Short Background:
My father worked at the VA throughout my entire life, and my grandfather spent many years with the post office. Growing up around that kind of stability, I knew I wanted a career where I could stay and grow for many years. The challenge was, I didn’t know exactly what I wanted to do.
When I asked people about their jobs, I often felt like they sugarcoated the reality. So, I decided to apply for entry-level positions in the hospital setting to get my foot in the door and see things for myself. I wanted to experience the day-to-day life in a hospital, across different shifts and roles.
At the time, I thought I might become a nurse or even a doctor. I planned to earn my phlebotomy and telemetry certification, skills I was told would make me a well-rounded and capable nurse. I did achieve both certifications, but as I gained more experience, I started to notice aspects of the job that gave me pause.
For example, I learned that nurses’ hours could be affected by patient census, making it hard to rely on a consistent 40-hour workweek. Doctors, on the other hand, often worked long shifts and even slept at the hospital. That lifestyle just didn’t feel like the right fit for me.
So, I began exploring other career paths within the healthcare fields that would offer more stability and better align with the kind of life I want to build.
Key Milestones:
I met a woman named Susan Trombley, who had been working in the biomedical field for years. We often talked, and she noticed how hands-on I was with car and home repairs. She suggested that the biomedical field might be a great fit for me. Her encouragement got me thinking seriously about it.
I began researching schools and figuring out how I could fit classes into my daily schedule. Eventually, I earned my degree in Electronics Engineering Technology (EET) and followed it up with a degree in Biomedical Engineering Technology.
Any Roadblocks:
As a woman balancing a full-time job and maintaining a home, time management became one of my biggest challenges. I was working eight-hour shifts, commuting for an hour each way, and still trying to carve out time to study. It often felt like there was no room left for a personal life. It was tough, but I knew sacrifices had to be made to pursue something greater.
My first degree is in Fine Art and Design, a field that has always been a deep passion of mine and a creative outlet that also helped supplement my income. But art requires time—something I had very little of. Putting that passion on hold to pursue a new one in biomedical technology wasn’t easy, but it was a necessary step toward building the future I envisioned.
Advice for other women in HTM:
The time, focus, and sacrifices are short-term. Push past it. Ask for help. Keep a tight schedule to stay balanced. Plan everything; time to cook and time to chill. Yes, schedule time for yourself. This will give you time to have peace, and because it is planned, you can let go of the anxiety and relax. I was running on anxiety for so long that when I graduated from school, it was hard to adjust to not having a full schedule.