What is your current job title, and what do you do on a normal day?
My current title is Lab Technician 2. There are quite a few tests that we run in the laboratories, and we tend to switch every week. Some of our analyses are calculating suspended solids within samples, calculating total solids within samples, pH, alkalinity of samples, biological oxygen demand of samples, total nitrates, total phosphates within samples, etc. Every day, we receive samples collected at various plants in the Greater Chicago area, and then we test them according to their requested analyses. We then create a lab report, and our results are sent to the EPA to make sure that the plants are running smoothly and meeting set discharge limits.
What do you like about it?
I really like my current position because I'm using both of my degrees every day. I come to work to do my laboratory work, and the goal is to make sure that clean water is released back into the environment. I feel the impact of my job every day.
By what path did you get to your current job?
A few years ago, I interned at the District. Unfortunately, there's a huge wait to get employed. I had to wait a year and a half in another laboratory position in order to gain experience. Once the position opened, I had to pass a chemistry test in order to get interviewed. I passed the test and got my interview and the rest is history.
What was your favorite thing about the ESE major?
My favorite thing is how varied the major is. My experience in ESE is different from every other person's. I focused on chemistry and the science of the natural world, while also dabbling in environmental writing and GIS. The ESE major shaped me into a critical thinker and a problem solver which is helping me immensely in my professional life.
Do you have any advice for ESES students as they explore career options?
My main advice is to not give up. I had to take a few stepping stones to get to where I currently am and that's ok. It was discouraging at times and I felt like I was stuck, but my persistence and hard work is paying off. Another good piece of advice that everyone gives is to get an internship. It makes it so much easier to step into a career if you can experience just a taste of a full time job for a couple months, instead of being pushed into one for the next 45 years of your life. It's obvious advice, but very important. Even if it's just one internship for one summer, it can make a world of difference.