In class this year, learning about finances and budgeting made me think about my future and what I’m going to do about my month to month and year to year finances when balancing a salary alongside house/apartment payments, car payments, phone bills, groceries, etc. and I’m genuinely excited to have a budget for myself because I’ve been frugal with my money for as long as I can remember and the idea of having a budget for myself excites me for some odd reason. Luckily, it was fairly easy to understand the budgeting process even if the taxes were a bit difficult to understand, seeing as how I’ve never done them before. As for outside-of-the-classroom learning, I’ve been discovering how important it is to enjoy time outdoors and be available for doing so if it isn’t integrated into your daily routine. This thought was half because of having a position in ENR Scholars and finding it ironic that I spend most of my days indoors working all day, but it was also brought on by the recent coming of summer weather, which is some of my favorite weather. I want to get outside more next semester, as COVID restrictions will be somewhat lifted due to the safety net of vaccines, and I’m also excited for the retreats we go on for Scholars itself, as I love camping and being outdoors. Over the past year of college, I’ve learned to care for myself independently a little more, as I’ve admittedly grown up a bit sheltered due to being an only child and because my mother can be very protective. So being somewhat self-sufficient over the past year has made me become more accustomed to alternating class time, relaxation time, socialization time, and making sure I eat enough every day to not go hungry. While it’s been a bit tough at times mostly due to my terrible work ethic, I seem to have managed all of these in a healthy balance, even if sometimes I don’t spend enough time on one of the few things previously mentioned, I still manage to make time for my work, my friends and myself, which I couldn’t say to the same extent last semester so I’d say I’m getting used to college well in that sense. From the past year, my favorite times have been the weekend nights I’ve spent up late with my friends just having fun and laughing together because I know these people are some of the best friends I’m ever going to have and will definitely be the same situation for many years to come. As for next year, I’m excited to get into my major-specific classes, as well as starting a new year with fewer COVID restrictions, so our group can go out and do some fun things that we might not have been able to do safely without vaccines helping us not catch COVID. I’m also excited to participate in more activities within ENR Scholars, as the normal activities that we would have been doing this year without COVID sound like a lot of fun.

In class this month, I learned a lot about how certain credit cards and banks offer a lot of ways to get cashback on savings and purchases, which can lead to a lot of saved money over the course of a year, which can lead to a lot of leisurely spending whenever you wish to spend it. In class this month, I learned that I am very excited to begin managing my own money, having a budget that accounts for anyone in the household, human or non-human, and watching what I spend day-by-day. I personally enjoy keeping track of what I spend on a week-to-week basis on groceries, bills, payments, and other leisure-based expenditures. With the weather improving this month and shifting towards spring conditions, I struggled with allowing myself to go outside and enjoy the weather properly, as I really enjoy this type of weather a lot, as it’s not too hot and not too cold around this time of year and I love being outside when the weather is like this, as running and biking are very enjoyable in this weather and comfortable. This semester I made sure to be more on top of my work and made sure my engineering group was also on time with our group assignments. I find this significant as I’m usually one to hold myself accountable for my assignments in the past, but I’ve had some trouble with this coming into college because of the large amount of work that is due every day for most of my classes, especially with engineering curriculum having work due every class period when there are 3 class periods a week with cumbersome projects. With my team, however, in keeping myself accountable I have also been able to hold to team accountable for their work as well, which has also made myself be accountable for my work. This has made my work more manageable and helped me stay mentally sane over the course of this semester.

Career Plan

For this job, listed on Indeed.com, Jacobs is looking for an entry-level Water Resource Engineer. This is a perfect job position for someone who has just graduated, as it is catered to students who have just graduated college.

The requirements for the job include having at least a bachelor’s degree in Civil or Environmental Engineering (but a master’s degree might make a distinguishment), an Engineer-in-Training certification within 6 months of being hired, teamwork skills, willingness to learn software tools, coursework in civil, environmental or construction engineering, and knowledge of various concepts needed to do the job.

To be able to apply to this job I would need to: Finish my bachelor’s, decide if I want to pursue a master’s and finish it if I do decide to pursue that route, get EIT certified, and potentially work for a different company while in college through co-ops to get work experience for my resume, so I can distinguish myself from other applicants as much as possible.

To make myself seem like the ideal candidate in terms of the work I’ve done during college, I’m going to (hopefully) minor in Environmental Science while also pursuing my degree in Environmental Engineering, which will give me more of a basis in terms of natural systems, which will bolster my knowledge of what is needed to do the job best. If I pursue my master’s (which is likely to happen), that will also help distinguish me as a candidate, due to the extra work I put in towards my degree. I also plan on doing 2 co-op semesters of work during college, which would involve me taking a break from schoolwork to get a job and work through the university’s help. This not only allows me to get job experience, but also make some money in the process, so I can start off on the right foot and be able to provide for myself in terms of rent, food, tuition, and anything else I might need. I would also need to get EIT certified before or very soon after I get the job, which I, admittedly, know very little about since I’m only in my freshman year and have not necessarily concerned myself with these matters since I won’t be entering the job market in which I will need this type of certification for at least 3 to 4 years or longer if I decide to take more semesters of co-op or pursue my master’s.

This month, during our environmental debate, I learned that nuclear energy has very few emissions, with most of them being water vapor because of how the cooling systems works. Since moving here, I’ve learned that my work ethic is definitely better now that I have friends around me that are also working while I’m working and my reward for finishing my work is having time to socialize with friends and have fun, so I actually have a high amount of incentive to finish my work, meaning I’ve become more productive now than I was at home, so I’ve figured out that I work better in group settings, with people I care about around me that are fun to be around. I’ve struggled a little bit with trying to keep myself motivated through all of my classes, as having to balance between going to classes and doing work in between classes so that I can be done with enough time in the day to have time to myself to relax is sometimes very tiring, and with it being cold it’s very hard to go outside often and get some fresh air to go for a run or clear my head and get away from the work for a while. Not being able to do this often makes the combined exhaustion from work a little much sometimes. Even though it’s early in the semester, I’ve already had an interview with a local ecological restoration firm in Westerville called Mad Scientist. Mad Scientist works with other companies and works on restoring ecological wetlands in the Westerville areas and other wetlands across Ohio. I have had friends and family members of friends that have worked for that company and they have said that the work that Mad Scientist does is environmentally conscious and very helpful for the wetlands, as the tech they develop is very discrete and cause minor and gradual changes to the wetlands so that the wildlife can thrive without being thrown into disarray by large changes in the environment.

I personally think I have adapted well to the workload that college has given me so far. I have been able to keep a good study schedule when exam weeks come around and I have done well on most of my exams. However, I have had to adapt how I work to the workload I am given each week and ensure that I was working diligently so I did not fall behind on my work. While I was definitely able to work diligently and get most of my assignments done adequately and on time, I still procrastinated more than I wanted to and it ended up stressing me out on occasion when I was working on crunch time.

At Ohio State, I have made many friends in the scholars group and it’s been really nice to know so many new people and make so many new friends. I grew up in a small friend group, so making new friends is a fairly foreign concept to me, up until my senior year of high school where I had to join an entirely new friend group for the year. So having to meet a ton of new people was scary at first but it has worked out and I enjoy having my own space in Towers while also being able to share a space with friends when I’m done with work.

While I have a lot of fun with friends on campus, I wish I were better at managing my time so I could be with them more often, as I am a recluse of sorts, unfortunately. I also am not a fan of the dining situation on West Campus, as this predicament works for hand and hand with my time management problem. If I want to get good food, I must walk for at least 10 minutes to get food. However, if I don’t have time to spare, I must settle for Morrill Traditions (which is only good on sparing occasions such as on the weekends). This has made my diet take a turn for the worse, as I regularly have an upset stomach if I eat at Traditions (which is a big problem but oh well).

This semester, I have been able to figure out that my path is fairly set in terms of what I want to pursue going forward in college. I found a lot of enjoyment in my engineering classes and was able to succeed in them. I want to fully commit myself to this path because I feel as though I’ll be able to thrive and enjoy myself in the field more than I would anywhere else or in any other job field.

For the spring semester, I hope that I go outside and run with friends more often than I have this semester. Every time I have run with my friends, I have enjoyed it thoroughly, and I’ve felt good about myself afterward, as it brings me back to when I ran in high school. It’s also a fun way to connect with others and boost each other’s spirits during the run. I also want to start going to the gym regularly and working out, as I used to lift regularly when I was back home in high school. I want to become more toned and fit so I can be proud of how I look and not apathetic to my form.

Time at OSU

ENR Scholars Experience

1. Met some of her best friends through ENR Scholars
2. Being in a living-learning community was very helpful and fun. The people there are going to be lifelong friends you stay close to.

Classes

1. Engineering classes are very difficult for the first two years and get a bit better as things go on.
2. Weed out period for engineering can last for up to two years
3. Don’t get caught up in grades, focus on the work, and learning that you’re doing.
4. The hard work doesn’t really end once weed out or even

Student Organizations

1. Don’t pigeon-hole yourself in terms of clubs and orgs, many different organizations are out there.
2. They’re a great way to meet people outside of your normal social circle.

Professional Development

1. Co-ops are very important for engineers since it gives you work experience and jobs will leave a position for when you graduate if you stay long enough.
2. Grad school work helps when paired with work experience since you see what you applied in the job field in learning.
3. You can intern and co-op at almost any time as an engineer since you can be useful in the field no matter your education level.
4. Finding a job that can pay for coursework while you work for them is another great part of co-ops

Professional Career

Professional Lessons

1. Figuring out what specifically you want to do down the road through work is very crucial for your later professional career.
2. Working can lead to some serious burnout but working in an environmental field means that every small contribution each person makes is a step in the right direction.
3. An engineering degree is very valuable, even if you don’t get a job in the field you intended to enter.

Preparing for a Career

1. Work experience is more important than a masters (although it does still help and may become more important after the pandemic with people not finding jobs and going back to grad school).
2. Working for a short period between undergrad and grad work is a good idea.
3. Co-ops and internships can make sure you have a job waiting for you when you graduate if you work with the same company for enough time.
4. Working in labs and doing research looks good on a resume.

Interview Tips

1. Stay calm during the interview, interviewers aren’t stone-cold harpies.
2. Make yourself sound as good as possible, no need to be as humble.

Summary

Intro of Alum

Brittnee Halpin is an Environmental Engineering alumni who works as a Graduate Research Assistant for ReNUWIt, an engineering research center. She’s currently pursuing a doctorate in Civil & Environmental Engineering at Colorado School of Mines.

What I learned

From this, I have learned that college work will not get any easier as the years go on. Weed out is very real and is insanely hard to work through. However, once that is done, coursework becomes much more enjoyable and major-specific. I have also learned that a masters is becoming more important in this climate, as many people can’t find jobs because of the recent COVID-19 related recession and are going back to school to get a masters. I also learned that co-ops and internships are crucial for engineers to get their foot in the door with companies, which could potentially lead to a guaranteed job for when graduation comes around. I also learned that being in a living-learning community (like ENR Scholars) is a great place to work and be in and the friends that you make along the way are people you will be close with for a long time.

Application of my knowledge

I will apply my knowledge that I gained in this interview to make more informed decisions on how I will advance in my professional portion of college and be sure to take as many internships and co-op semesters as I can, as this will help propel me forward in my future career and ensure that I have a job and can start working to make a difference the moment I leave college after grad school. I’ll also keep in mind that even when the coursework gets hard, it’ll be worth it in the end because I’ll be able to make a difference in our environmental crisis, even just by myself, as working towards sustainability is a group effort and takes many people to see to fruition.

Something I learned in this class this month was that a lot of things that we typically think are recyclable have either tight restrictions on what you can recycle or they can’t be recycled at all, which is surprising since recycling is already a great sustainable practice as is even with the limitations in place. Thinking about the possibilities of all the materials and energy that can be conserved if recycling was more universal, both in terms of access and what is allowed to be recycled, makes me hopeful that these practices will expand in the future. This month, in terms of self-discovery, I’ve learned that I can go a bit easier on myself if I think I’m performing poorly, as many others are in the same situation that I am in, or even worse here at OSU, so I’ve been a bit more lenient with myself in terms of grades and performance. This month, I’ve been struggling with mental burnout and poor work ethic due to such. Since we’ve been working for almost 10 weeks straight, with no extended break, my mind and body are starting to get very tired from constant work and long projects, but I know that our breaks are going to be a bit longer and we get out for summer much earlier than we normally would. Something I have achieved this month is that I ran for the first time since I got here. I was stressed that day and needed to get outside so I dusted off my shoes and went for a short run. It definitely wasn’t as long of a run as would’ve been doing back in high school, but I have to start somewhere…again after taking such a long break from running but it felt really nice to run on a familiar trail and reminisce about my time running with my cross country buddies from both of my high schools.