Making Progress

I have actually enjoyed a lot of the work that I have done this week because I have been able to center it around my original work. The research I have done seems to have propelled me into truly understanding what I am trying to achieve through my original work and what other research I will need to do in order to gain the in-depth knowledge that I am striving for. I think the reason that I am enjoying the research and progress on my original work is that I chose a topic that really interests me. While I want to be a chemical engineer, I still want to be able to ride and own horses. Horses are my biggest passion and I am always looking for ways to keep them healthier and improve their overall well being. Since I have chosen a topic for my original work that combines chemical engineering with horses, I find myself able to spend countless hours researching and pondering my topic.

While working on my research, I began to wonder if there was some kind of job that combined chemical engineering and animal science and if that is something that I would pursue in college. I truly believe that I will enjoy being a chemical engineer but if I could combine that with my love for animals would that make my career that much more exciting? This is definitely something that I will want to think about as I continue through ISM. What if there is an opportunity now or in college that could help me explore this? Would these new interests change which college I decide to attend?

In addition to my research, I have been working on reaching out to professionals in and around the chemical engineering field to try and set up some research interviews. I was extremely excited to get some replies to these emails and Linked In connections this past week and am looking forward to setting up and hopefully being able to complete some of these interviews this week. Originally I had found myself dreading these interviews thinking that there was no way that I could possibly ask a complete stranger numerous questions about their current job and past experiences. Now that I have spent more time in ISM and have read more about the interview process and about these professionals I find myself feeling a kind of nervous excitement for what lies ahead. I am convinced that these interviews will be a great way for me to learn more about the field and what lies in my future. This week I plan to focus on continuing my research and starting on my interviews.