When people ask me what my major is and what I want to do with that degree, I usually get "uhh what?" This is because I plan to major in Industrial Engineering at Purdue University and hopefully by the time I'm in my middle thirties, I will be the Administrator of a nursing home or hospital. These fields surely can't go hand in hand, right? Wrong.
What most people don't realize is with engineering, the possibilities are endless. Especially with industrial, which is probably the most general type of engineering you can major in at Purdue. Most students I talk to at school tend to pin my major as "imaginary engineering." This is because industrial engineering is not specific like nuclear, biomedical, environmental or aeronautical. You can make it whatever you want to be. Industrial engineering is the optimization of processes. We make things better. We speed things up. We solve problems. We basically make the world go round — just kidding! However, pretty much every company needs industrial engineers. Still, how does this relate to an administrative position in the health field?
Look at what an administrator of a hospital or nursing home does. They supervise, manage finances and staff, deal with conflicts, work their hardest to make sure everyone is happy, make sure their facility is running smoothly, and that the environment continues to improve in all aspects. If an industrial engineer can't do this, then what could an industrial engineer do?
For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to go into the health field. I obtained my CNA in high school and worked in a nursing home before college. I absolutely loved it, however I realized maybe nursing wasn't a career I wanted for the rest of my life.
I was always really strong in mathematics and I love solving problems. I will not stop doing a project or task unless it is finished completely and properly. So naturally, with coming from a Purdue engineering family, I applied to the engineering school at Purdue. To my amazement, I got in. This was something I couldn't just let go; getting into engineering at Purdue is probably my biggest accomplishment up to this day. But what about healthcare?
After spending this summer thinking and speculating, I have figured out a plan of action to reach my long-term goals. Pick a broad engineering field, work to get internships at engineering healthcare companies (such as Eli Lilly), graduate with a Bachelor's of Science, then continue my education at IUPUI in pursuit of a Master's in Healthcare Administration.
After all of this, if I am not able to land a solid administrative position in a nursing home or hospital, I will always have my engineering degree to fall back on.
My main objective in writing this article is to prove that you do not have to stick with one specific job directly related to your major. We only have one life, so do whatever it is that will allow you to succeed and be happy! Anything is possible!
