, are problem solvers. They love to study how things work together, and have a knack for strategic thinking. Then there are the information people. These people love information. They thrive on raw data, not new concepts or ideas. They are well organized, they are the planners.
Students come in the door not really being any one of these things, but a blend of at least two. They all have different reasons for coming into this field. They will, if allowed, become successful and contribute back to this profession “if and only if” (geometric phrase) they are given the opportunities to make the right choices. No one student, comes in with the same reason, no-one student is driven by the same motivation. That is o.k. What is important is understand what primarily drives you. That will not only determine where you may be successful, but also content.
Where do you want to be?
Reviewing back on the people-persons, the techies, the information people, and the concepts people, we can start seeing that each may have a talent for technology and for management. It may seem that a techie, a person who loves technology, would benefit by moving into a specialty like radiology or laboratory. This would definitely be a step up in pay and responsibilities. However, it may not satisfy the other qualities. For example a technical person who also loves coming up with new ideas, is someone who likes taking on challenges. Working in a specialty, but not being allowed to express your creative side, may result in you being unsuccessful. Where would someone with these primary qualities find success and happiness; maybe in research? Another person, who thrives on data and information, may sound like the perfect manager or director. You need someone like that who can endure what may seem like an endless process of paperwork, memos, quotas, deadlines, and other non-technical data. I know some people at the college who run their days, weeks and semester by the numbers. Ultimately, analyzing where you are and where you want to be should help determine what you need to get there.
The plan:
College Education training or both?
Obviously college education and training, whether it is manufacture training or an in house training program aren’t the only ways to learn. However, they are the most practiced because they are the most known and therefore the most trusted. Which type of learning you decide to participate in will have to do with where you want be. An easy example is management or technology. If I were up against these choices, I’d weigh what it was that made me want to go to work; besides the enormous teacher’s salary in my case. If I liked the administrative side, the management, the work flow, I’d probably want to be in management. Then I’d look for what was required at my place of employment to become a manager. If it required bachelors in business or management then I would plan to apply and register for college. College isn’t the whole answer. You may learn the tools used in business at college, but you need to supplement that with business related assignments at your work. As you finish the degree program, and put in several years of experience, you would be in a better position to apply for a management position if one would become available. If I wanted to be a supervisor, or a technical director (like a clinical engineer) then I would talk to human resources and ask, what are the minimum education and experience requirements to apply for a position like this when it becomes available.