If you have read my blogs, you know that I enjoy talking about my experience at school and with life in general. I also enjoy being candid about things, because being real is one of the things that you rarely see these days. I want to be reminded I am a living human, not just a student or employee, or a number/statistic. I have emotions, feelings, and opinions, and that is so special.
Being at ERAU has given me some of the best experiences and opportunities of my life, but being in school comes with its own anxiety as well. Stressing about assignment deadlines, balancing work and life, juggling responsibilities, and making sure I am learning and enriching my knowledge all at the same time can get overwhelming. Another layer of complexity is added when you think about your next semester, graduation plan, and life after graduation. I have been in school for as long as I remember. I have a deep love for learning and teaching others, sharing knowledge, and pursuing higher education. With my graduation date in May growing closer and closer, I found myself emotional at the idea that it could be my last time I will be in school, at least for a bit of time. There is much uncertainty right now for me with what’s next; however, the idea of putting off my Ph.D. and leaving my alma mater is unsettling. Sometimes making the right choice is the hardest.
Embry-Riddle has been my home away from home and second family for the last 7 years. Even before then, I attended ERAU as a dual-enrollment student, and attended many campus events, like the astronomy club open house, networking with students and professors. I have made numerous connections that I have no doubt I will keep throughout my career.
If you are like me, a graduate student unsure about a Ph.D., then these tips I have compiled will hopefully help you decide:
Make a list of pros/cons of a Ph.D.
Make a timeline or snapshot of your life for the next 5,10,15 years
Understand what the inertia of your life brings. Long-term and short-term goals/plans, family events, and financial goals. Be realistic too – what do you see yourself achieving?
Reach out to hiring managers in the industries you are interested in to get a feel for the hiring process and what is typical for that job type
Believe it or not, sometimes a Ph.D. can over qualify you for certain jobs. As much as I love research, I wouldn’t need a Ph.D. to be a project manager or operations manager for an airport, as an example. If you don’t know what is typical, reach out via e-mail or LinkedIn! Never be afraid to do this any time you have a question.
A reminder for you: the popular cartoon we all know and love, SpongeBob SquarePants, was created by Stephen Hillenburg, a marine biologist, writer, producer, and animator. I talked about this in my news feature here.
Write down what your dream job(s) are, what you would want to do for work (truly), and what sparks happiness
Sometimes what you do for a paycheck is different than what you do for fun or what you would want to do for a paycheck. Even if it sounds outlandish, write it down, do some research, make connections, and then formulate a plan to achieve it. For example, I want to pursue filmmaking and animation in the future. I want to use my systems engineering skills and knowledge of business to further this hobby/career blend.
Sometimes your hobby has to remain just that, a hobby, and cannot become your day-to-day job. That is okay – the ultimate goal is to work a job that doesn’t feel like work. With some dedication and planning, you can make career shifts any time.
Network
LinkedIn is one of the best places for professional networking, other than conferences and events. Attending conferences in your field of study or area(s) of interest can help you get a great understanding of that industry, the types of job opportunities, and an understanding of the qualities of the hire.
“There is more to life than just one degree program.”
This quote is what I live by these days. There is so much life has to offer, and oftentimes the job you end up getting is a blend of many things: engineering, business, communications, traveling, etc. Just because you get a degree in something doesn’t necessarily mean you are limited to just that.
I just have to remember; you truly never stop learning and growing.
Greetings everyone, my name is Eugene and I’m the newest member to join My Life @ Riddle blogger team. I’m a junior majoring in Aeronautical Science with minors in international relations and airline operations. I’m currently an instrument rated private pilot working on my commercial pilot license.
I’m from Seoul, South Korea. It’s a country in East Asia next to Japan and China, and I’m proud to call it home. We are famous for K-Pop and Samsung, and it takes about 14 hours to fly there from the east coast.
Seoul
In my spare time, I like to stay active, so I enjoy running, kayaking or going to the beach on a nice, sunny day. I enjoy reading which seems to be a fading hobby. I keep myself busy by picking up new projects and hobbies, and I try my best to keep my mind off school work and flying when I need to de-stress.
I always wanted to study international relations and foreign affairs by majoring in a political science degree. My goal was to work in the field of diplomacy and possibly end up with a career in the embassy. Fast forward to my junior year of high school, I was introduced to Riddle when a university representative from the school came to talk to us about college application. It was the only school I applied to that had a pilot training program. Fast forward few more years, I’m now a year away from graduating while studying international relations that is offered as a minor.
My short-term career goal is to become a flight instructor here at Embry-Riddle upon graduation. I’ll get a chance to teach and help eager student pilots earn their way towards getting their certificates and ratings. My long-term career goal is to work my way into the regional airlines and start building my airline career to end up with in a major airline in the long run.
I used to write personal blogs about traveling and flying in my freshman year of university, so I’m very excited to join the team to share about my flying experience here at Embry-Riddle as well as my traveling / college stories!
Inside the cockpit of a Delta Air Line’s A350-900 on my way back to Inchon, Korea from Atlanta, GA
Happy January everyone! I am currently blogging from Daytona Beach, Florida where I left after finals in 80 degree weather in December and returned to 80 degree weather in January.
To provide a small bit of background, I set goals every semester, whether it be goals for my RA position, goals for my classes, my personal fitness, or my AFROTC position. I started off Fall 2019 semester riding the wave of my Spring 2019 semester GPA being the highest its been since I started my college career, so of course I made the goal of making Fall 2019 even better. I would like to officially report back saying that, while 18 credit Fall Semesters are not my favorite, I have proven fairly successful and I achieved my goal of raising the bar higher for my best semester GPA.
That being said, now I have a new goal to beat and maybe one day I’ll make it to that 4.0? Game on Spring 2020!
After finals, closing the residence halls, and a few plane rides, I made it back to Virginia safely for the holidays where I spent time relaxing, working out, watching the Grinch one too many times, reading, hiking, and drinking all the kombucha and tea.
Some of my favorite moments from Winter Break were going to an ornament making class with my family and a bunch of friends and cousins. (Yes, my non-conventional holiday experience included a Christmas palm plant instead of the traditional tree. I live by the beach!)
I made a clay gingerbread man ornament!
Another highlight from my time off from class was seeing my pup, she’s a pitbull named Kita and loves naps (JUST like me)!
Kita the cuddly pup who lives in Virginia.
We love a good restful vacation. I’m excited to be back to school though. Will report back soon. Big things to follow, stay tuned folks.
I thought I would have a serious case of FOMO (fear of missing out) this week. I’m bundled up in 20-degree weather, while my friends enjoy Spring Break and the perks of attending school in Florida. I was fortunate enough, however, to have someone bring a little bit of warmth my way.
Working at Space Tango, has been undoubtedly exciting, but sometimes I get a little homesick. This week my boyfriend, Malik, sacrificed the warm weather to spend time with me and learn more about our shared passion for the aerospace industry. Although we both miss Florida weather, he was excited to step foot in the Space Tango office.
My boyfriend Malik, an Aerospace Engineering student at ERAU, takes a picture with one of the first TangoLab facitlities.
He had an opportunity to speak with the entire team and get a walk through of our mission operations with CEO Twyman Clements. Even though it was a relatively slow day in the office, Malik was still thrilled to see firsthand what it means to work in the industry. From 3D printing to CAD, he saw everything he was studying boil down to one place.
Being away from friends and family isn’t easy, but invite someone close to you to share it with. It makes time move a little faster when you remember how unique and invaluable your opportunity is to work with a company you love.
I walked into the Space Tango office with my usual to-do list of intern tasks, but I didn’t know that I would be adding new goals – like starting a retirement fund.
I’m only 21 going on 22 and my mentor is 25, but she said that she’s already begun saving and there’s no reason I shouldn’t also. Before I knew it, it was the Morning Show with Ellie and I was receiving the most helpful advice since I started working at Space Tango.
Ellie, along with the occasional input from other coworkers, told me about their saving plans, credit scores, and we even talked about stocks a little. These are all things you don’t really learn unless the “right time” comes around. I just didn’t think it would be in the Space Tango office.
I’m a Communication and Marketing intern and I have 6 weeks left. I expected to gain first-hand experience on advertising, public relations, and business tactics in the aerospace industry. In the time that I have been here, I learned more than I expected. My coworkers have shown me not only the reality of the aerospace industry, but the reality of being an adult. The Space Tango team takes the time to make sure I’m adjusting well to a new environment because they understand that at one point this was all new to them as well.
CEO Twyman Clements takes a break from reorganizing the office to show me microscope glasses.
When I began my internship, all of my questions were oriented towards my area of study, but I have to remind myself that my mentors are just people. They can provide more than just feedback on your work, but a new perspective on life. What should we really be paying attention to? Why do we work as hard as we do?
There’s so much more to take into consideration then we think, and it’s a lot easier to have the people that have gone through it tell you how it went than figuring it all out on your own. I’m not alone, and being an intern isn’t unfamiliar. We all have to start somewhere, so don’t be too serious. Ask questions outside of school and work. Learn about the people around you and it may just start to feel a little like home.
Interning at Space Tango has certainly put project management into perspective. Throughout my last four years at Riddle nothing was more challenging to me than staying on task. Assignments sometimes require so much more than we expect.
So what happens when you give a communication major MATLAB for a math gen ed? What happens when you give an engineer a business plan? Or a paper to write? Or a lab to test for safety and health issues? At Space Tango, the CEO is more than just a businessman. Twyman Clements is not only an engineer, but sometimes he’s a marketing specialist, a technical report writer, and a human factors psychologist all in one day. Staying on task means taking on extra responsibility.
On the International Space Station, astronauts have a VERYstrict schedule. Their days are planned out by the second. Astronauts don’t get to float back and watch an episode of Bob’s Burgers. They have to follow the red line. On their schedule, known as the Onboard Short Term Plan Viewer (OSTPV), a dotted red line runs across the screen at the pace they should be working. Astronauts use this to figure out if they are on task, or behind.
An old OSTPV that astronauts use. The dotted red line indicates where on their schedule astronauts should be.
As we know, each astronaut is extensively skilled. They’re more than just astronauts. They’re physicists, biomedical engineers, researchers, and many of which are parents, too. “Astronaut” is a pretty broad title, and even with all their responsibility they manage to follow the red line.
We often overlook the humanities courses that we take, but I’m witnessing first-hand how it all fits together. We aren’t astronauts (not yet at least if that’s what you’re in to), but we are taught to recognize how interdependent our classes really are. The minors you take will only expand the depth of your knowledge.
I’m studying communication, but I don’t just focus on the complexities of grammar and speech. As a communication major I have to understand body language and the art of persuasion all while maintaining background knowledge in the subjects I address. I have to target an audience based on their interests and needs.
All of this sometimes, and more often than not, means I need to understand sociology, psychology, engineering, commercial space laws, international relations, marketing, physics, astronomy, organizational behavior – the list goes on. These are only a few of the subjects I’ve researched for papers, speeches, and interviews. It’s a lot, but by understanding everything, not only am I more valuable to a company, but I can depend on myself to get everything done on time.
I’m not an astronaut, but how could I ever say I’m just a communication major? I’m so much more than a writer and you are so much more than your major. We’re all just following the red line.
