Leadership

Without my major, I don’t think I would have found research. From the very start, all the professors tell us to get involved in research, “It’s about who you know.” That is the piece of advice most professors give. Who you know can dictate where you go, so make friends and contacts with as many people as possible. I got into research through my major. It pushed me to start my journey in key insight one. Research has taught me to run more thorough data analysis which I learned in key insight three has real-world applications. I then learned my analytical and reasoning skills through Key Insight One and Key Insight Three which I would later use to come up with my solution to the issue presented below. Research has set me up with the necessary skills such as data analysis, critical thinking, and mastery of platforms like Excel. These skills set me up to go forward into the workforce with real-world experience in a STEM career.

 

It’s important to encourage others instead of possibly making them feel the pressure building up around them. When graduating it’s really hard because everyone around you constantly asks you, “What’s Next?” It can add a lot of added on pressure to make sure you graduate and can live and exist comfortably without having to worry about keeping a roof over your head or going hungry. It’d be nice to help remove external pressures from people. And that’s coming from someone who is dealing with the same thing right now. I work two jobs and take 18 credit hours to make sure I can graduate in May but also comfortably and healthily exist. Even the two jobs aren’t enough sometimes to stay afloat. It shouldn’t be this hard to try to graduate, have a life, and just simply live. I’d do anything to help out and remove some pressure from someone else as much as possible. 

 

My plans after graduation have shifted a little bit. I knew I wanted to do hatchery work throughout my time with DNR. It is truly what I am passionate about. Unfortunately, when I got engaged my lovely fiancée got a job in a part of the state where I can’t do what I’d like to do. I can’t do my dream job or be hands-on with fish. So, then I got involved in research, and then my internship with Coastal Science doing consultancy. Since my time with DNR, I feel I have grown a lot and tried a lot of new things I wouldn’t have taken an interest in otherwise. I also learned it is never too late to change your mind on what you do. I also learned that sometimes you have to do things you don’t always enjoy getting to the fun bits or to what you want to do. Things I never would have looked at if my fiancée didn’t get a job where he did. Of course, I am still looking forward to doing hatchery work. Unfortunately, the closest hatchery, Walhalla State Hatchery, which is an hour and twenty-minute drive from where my fiancée lives. So, I have many choices to pick from on what’s next in life. 

 

While I have been job searching and looking at career fairs through USC I have noticed a lack of representation. In every career fair flyer I have seen or looked into, there has been no representation for marine science jobs or anything in the field. Most career fairs, especially STEM ones, have been taken over by engineering. Never once have I seen an entity for marine science jobs at career fairs. Which in hindsight is a little crazy. There is the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Health and Environmental Control, Parks and Recs, forestry services, NOAA, etc etc.  The list goes on with the entities that have things to do with water. How can I know what jobs are there if no one talks about it?

 

I have found job searching difficult because no one talks about water-related jobs. It is even crazier to me because there are so many watersheds in the state of South Carolina like the Catawba, Edisto, PeeDee, Salkehatchie, Saluda, Santee, Savannah, and the Broad. The various watersheds stretch across the state feeding rivers, creeks, lakes, and all other forms of water. With something so spread out, it shouldn’t be this hard to find a job, or even learn about jobs. Other states do a bit better than South Carolina does at showing off careers in different states, even landlocked ones like Tennessee. When the state does advertise, most jobs are in or around Charleston and not very widespread which sucks. 

 

I want to help showcase and have representation for the major and earth sciences in general at career fairs at the University of South Carolina. I know plenty of people who have graduated in previous years and still can’t find a job anywhere or don’t know where to look, or even go to grad school as a backup because they can’t find a job. I want to change that. Reach out to different companies that hire for jobs with marine science degrees. Maybe broaden the horizons of career fairs. Fill the gap and have more representation. I want to advocate for greater opportunities and representation at career fairs for the SEOE (School of the Earth, Ocean, and Environment) at USC. Establishing relationships with people can be very beneficial for that goal. I learned in Key Insight One that by taking a chance and putting yourself out there you can form a relationship with an advisor or professor which can later be helpful when looking for jobs. 

 

I think if I worked together with USC and the head of the department I could pull in more representation. Talking to the SEOE office could help to set up a plan and put it into motion, it would at the very least help advocate for students when it feels like there is nothing else we can do. It could almost create a support system. USC has a pretty good support system for marine science students. To help people find a job so they aren’t struggling like I am or how others have in the past. There are so many external factors about graduating and the logistics of figuring out life after graduating like where you’re going to live, if you’re going to stay in Columbia, or move away for work. Make a fair that showcases what could be done in your degree path. I have professors I follow on Instagram and the School of Earth, ocean, and Environment (SEOE) Instagram and they post about job opportunities, internships, and scholarships. Unfortunately, most of them are out of state or just on the coast, but keeping a relationship with professors you’ve enjoyed is important. It can help with a support system and help with finding a job. I think sometimes we forget that our professors know many people and keep in touch about job opportunities. 

 

Working with the SEOE office we could create a student survey to send out via the SEOE emailing list asking what the students want to hear about, what job opportunities they want to hear about, and what careers certain companies even offer. The list could go on seeing what students want to learn more about. This survey could be the start of seeing what types of people and companies we bring in. The survey will be collected by the SEOE office. Then the office people and I would go through the results to see what people want. We could look to people like the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Health and Environmental Control, Parks and Recs, forestry services, NOAA, etc. etc. It would be a mixture of myself and people in the SEOE office reaching out. I have contacts within the Department of Natural Resources that I could bring to the table. I would reach out to my former professor Dr. Joe Jones to see what contacts he has within various entities. After looking at what companies could bring, we can start putting together a career fair. The goal would be to create an SEOE fair but would likely have to start smaller adding to an existing career fair. It would be preferable to make sure the people who are brought in are actually excited and passionate about talking to students. Make sure they are in the proper fields we’re aiming to aid in as well. This would be another process of talking to the various companies. Having direct lines of communication to our contacts we may be able to reach out directly to people for the fair. Have more direct control over how people will act or treat others making sure it is a positive experience for everyone. This journey would begin shortly after graduation in May and hopefully be completed before the fall semester begins.

 

I think creating this opportunity for people to know what they can truly do with their degree would be extremely helpful. It can show more school isn’t the answer if you don’t want it to be. It could help garner more understanding of what your degree truly means. It could even go a step further and become a class. Either a seminar or a professional course that helps with resume building and CVs. After it's rooted into USC we could even branch out to other universities in the state like Clemson or Furman University. I think it would be worth the time and effort to make a difference and make someone feel better about their future. It feels like you have nowhere to go or nothing to do. I’d like to change that if at all possible.