COOPERATIVE
Since my last year-in-review, I have been afraid of plateauing or growing stagnant. I have grown so much since starting college, but every year, (at the risk of sounding self-indulgent) it seems as if it could not get better. So coming up with ways to constantly improve and learn can sometimes be frustrating and difficult. I am proud to report, however, that I have definitely grown this year as well.
After spending an entire year with Medpace, I decided to part ways with them in August. This was the first time I’d ever worked somewhere for a whole year, so it was sad to say goodbye. It was hard to leave my co-workers, my income security, the sweet free lunches, and the little free gym. But I knew it was time to turn over a new leaf; the work I was doing there stopped being challenging after a certain amount of time and felt quite monotonous, so I think I knew for some time that it was time to stop working there.
With the closing of one chapter comes the opening of another, and that meant I had to find a new co-op. I don’t know anyone that really enjoys the job search, but I felt really anxious this time since I felt like I hadn’t really learned a ton at Medpace. I had learned about the soft skills, such as the meaning of work culture and operating in a professional environment, but I didn’t think I had really honed in on too many of my technical skills.
I went into the career fair at the Recreation Center to say hello to the 5/3 booth. I had made plans for months prior to work with 5/3 since I knew one of the hiring managers there, and had built a good rapport with him. I was glad to know I had at least one good job prospect going in, but knew that there was no such thing as too much networking. So, I kept an open mind as I walked to all the different booths. It was there I saw GE, one of the largest companies in Cincinnati, a Fortune 500, and one of the best companies the Career Fair had to offer. I had sort of built them up on this pedestal as a place for the top-achieving students to go and work, and I knew the spots were highly competitive. As a result, I felt like they were way out of my league, but thought “what the hell” and walked right up to them to give it my best shot. When they called me offering me an interview and eventually a job, I was so proud of myself! It was difficult to choose between GE and 5/3, but it taught me a lesson in being diplomatic and not burning any bridges, and I think I handled the situation appropriately.
So far, working at GE has been a blast. I learned more in my six months there than I had in one semester at school, both technically and socially. My roles at GE have been all development-based, so I got to apply what I learned at school directly to my job for the first time. It was really exciting to recognize different pieces of software that I had used at school! A lot of what I was doing, however, was brand new to me, and the experience taught me a lot about how to ask for help. That was one of the biggest lessons in confidence. Everyone there at GE is so intelligent, but so willing to help me learn.
GE is a great place to work because they learn how to balance work and play. There are some days where we’ll do team bonding events, like picnics in Sharon Woods or volunteer events. They like to go to Matthew 25 because it’s pretty easy work that you can do while also socializing with your friends. I even scheduled a volunteering event for my whole team there!
I’ve been really trying to get back into serious, committed volunteering. The Cincinnatus scholarship requires volunteering as part of fun thing I did this year was join 4 Paws for Ability, a non-profit organization based in Xenia, OH that trains dogs to become service dogs for children with disabilities. It’s been so rewarding to be able to turn a passion into something more meaningful. I volunteer alongside Troy, and together we help socialize young pups by taking them out to public places such as the mall, libraries, grocery stores and movie theaters. We do this so they can get used to these experiences and will be comfortable with them when they become service dogs. We also just signed up to start working in the puppy house with the 4-12week old pups!
Overall, this year I have squashed my fear of staying stagnant. I know now that I am an actively dynamic person and will naturally seek out the new experiences that excite me. Of course, it’s wise to stay wary and vigilant of plateauing, but I really don’t think I have to be too concerned about it. I’m doing just fine.
Next stop, senior year!!!
After spending an entire year with Medpace, I decided to part ways with them in August. This was the first time I’d ever worked somewhere for a whole year, so it was sad to say goodbye. It was hard to leave my co-workers, my income security, the sweet free lunches, and the little free gym. But I knew it was time to turn over a new leaf; the work I was doing there stopped being challenging after a certain amount of time and felt quite monotonous, so I think I knew for some time that it was time to stop working there.
With the closing of one chapter comes the opening of another, and that meant I had to find a new co-op. I don’t know anyone that really enjoys the job search, but I felt really anxious this time since I felt like I hadn’t really learned a ton at Medpace. I had learned about the soft skills, such as the meaning of work culture and operating in a professional environment, but I didn’t think I had really honed in on too many of my technical skills.
I went into the career fair at the Recreation Center to say hello to the 5/3 booth. I had made plans for months prior to work with 5/3 since I knew one of the hiring managers there, and had built a good rapport with him. I was glad to know I had at least one good job prospect going in, but knew that there was no such thing as too much networking. So, I kept an open mind as I walked to all the different booths. It was there I saw GE, one of the largest companies in Cincinnati, a Fortune 500, and one of the best companies the Career Fair had to offer. I had sort of built them up on this pedestal as a place for the top-achieving students to go and work, and I knew the spots were highly competitive. As a result, I felt like they were way out of my league, but thought “what the hell” and walked right up to them to give it my best shot. When they called me offering me an interview and eventually a job, I was so proud of myself! It was difficult to choose between GE and 5/3, but it taught me a lesson in being diplomatic and not burning any bridges, and I think I handled the situation appropriately.
So far, working at GE has been a blast. I learned more in my six months there than I had in one semester at school, both technically and socially. My roles at GE have been all development-based, so I got to apply what I learned at school directly to my job for the first time. It was really exciting to recognize different pieces of software that I had used at school! A lot of what I was doing, however, was brand new to me, and the experience taught me a lot about how to ask for help. That was one of the biggest lessons in confidence. Everyone there at GE is so intelligent, but so willing to help me learn.
GE is a great place to work because they learn how to balance work and play. There are some days where we’ll do team bonding events, like picnics in Sharon Woods or volunteer events. They like to go to Matthew 25 because it’s pretty easy work that you can do while also socializing with your friends. I even scheduled a volunteering event for my whole team there!
I’ve been really trying to get back into serious, committed volunteering. The Cincinnatus scholarship requires volunteering as part of fun thing I did this year was join 4 Paws for Ability, a non-profit organization based in Xenia, OH that trains dogs to become service dogs for children with disabilities. It’s been so rewarding to be able to turn a passion into something more meaningful. I volunteer alongside Troy, and together we help socialize young pups by taking them out to public places such as the mall, libraries, grocery stores and movie theaters. We do this so they can get used to these experiences and will be comfortable with them when they become service dogs. We also just signed up to start working in the puppy house with the 4-12week old pups!
Overall, this year I have squashed my fear of staying stagnant. I know now that I am an actively dynamic person and will naturally seek out the new experiences that excite me. Of course, it’s wise to stay wary and vigilant of plateauing, but I really don’t think I have to be too concerned about it. I’m doing just fine.
Next stop, senior year!!!