:
The First Part of My Research Project I have been getting a lot of work done on testing my samples. I hope to have all of my testing done by the end of the month, so that I can work on my poster up until the presentation. Another great thing about my trip to
The next big date is the UML engineering and technology career fair on October 21st. Last semester, the career fair was a bust. There were only 5 companies that were interested in my major, and only 3 of them showed up. I know that the economy has taken a beating, but I am keeping my hopes up that this career fair will have a better outcome than last semester.
I have a lot of work to do over the next few weeks. I need to get my work done and get my resume revised. I’m doing everything I can to prepare myself for the real world!
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