(This entry was originally posted on November 30th 2014 at the Catskillbiking blogspot before I decided to open this new spot).
So, here goes. Upon graduating from RPI in May with a Masters in
Environmental Engineering I really had no concrete idea of what to do. I
had no exit strategy from medicine nor a good plan to break in to the
engineering field. For starters, I had no practical experience, since
unlike my classmates I had had no opportunity for an internship or other
means of hands-on work. Alternatively, if I let too much time pass not
only would my engineering skills atrophy, any prospective employer would
want to know what I had been doing since graduating. I spent the summer
and early fall sort of adrift. In late October, I was struck by the
idea of perhaps there was some type of engineering equivalent of
'Doctors Without Borders' so I randomly searched for 'Engineers Without
Borders' and, lo and behold, such an organization exists. I quickly
submitted my application and signed on with the RPI chapter and was
amazed to discover that their project was a drinking water system on the
Caribbean coast of Panama. I have always wanted to go to Panama to see
the canal and realized that this was a heaven-sent opportunity for me:
It could utilize my engineering skills, my medical skills and my Spanish
fluency all in one shot. On a bigger view, it occurred to me that by
affiliating with more than one EWB chapter this could be a short term
pathway for me to build and maintain engineering experience while
remaining in medicine, at least for the time being.
I made contact with the student leader of the RPI group who informed me
that they had completed the assessment and design phase and were
readying for the implementation phase in a January 2015 trip. I really
could not believe my luck. If they could find a spot for me, great. If
needed I would pay my own way and meet them there. Fortunately, with a
breath deeply held for two weeks, I was given a spot on the trip.With
that nod has come a sudden bunch of plans, preparations and paperwork,
as well as a case of rookie jitters.I am now in the midst of
reconfiguring the on-call schedule for January, finishing all
Christmas plans (including shopping, wrapping and decorating) by the end
of today, then spending December planning and packing for Panama. This
really should be
