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Introduction


Hello! 

My name is Cat and although this will be a blog about mythology and folklore, today I want to tell you all a little bit about myself and my summer. So, to start off I am a civil engineering student here at the University of Oklahoma. I will be graduating in December, but I will be staying on for another year to complete my master’s degree, also in civil engineering but with a focus on structural engineering. Civil engineering includes the design of buildings, infrastructure, water supply systems, waste water treatment systems, and traffic control systems to name a few. 

Over this summer I had the opportunity to work as an intern for a civil engineering company and learned a lot from the experience. I learned to design pump stations, outline drainage areas, how to do the runoff calculations for inlets, culverts and drainage ditches, and a bunch of stuff about low impact development, but most importantly I learned that I don’t like doing any of those things. 

Admittedly, that wasn’t a fun realization for someone that graduates in less than four months, but it did help me realize a few other things. First, it reinforced my plan to get my masters focusing on structural engineering. Recently I had been thinking about just finishing undergrad and not coming back for my masters but now I know the master’s degree is what I want. It also made me realize that to be fulfilled in my life I am going to have to really strive to find work that I am passionate about if I plan to not get burned out in the first five years. Just one summer of doing things that I found boring was enough to dull my spirits. I can’t imagine a career full of it. 

So now that I have learned these things, the start of this semester has felt a lot more meaningful than past semesters. I feel like I am moving towards doing things that I enjoy for the rest of my career, and it’s a good feeling. So, if anyone is feeling lost in their studies or isn’t sure what is right for them, get a job. Get a boring job. Get any job you can, because learning what you don’t want to do can be just as valuable as learning what you want to do.



Photo via <a href="https://www.goodfreephotos.com/">Good Free Photos</a> of a Hiking path at Theodore Roosevelt National Park, North Dakota
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Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 30, 2018 at 3:26 PM

    Hi Cat! I am really happy that you found out before you graduated what you were not passionate in. This semester I realized I love sociology way more than public relations I think.. I haven't gotten a job but I just find sociology so interesting so I kind of understand where you are coming from. Getting a masters will only put you ahead in the education game and let you make more money, its never a bad idea!

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  2. ErinSeptember 2, 2018 at 4:07 PM

    Hi, Cat! I’m Erin, and I’m a sophomore professional writing major. I think this post has some great advice in it. My dad is a mechanical engineer who does consulting with natural gas pipeline companies about their pipeline integrity and compliance with integrity regulations. I helped him do a lot of technical writing (making presentations, writing reports, blah, blah) this summer and had a similar realization that hardcore technical writing is not where I want to be. Luckily, my major focuses on the more creative side of writing, which is what I prefer. Good luck with your masters degree! I’m sure having it will allow you the flexibility you need to find a job you’re passionate about.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Ethan KahnSeptember 2, 2018 at 11:49 PM

    Hi Cat! My name is Ethan!

    I hope you find a fulfilling career path but the insights you had to share were very valuable. Sometimes we just don't know what we truly want until we have/try it. I actually switched my major from Astrophysics to Philosophy because I learned that the kind of career I was looking for was actually to be found somewhere else.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Laura GibbsSeptember 4, 2018 at 12:39 PM

    I probably should have been an engineering major of some kind, Cat: it's not something I even thought about when I was in college, but now whenever I meet engineering students in these classes and hear about the kinds of things you learn how to do I just think to myself that it sounds SO COOL. And of course there are so many different things, so if pump stations are not your thing, there is a whole world of engineering projects out there. And I don't know what kind of engineering you think you might focus on next, but if you are interested in the folklore of bridges, mythological architects, you can certainly do a project like that for this class. One of the most famous of all building legends is coming up in Weeks 3/4 if you are interested: the Tower of Babel! An engineering marvel... and a theological crisis, and with a Wikipedia article all of its own: Tower of Babel :-)

    ReplyDelete
  5. UnknownSeptember 9, 2018 at 7:12 PM

    Hi Cat! Civil engineering sounds really interesting! Congrats on graduating soon and then getting your masters. It is good that you realized that what you were doing over the summer isn’t something that you enjoy. Better to figure that out now then later. I hope that you master’s degree is everything that you need it to be. That is really great advice at the end. I completely agree that getting a job, especially a boring one, will help in figuring out future endeavors.

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  6. UnknownSeptember 9, 2018 at 10:07 PM

    Hi Cat! I find it interesting that you're a Civil Engineering major, I almost majored in that. But I decided against it for the sole reason that I didn't see myself enjoying the things you said you learned you disliked. It's a good thing you're so willing to stay and get your master's! That was also good advice at the end, sometimes you learn more from doing things you dislike than from those that you like.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Jessica HSeptember 9, 2018 at 11:33 PM

    Hey Cat! Way to go on getting ready to graduate! I've personally still got at least two more years to go, but I'm honestly ready to be out of the classroom and in the field. Hopefully your masters degree will line you up for a job that you truly enjoy! Oddly enough, I did recognize your last name. Would you happen to have a younger relative named Chloe who also goes to OU?

    ReplyDelete

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