For as long as I can remember, science has always interested me. Also, I have always been fairly good at it. When I was younger, I would ask all of my family members what their profession was, and I remember my aunt told me she was a scientist. I did not exactly know what that meant at the time, but I knew it sounded interesting. I think anything with science interests me because I like the fact that things can be explained through science. I have always been fascinated to know how things work and why or how they happen. That is why microbiology is perfect for me.
I like finding out how or why something can happen and I can do that if I go into the field of science. Thave been looking into colleges and professions recently and I have become very interested in microbiology. Microbiology is the study of microorganisms. Microbiologists try to understand the organisms and how they interact with their environment and also how they live, grow and how they impact the lives of plants, humans, and animals. I think microbiology would be a good profession for me because I find it very intriguing and science has always been one of my best subjects in school.
I like microbiology because I like the work environment and the equipment they work with. Not many jobs catch my attention, however, this one does. I know choosing a career is not supposed to be based on how much money it makes, but this career also makes a good amount of money for me. For microbiology there are more and better job offers in places other than Louisiana. I do not know how I feel about completely moving away, however, I am keeping my mind open to it. The only college I have really been looking at going to is the University of Louisiana Lafayette.
ULL has a biology department and a program to get a bachelor’s degree and eventually a master’s degree in microbiology. No matter what I end up going to college for I intend to get the highest degree possible because it will provide me better job opportunities and allow me to make more money. I do not know much about the University of Louisiana Lafayette except that it has the major I am interested in and I have heard good things about it. I think I would like to go to ULL because I never really see Lafayette and I would like to explore it more.
While I was looking at colleges I also looked into Louisiana State University and their program in marine biology. When I was younger it was always my dream to go to LSU and become a cheerleader, but as I got older I realized that going to college had a deeper meaning. I would still like to look into marine biology and Louisiana State University throughout this year before I make my final decision. Southeastern University also has a program for microbiology, but I am hesitant to look into SELU because I would rather go somewhere farther away than Hammond. Going into career day I really did not know what to expect.
I thought I knew what school I wanted to go to and had things figured out, but career day changed my mind. At career day | thought I would just look at the schools I knew I was interested in, but I ended up looking at many more than I ever thought I would. I went in with my mind set on University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Louisiana State University. I came out of career day thinking about many other possibilities, such as: University of Southern Mississippi, University of Louisiana Monroe, William Carey University, Our Lady of the Lake College, and McNeese State University.
Career day made me realize there were plenty of other opportunities out there for me. I never realized there were so many other schools that had what I wanted because I never really thought about many schools. On the other hand, it gave me a lot more to think about because I thought I somewhat had things figured out, but now I am not so sure. Although, I admit the only reason I went to the William Carey table was because there was a cute guy there, it actually turned out to interest me a lot. I wish I had more of an opportunity to talk to the people that were at the tables.
I felt so rushed because there were people everywhere and I did not want to be in the way. The only things the people really said to us were to sign up for the e-mail list and tour days. Towards the end of the trip I just wanted to take the free stuff off the tables because I had nothing else to do. Most of my friends were finished pretty early too, so we did not really know what else to do besides walk around and talk. Altogether, career day was a good experience for me and I enjoyed seeing all the other schools that had what I was interested in.
In the beginning of this assignment I seemed fixed on the University of Louisiana at Lafayette and Louisiana State University and basically had no interest in Southeastern Louisiana University. I was also focused on two specific majors. Over the past few months I have changed my career path and college of interest quite a few times. I started off wanting to be a microbiologist or marine biologist, and though I am still interested in biology I have ventured out some more. Now I am looking at careers like an ecologist or geologist. I am also more interested in SELU.
I know my time to make my decision is running out and it scares me that I am still so clueless about all these things. All the schools I have applied to everything I want even if I was to change my mind again. I have applied to Louisiana State University, University of Louisiana at Lafayette, University of Louisiana at Monroe, and Southeastern Louisiana University. I have only been accepted to SELU. Being accepted to SELU has made me think about my options and the benefits of going there. I wanted to go farther from home than Hammond but now that is not really one of my priorities.
Ecology is the study of the interaction of living things and their relationships with other species and their environment. (Ecology). Ecology interests me because, like I said before, I like mostly anything to do with science. I am fascinated by the environment and would love to help preserve it if there was any way I could. Pursuing a career in ecology would allow me to do that. If I was to choose a career in ecology I would most likely go to Southeastern Louisiana University or Louisiana State University.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the typical entry level to get jobs as an ecologist is a bachelor’s degree. Environmental Scientist and Specialist). I plan to get the highest degree possible in whatever path I take. The median pay for an ecologist or environmental scientist and specialist in 2015 was $67, 460 per year. That is about $32. 43 per hour. (Environmental Scientist and Specialist). I am not really extremely focused on how much money each profession makes, but the job outlook or availability is my concern. The job outlook in 2014 through 2015 was eleven percent. Apparently that is faster than average, so that is good. (Environmental Scientist and Specialist).
According to another source it shows who hires ecologists. It says they work at colleges and universities, research institutes, zoological parks and aquariums, and places like that. (How to Become). If I was to pursue this career path || would like to work at a research institute and not a college or university. I think I would also like to work at an aquarium or someplace like that, but I do not think I would like to work at a place similar to the zoo in anyway.
Like most jobs, an ecologist has the usual benefits like pension plans, vacations, health insurance, and paid leaves. Ecologist Job Description). In all honesty, I have not really looked into the benefits of the careers I am thinking about pursuing even though I know they will be important in the long run. In another source that tells what the education requirements is to become an ecologist, it says that practical experience is very important. It says one should volunteer or work as a professor’s lab assistant or spend some time at a biological field station. The source explains that many colleges off Research Experiences for Undergraduates or REU programs.
One can search for internships through the Environmental Careers Organization and get help from the Student Conservation Association, which helps match students with volunteer opportunities in their field of study. (What is an Ecologist? ). I think I would have no problem finding work experience or internships because I would be so interested and ready to get started, that I would jump on any opportunity possible. In another one of my sources, I read about the work hours of an ecologist. The source explains that the work hours and conditions vary according to many aspects.
Some aspects that would make work hours vary would be when and where experiments need to be done and deadlines for example. (Ecologist). Looking into careers I am not really concerned with the work hours and conditions. If I want the job bad enough, I know I would do whatever I had to to get it and keep the position. Some specific jobs one can get when pursuing a career in ecology is a research technician, environmental consultant, and a wildlife biologist. Earning a degree in ecology opens up a wide variety of career options in a growing field of study. Jobs You Can).
I am glad that now I am leading toward a career that is in a growing field because when I was interested in marine biology and microbiology, I knew that it was not exactly a growing field. The field was not declining, but it was primarily stagnant, so I knew there would not be very many job opportunities around when I got out of college. That is one of the major qualities of that career that made me want to start thinking about other options. I knew I did not want to do anything that did not involve science, so I started exploring careers similar to marine and microbiology.
My mentor for this assignment is my biology teacher Mrs. Ashley Mcelveen. She taught me biology one in tenth grade and now teaches me biology two for my senior year. Mrs. Ashley was a contribution to me being so interested in biology and science. She is such a good teacher and I actually learn in class. As soon as we started biology one I knew that I definitely wanted to know more about all the stuff she told us about. Since she was my mentor I asked her some questions about her job and experience being in the field of biology. A few questions I asked her were the following: What college did you go to? Mrs. Ashley went to Pearl River Community College and University of Southern Mississippi.
What made you interested in this subject? Mrs. Ashley explained that she has always liked the outdoors and animals. Her good science teachers, along with her father, had an influence on her interest in science. Altogether I still have a lot of decision making to do. Researching these subjects has made me realize more of what| want to do, but I am still not completely sure yet. I know I do not have much time to make my final decision, but I do know I want to pursue a career in the field of biology. Throughout this year|| will keep looking into careers I am interested in before I make my final decision.
