Bachelor of Science
"Don’t underestimate the importance of communication! I have had endless opportunities to give presentations in my role as an Applications Engineer, with audiences from the CEO/President of my company, to high school students. Being comfortable with public speaking and presenting has really helped me build my career at Instron. I’ve been given many opportunities to travel across the US and to Europe to help provide training to both Instron employess and to our customers."
"Don’t be afraid to network with alumni if you need any career advice. Internships are invaluable if you plan to work in the medical device industry"
"Try and figure out what you want to do with your career as early as possible, by doing a variety of internships, research activities, or whatever else may apply to your given field. This will allow you to focus your educational preferences and more quickly master the skills you need to become an expert in your field. Additionally, never be content and never stop asking questions and trying to learn new things, as this is extremely important in career development."
"My advice to current students would be to be open to new opportunities as they come and not to rule anything out because it wasn’t part of your original plan or because you don’t think you are a perfect fit for the position. Most likely you will not end up on the exact career path you had initially set out for. It’s good to have a plan, but don’t be afraid to stray from it when opportunities present themselves – You may come across something you never even knew existed! Try something and if you don’t like it, try something else. When applying and interviewing, I would encourage you to think about the more general and overarching skills you have developed and emphasize these more than specific details or tasks."
"1. Network, network, network. 2. Only you can drive your career – look to others you admire for guidance. Always have a mentor. 3. Don’t lose the passion. If you do, redirect or reconfigure but don’t remain. 4. Stay current through reading or education."
"I would suggest that students who are interested in patent law take every possible opportunity to hone their technical writing skills. I would also encourage students to establish a strong technical background including conducting research. When I interviewed for patent law jobs, I was surprised that many perspective employers were more interested in the research that I did at UR, than the criminal litigation work I had done during law school."
"Never think any job is beneath you. Use all and every connection you have, including alumni. Having someone recommend you carries a lot of weight in the job search."
