career advice

[environmentalhopeful]

I'm having a little bit of a quarter life crisis right now. My original plan was to graduate college, work for a few years, and then apply to MPH programs most likely in environmental health but potentially in epidemiology.

However, I am having trouble figuring out what I will do at all in those few years and am getting more concerned as I look for summer internships and can't find any in even semi related fields. I'm a Biology and Sociology/Anthropology major and my main public health work experience was an internship last summer at my state's department of public health. My original plan was to become a Registered Environmental Health Specialist after graduation in California but the more the more I research the more it seems like the trainee spots are very limited and the qualifications in nearby states to become a REHS are much more stringent. I've been looking around at hospitals, biotech, research, etc and really just have no idea what I should be looking for even and am having trouble finding internships or even just browsing listings jobs that I would be qualified for after graduation that would also be relevant to public health and therefore my application.

Does anyone have advice as to what jobs to search for? What did you all do in between graduating college and your MPH? I am really feeling like I should just apply to an MPH program right off the bat now because I feel like I will find no jobs after I graduate but especially since I have a lower GPA (about 3.2 now as a junior) I know that is not recommended.

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[IntriguedStudent]

I'm having a little bit of a quarter life crisis right now. My original plan was to graduate college, work for a few years, and then apply to MPH programs most likely in environmental health but potentially in epidemiology.

However, I am having trouble figuring out what I will do at all in those few years and am getting more concerned as I look for summer internships and can't find any in even semi related fields. I'm a Biology and Sociology/Anthropology major and my main public health work experience was an internship last summer at my state's department of public health. My original plan was to become a Registered Environmental Health Specialist after graduation in California but the more the more I research the more it seems like the trainee spots are very limited and the qualifications in nearby states to become a REHS are much more stringent. I've been looking around at hospitals, biotech, research, etc and really just have no idea what I should be looking for even and am having trouble finding internships or even just browsing listings jobs that I would be qualified for after graduation that would also be relevant to public health and therefore my application.

Does anyone have advice as to what jobs to search for? What did you all do in between graduating college and your MPH? I am really feeling like I should just apply to an MPH program right off the bat now because I feel like I will find no jobs after I graduate but especially since I have a lower GPA (about 3.2 now as a junior) I know that is not recommended.

As for your GPA, a 3.2 doesn't automatically count you out for any programs. As has been stated many times on this forum, GPA is not the primary concern to adcoms for MPH programs. It also helps if you can score decently on your GRE. Anyways, you still have 3(?) semesters left to pull it up a little bit.

I took a year off between graduation and applying to MPH programs. In the year that I have been out of school, I have been working in a lab doing some research in the biotech sector (nothing big, unfortunately). The money isn't great, but it's something to get me through for now. If you plan on taking a few years off, I suggest looking at getting with a non-profit in the public health sector. They tend to be more willing to hire people with less experience. Again, the pay won't be great for a job like that, but you could get exposed to some great work that would look very good on your application. You can try for positions with the state or county departments, but positions are generally limited and require a few years of work experience. If you're looking at jobs in a hospital, the majority of those are going to require some sort of certification.

 

[asseenontv]

This is very random, but I happened to receive an email from my alma mater's career list-serv after I read your post; maybe you'd be interested:

If you are an undergraduate student also interested in Environmental Health, please see the attached brochure for more information on the Collegiate Leaders in Environmental Health (CLEH<http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/cleh>) and the Summer Program in Environmental Health (SUPEH<http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/SUPEH/default.htm>) Internships.
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I graduated in May 2013 and I started applying for jobs in March 2013 (but didn't try too hard). Job hunting is tough, but I think getting any type of work experience before getting your grad degree is worth it. I applied to MPH programs for Fall 2015, so I will have been working for two years. My first job was unrelated to my public health major (worked for a pharma consulting company and hated it) and I just motivated myself to keep looking for public health-related jobs. I started working as a CDC fellow in Sept of this year and it's been the best change ever! I do miss school though, so I'm looking forward to working on my MPH soon.

I would suggest getting connected to your university's alum network, career services, etc. It helps to start networking!

 

[moonflowers]

Hi there! Like you, I have a sociology/anthropology undergrad background. As an undergrad I did a year of memory and aging research and also volunteered with my university's Planned Parenthood group, so those were my main exposures to public health issues/work prior to graduating. I also had a part-time job as a student assistant to the Department of Surgery in the College of Medicine at my university, but it was mostly clerical work (grant application assistance, generating reports for finance and human resources, etc.). I did all of these things as a junior, so I had about a year and a half's worth of experience with them before I graduated (I stayed in town for the job and the research position through the summer between my junior and senior years).

My situation was such that I held a part-time job and an unpaid research position simultaneously. If you're looking for a full-time job now and are near your university, it might be good to look for things through any job posting website your university (or one closer to where you will be if you're not staying at school over the summer) may have. That's how I got my part-time job. I had very little office experience prior to getting that job. I can see now how it helped prepare me for the administrative aspects of public health, but then again, I am looking to focus on Health Policy & Management--so this kind of experience may be less pertinent to your goals. Your internship experience will be a great resume addition to help you stand out to potential bosses or supervisors in a research position.

At this stage, if you are able to pursue part-time work/unpaid work and will be at school over the summer, I would recommend that you look into any resources your university has for finding professors who need undergraduate research assistants in areas that you're interested in. Mine had a database of available labs and some info about what each lab focused on, so since I was interested in gerontology I got in touch with a professor running that lab. She ended up writing one of my letters of recommendation for grad school. You could probably even find some such professors by exploring department faculty pages, reaching out and inquiring about research opportunities that way, if your internship searches are turning up empty-handed. Same goes for student groups involved with environmental health/public health topics--you never know what you might be able to find, and that kind of experience can go a long way in helping you to qualify for things later.

I wasn't really sure what kind of career I was going to try for post-college--at that time, I was super burnt out on school and just looking for something full-time that would use my skill set. So I started looking for jobs through my university's College of Medicine a few months before I graduated, mostly through my university's job site. Many of the jobs I applied for were research assistant positions. I was super excited about one that would have me working on health outcomes and policy, and that was the job I got! I am certain that my experiences as an undergraduate research assistant and a student assistant in the Dept. of Surgery helped me to qualify for the job. I've been there for almost two years now and will be pursuing my MPH in either Health Policy and Management or Behavioral Health and Science in the fall of 2015. I can say that my work as a research assistant and, later, coordinator in health outcomes and policy has prepared me well for grad school and contributed to my desire to go back to school and work in the field of public health.

In sum--this advice is all based on my experiences. With a sociology & anthropology undergraduate background I was terrified I wouldn't be able to find a job after I graduated. Gaining a mix of relevant experiences as an undergrad helped me to get a good job, and now, to prepare me for graduate school. Good luck! Let me know if I can answer any other questions you may have