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See below to meet the professionals and view videos made by them or written material telling you a bit about their fields! 

 

Accountants

Alan Brown

Practice Partner in accounting firm

Why are you passionate about what you do?

Because it is something that I have wanted to do for a long time, and I believe I bring value to those that seek my advice, counsel and assistance.

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

A typical day consists of sifting through approximately 250 emails – one-third of which I can simply delete or pass on to others, answering/responding to about 25 phone calls and conference calls, and making countless decisions.  Also, reading various documents to understand the issues at hand and properly assessing the respective situations is a must.

 

In addition to the above, face-to-face discussions and meetings occur throughout the day.

What is the work life balance like with your career?

 

I generally leave the office early enough to get home to either (i) have dinner with my family, (ii) coach one of my children’s sports teams, or (iii) watch one of my children’s sporting events.  However, given my work demands, that usually means that I have more work to do, which occurs after we put the kids to bed – clearly, this translates into very late hours but I am ok with that given the time I get to spend with my family.

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

For what I do (accounting) and the time period in which I graduated from College (1986), a BS Degree was good enough to work my way up the corporate ladder, earn enough to live well, go on our family vacations, have enough money to afford quality education for my children, and be comfortable in my future retirement years.

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they? 

Having a public accounting background, especially national accounting firm experience, credentializes individuals and makes them very marketable.  The analytical and work-ethic type skills that are developed within this field have yielded many avenues to advance professionals’ careers – finance, operations, internal audit, management, and entrepreneur-ship, etc., just to name a few.

 

 

Robert Glassman

Financial Services-Tax Accountant Partner

I’m a Certified Public Accountant and am a Partner at a public accounting firm in Boston.  I chose the career because it is more diversified than most people think and presents many opportunities.  After starting a career in public accounting one can stay at a CPA firm or use the skills you learn to work at a company as a Chief Financial Officer or in another role.   Working at a CPA firm also allows me to be entrepreneurial in growing our business, to recruit college students to come to the Firm, to do some HR functions etc.  Salary range can be from $30,000 to unlimited if you find the right situation.

ADMINISTRATORS:

Bonnie Paton, M.Ed

Special Education/ Administrator

 

Education required: Bachelors, Masters

 

Salary range: $55,000-$160,000 depending on size of district and responsibilities / experience

 

Why did I become or chose this field:  I started out in the field of education as a teacher.  I had always wanted to teach and found that special education was a rewarding field.  I had volunteered with the special olympics while I was in high school and as I had difficulty in school myself found inspiration from teachers who helped me to be successful in school.  After undergraduate school I taught and went back to graduate school years later to get my administration degree.  

 

What can you do with this degree: teach, coordinate special education services, run schools and programs, work for the department of education

 

Anne Miskey

Executive Director, Non Profit

 

Education required: Masters level

 

Salary range: $60,000-200,000

 

I do a job that helps the most vulnerable people in society and requires a strong commitment to social justice. .  I derive huge satisfaction from making a difference and helping people.  The only thing I don't love is fundraising. A typical day involves many calls and meetings with people from different sectors: government, philanthropy, etc.  I also do a lot of presentations and public speaking.  

 

The work life balance: For me it is good, but I am committed to that. It can be a busy, stressful career.

 

Multiple career options within field include direct service with clients, management, government work and advocacy.

 

 

ARCHITECTS:

Kevin Paton, AIA

Architect

Education required, Masters of Architecture

 

Salary range:  $40,000- $250,0000 dependent on experience, license and region

 

What can you do with this degree: draft, design, Teach or work in various schools, construction related fields, product related field/building products, retail space planning, university space planning

 

Why did I chose this field:  I have Always had a strong interest in engineering, buildings and art.  Architecture has allowed me to incorporate these interests into my career.

 

**(owner of BKA architecture firm, students can contact Kevin directly to speak about profession) Offices in Brockton and Boston !!  Fun fact they are the architects for Chipotle, Reebok, CVS, Lulu Lemon and lots more

 

Business Development:

Matthew Weiss

(Head of Sales Northeast)

Why are you passionate about what you do?

As a business leader I’m fortunate enough to have the opportunity to develop sales people to help them reach their business and financial goals. In addition to having an impact on salespeople, I also have the opportunity to bring value to our customers by providing a consultative approach to helping them manage their compliance related concerns. 

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

My typical day involves working with my direct reports to ensure they have specific goals outlined that ultimately will result in making them successful. Success can be defined by financial rewards, recognition, or just knowing that you had a well-developed plan that you were able to execute on. That’s the rewarding part of the job. The other not so rewarding piece would be the internal meetings and conference calls.

 

What is the work life balance like with your career?

Difficult to say the least. Working for a public company that has to answer to various stakeholders like Wall Street, Shareholders as well as the leadership team can be demanding. That said, creating an environment where the balance is a top priority is a must. At the end of the day everyone is more productive and happier when that balance is encouraged and enforced.

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

An undergraduate degree is a must this day and age. Having an MBA can’t hurt, but certainly isn’t a requirement. Salaries can range depending upon the size of the company, the financial responsibilities one has, and the industry itself. Based on my experience a person in management should expect a salary range starting at six figures with no real cap.

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they?

A good company will always provide a career path for their employees. With sales and management experience the options are somewhat unlimited.  

 

Computers

Kannan Chithiraputhiran 

Software Designer

Q: Why are you passionate about what you do?

A: I am a Software Architect and designing software for automating business processes is my job. Organizing business activities involving multiple people and systems into workflows, and automating such workflows are the key functions of the software I design. This automation makes the life of many people simple, saves time and money, and improves the productivity, which is something very passionate.

 

Q: Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

A: Usually I reach office at 8 am, though business hour starts at 9am. My day start off with going through the timetable I maintain for my day to day work. This timetable will contain a set of tasks I should complete by the end of the day. These activities will include attending meetings for discussing about my projects, creating documents, and presenting the documents to project teams within and outside of my company. At the end of the day, I go over the timetable again to update with status of the tasks I completed, and add new tasks.

 

Q: What is the work life balance like with your career?

A: I have a good work life balance. Since I reach office early and I manage my work schedule strictly, I am most of the time able to complete the planned tasks on time. Hence, I don’t have to bring home office work.  

 

Q: What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

A: Master Degree in Computer science or Software Engineering would be ideal, but I see people working with Bachelor’s degree are able to perform this job quiet well. I guess entry level software engineer earns 50k a month; they even go up to 200k based on their experience and skill level.

 

 

Q: Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they?

A: Yes. Software Developer, Operations Support Engineer, Software Designer, Project Manager, etc. are a few based on the roles. Similar roles are available within multiple technologies like Java, .NET, etc.  

 

Q: What don't you like about your job?

A: Very competitive field with lots of new comers with latest technology skills/knowledge.

 

Q: What key piece of advice would you give people interested in your career?

A: Keep learning and update your skillset as technologies constantly changing. Manage your time very well.

 

Q: If you could have another career, what would it be?

A: Agriculture. I love gardening and raising farm animals

 

I can not share much about my job since my company is a financial institution and operates under strict government regulations. 

 

 

Shoshanna

Current profession: Clinical EHR software analyst 

 

Level of Education: Bachelor of Science or Arts (I hold a Bachelor's of Science in Occupational therapy)

 

Salary Range: $50-90K

 

After 11 years practicing occupational therapy providing direct patient care, I changed careers to work in medical software, using my clinical knowledge and knowledge of how clinicians use the software in the field to test and analyze the software and support the clinicians.

 

Typical day: I work in an open office environment in which there are no cubes. Everyone has a desk and a computer, and can see all of the other people around them from their desks, which promotes collaboration and teamwork. I will often have several meetings with co-workers ranging from entry-level employees to upper management throughout the day to discuss various projects. I also have time to work independently at my desk as well on project management, emails, etc.

 

As an analyst, I research and manage projects to optimize and improve the customer's experience using the software. The customers are hospital employees who use the software as part of their job. I support the applications that nurses and pharmacists use at the hospital. The projects I work on include writing or reviewing documentation on software enhancements to share with customers, discussing design changes with the development team, or providing other materials for the website we maintain for customers. I also research the latest information on patient safety and quality of care measures and identify how the software can be used to meet those measures and then share that information with the customers.

 

During the last 7 years working in EHR medical software, I have moved to various positions, including software tester, supervisor, and currently, clinical analyst. Movement within the company is encouraged, and experience gained in one division is valued in another. Other positions within the company include marketing, selling the software products to hospitals, and implementation, which is traveling to the hospitals to implement the software. Of course in development there is also designing, coding and testing the software. There is management for all of these positions.

 

Consultant

Barry Sussman

Managing Director

Why are you passionate about what you do?

Because no two of my projects are exactly alike. I get to learn about a lot of different industries and products.

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

I don’t really have “typical” days but ordinarily I might meet or speak with clients, meet with staff to strategize or review the project status or review documents.

 

What is the work life balance like with your career?

It depends.  Some projects and clients are more demanding than others.  As you get close to deadlines our hours tend to ramp up quite a bit.

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

Entry level consultants in my field need a bachelors degree and can expect to earn about $50,000.

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they? 

There are different subspecialties that may have some degree of overlap.

 

DOCTORS:

Heather Boxerman, MD-

Physician- Internal Medicine

I am passionate about what I do because I feel that as a primary care physician, taking care of the health of the community in which I live is a privilege, and I feel that I am making a difference in other's lives.

My typical day is very busy, seeing patients from 8AM until 5PM, while handling phones calls, filling prescriptions, and reading consults.

Pros: I am fortunate to have a good work life balance. I work close to home and despite a demanding career, am able to be actively involved in the lives of my 3 daughters. It's busy with lots of multi-tasking, but I would not trade either.

Cons: I do not relish the paperwork and electronic medical record- wastes a lot of my time.

After 4 years of college, there are 4 years of medical school, and depending upon the residency 3-7 years of additional post graduate training. One is able to further specialize in medicine with more years of training.

There are many options in the field of internal medicine- one can teach, work in a hospital or office setting, do acute or urgent care or continuity of care, or a combination of everything. Salaries are generally in the high 100,000s-300,000 depending how specialized one is and how many hours weekly one works.

Internal medicine is a wonderful career, and physicians in primary care medicine are much needed now!

 

 

Elizabeth Levine, MD

Physician (MD) - Internist  (primary care physician for older teens, adults and seniors).

Education :  4 years of college plus 4 years of medical school  followed by Internship (1 year) and then Residency training.  Residency training can last anywhere from 2-8 years depending on the type of medical specialty you choose, and is usually hospital based.  Some physicians go on to complete a fellowship if they wish to specialize in a particular area of expertise such as cardiology, endocrinology or vascular surgery.  Some physicians combine their medical education and training with other fields, and obtain a combined degree in fields such as medicine and research , medicine and public health, or medicine and law.     Practicing physicians continue their education throughout their careers with Continuing Medical Education Courses, reading medical journals and attending conferences.  

Salary:  Interns and Residents are paid a stipend during their training which ranges from about $30,000-$45,000 per year depending on years of experience.  Once all training is  completed and a physician is able to practice independently, starting salary for a full time primary care physician (internist) ranges from about $80,000-$150,000 per year depending on medical specialty, location of practice, and other factors.    

Hours worked;  During medical training (particularly Internship and Residency) doctors-in-training work 80 hours per week, often eating and sleeping in the hospital where they are training.  Once in practice, a full time internist works about 50-55 hours per week , plus  additional nights, weekends and holidays "on-call"  caring for sick people and managing medical emergencies outside of regular office hours.   I am currently working part-time, seeing patients 3 days a week.  

 

Job Description;  Providing primary medical care to older adolescents, adults and seniors ,  focusing on preventive care measures to prevent illness (such as providing vaccinations, helping people make healthier lifestyle decisions (such as helping people quit smoking), providing screening tests for earlier detection of treatable illnesses (such as cancer screening tests,), detecting and helping people manage and treat physical illnesses and mental health issues, managing acute and chronic medical problems (short term illnesses such as pneumonia, as well as long term illnesses such as emphysema and diabetes),  and coordinating care with other health professionals when needed.  

 

Why I love it:   I love working with people and getting to know them and their families over time.   I love the intellectual challenge of assessing and treating a wide variety of medical issues (the human body and mind are fascinating!).  I love getting to teach people more about how to live healthier lives (nutrition , exercise, caring for themselves mentally and physically) .  I love being able to solve problems and find solutions (not always possible, but when it is it is very satisfying).  I love being able to use my brain and my hands (and eyes and ears too!).  I love the team-based approach with my coworkers (my nurse, physician assistant, and colleagues) to work together to provide the best possible care for people.  

 

Robyn Zunenshine, MD 

OB/Gyn physician

 

Why are you passionate about what you do?

I love working in the health field. I love helping women with their Gyn issues and I love bringing life into the world. 

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

If I am scheduled to be in the office I see about 40 patients a day. It's a very busy day and it definitely keeps me on my toes trying to work out patients issues and coming up with a plan of management that works for the patient. If I am on call then I am at the hospital for a 24 hour period and take care of anyone that comes in in labor or with any obstetric issues. I also see patients that come into the ER with any OB or Gyn issues. 

 

What is the work life balance like with your career?

It can be very difficult, but with a supportive husband and family it is very doable. It just takes a lot of planning in advance to keep all the scheduling conflicts at bay. 

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

You need to go to college and then 4 years of medical school and then a 4 year residency program for OB/Gyn. The salary range can vary depending on how busy of a practice you have but probably around 200-300,000$

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they? 

You can do general OB/ Gyn or you can do a fellowship in Gyn Oncology, reproductive endocrinology and infertility or even Gyn urology. 

 

What don't you like about your job?

The hours are tough and it can be very stressful. 

 

What key piece of advice would you give people interested in your career?

Work hard at school, and know that even if it is hard work if it's what you love then do it. 

 

If you could have another career, what would it be?

Nothing!!!!

 

Education

Claire Allan

Assistant Professor of Neurology

 

I am passionate about my work as I do translational research that may ultimately be useful for the development of therapeutics. I do not love the constant pressure to publish and write grants. A typical day includes designing experiments, analyzing data and teaching others.  The work-life balance is not ideal. There is more flexibility in academia and less in pharmaceuticals.

 

Level of education required is a PhD

Salary range: 95-150k in academia, and 200k in pharmaceuticals 

 

The career options within the field are academic research and pharmaceuticals.

Key piece of advice: Get an MD-PhD

After the PhD, there are at least 4 years of internship/ fellowship required.

 

 

Amy Edson

High School Teacher

 

Why are you passionate about what you do?

I love teaching high school because it is really fun to see kids really understand kids that they didn't understand before, and see them try new things. 


Is there anything you don’t love about your job?

Some of the rules at the high school are not necessary and don’t help the kids.


Can you say a bit about what a typical day looks like for you?

I get to school early and I make sure all my classes are set up and ready to go, I greet all the kids at the door, and help them with their projects. I will stay after to help with a club and then I go home. 

 

What is the work/life balance like with your career?

It is fantastic with teaching because I get to be home after school, I get all the holidays off, as a parent it is a fantastic thing. 


What level of education and salary range (starting and ultimately) can be expected?

-Start with a bachelors but need to get masters while teaching

-45,000 to 80,000 but not working a full year

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they?

A lot of teachers that start earlier might switch to administration (two career thing with in teaching)

 

What key piece of advice would you give people interested in your career?

- Try volunteering, it is a good way to start any career

 

Is there anything else you think students may benefit from knowing?

Any educational path can get you to teaching, a lot of women or men can switch into it in any field ( like music production to teacher). 

 

 

Tracy Korneffel

Middle School visual Arts teacher

I love  seeing my students use their creativity.  I do not love grading or paperwork. Salary range is approximately 38,000-90,000.

Bachelor of Fine Arts or Masters of Fine Arts or MAT is typical level of education.

 

 

ENTREPRENEURS:

Cathy Copeland

Entrepreneur/ Business Owner

I’ve been a entrepreneur and business owner for over 35 years and love being my own boss. It gives me the flexibility to choose my clients and structure my time, which is a true luxury. I also really love what I do - design and art direction. I studied ethnography, art, and commerce. The field is a rapidly changing one and there are many areas of concentration. I started my business right out of college, mostly in fashion photography, and quickly evolved into designing campaigns for a variety of retail stores and clothing designers. I began to acquire clients in the medical industry and continue to design logos, advertising campaigns, websites and social media campaigns for a number of companies, large and small. A typical day stars at 8 am at my computer with a second cup of coffee. I spend about an hour or so corresponding with people by text or email, work on whatever project is on deck until 1or so when I take a quick break for lunch. I go back to the office or often to a meeting for the afternoon. What I like about my work is the combination of working alone quietly and going out to meet with clients. I love to determine how I can help make their businesses come alive. Maybe you’ve seen a billboard or poster on the commuter train I’ve done?  I have a BA in fine art and am self taught with PC/Mac, the Adobe Creative suite, and many social platforms that everyone uses today.  The salary range is what you make it, but can range from 45K to 120K a year depending on the clients, full or part time (I’ve done both).

 

Jon Levitt

Entrepreneur/ Business Owner 

I started my own lawfirm business, Outside General Council, 14 years ago. The business works with growth stage companies who cannot hire full time lawyers so it is a good value for them to be able to hire us for in house council on demand on a part time basis.  My day never looks the same and sometimes I do not know what it will look like until that day but I do a lot of problem solving. I spend time speaking with clients, client prospects, and possible lawyers. We are a cool alternative to a traditional legal services firm as one of our core values is to provide a better professional experience for lawyers who want a work life balance as they can work from home as much or as little as they want. A law degree is required to work for the company and we only hire lawyers with ten years of experience or more.  The average salary is around 200,000 but there is a wide range. 

 

 

Andrew Schultz

Entrepreneur/Small Business Owner

 

Why are you passionate about what you do?

It’s extremely gratifying to see a product through from research and development to production to seeing it on the store shelves.

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

Part of what I like about my work is that there is no such thing as a typical day.  On any given day, I may be doing the following:  developing new products and packaging;  overseeing production, order fulfillment, and shipping; cultivating new customers and stewarding existing customers through phone calls and in person visits;  working at trade shows;  overseeing day-to-day office operations like maintaining and upgrading computers, phones, networks, etc.

 

What is the work life balance like with your career?

In one sense I have tremendous flexibility and can make my own hours, taking off when I want or need to.  On the other hand, it’s my own business so if things need to get done, it is on the shoulders of my brother and myself to get them done.

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

A college education.  An MBA may be useful for some aspects, but is not required.

 

The salary range is completely dependent on the success/failure of the products/business.  Therefore, the potential risks and rewards are quite high.  The salary range is also largely dependent on the profitability of the products. If you have large gross sales, but have high production costs, overhead and other expenses, you may not net much money.  Conversely, if you can limit these expenses and create a large profit margin, you can make a good living even with relatively modest sales. 

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they? 

There is great variability in terms of the type of business onr could own.  In addition, the skills one learns as a small business owner would be transferrable to other fields that require thoughtful decision-making like finance, marketing, etc.

 

Environmental Scientist:

Lealdon Langley

Director Wetlands and Waterways Program

 

Why are you passionate about what you do?

I have always been intrigued by the natural world. I see the world through the eyes of a biologist.  In my work as an environmental scientist I have the ability to influence the outcome of projects which protect the environment and improve the quality of life for Massachusetts residents.  I  facilitate energy projects, improve transportation, protect drinking water, prevent property from flooding, protect wildlife habitat and prevent pollution.  When I was finishing college I realized that for scientists to be able to influence public policy they need to speak the language of politicians and policy makers.  That was when I decided to go to graduate school to study environmental science and public policy.  I believe I make a difference in our world with the work that I do.

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

I use the usual tools of an office worker to accomplish my job, so I read, write and respond to emails, attend meetings and write.  That doesn’t sound very interesting, but the subject matter is environmental protection and that requires that I think creatively, work closely with other scientists, give direction to my staff, and provide information to senior managers and people at other levels of government.

 

What is the work life balance like with your career? 

I am at work about 8 hours a day but often work on the train to and from work and sometimes respond in the evening via email.  I do not have to attend a lot of night meetings, and work weekends only infrequently.  I have four children, two of whom are in college, so I’m also very busy at home.  Between work and home I sleep about 6 hours a day.

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

I hold a Masters Degree from the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies at Boston University. I also have a Bachelor’s Degree in Biology.  A college education is needed to work in our agency, and some of my colleagues have Doctorate Degrees, but the majority have a Bachelors with at least some graduate work.  I also work with many lawyers.  Salaries in our agency range from about $50,000 per year to about $150,000 per year.  We have good health insurance, a sound retirement system, paid sick time and I get 5 weeks of paid vacation per year.

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they? 

Yes, environmental scientists can work in many different fields.   Some of these are wetlands protection, cartography, geographic information systems, solid waste management, air quality, hazardous waste cleanup, hazardous waste management, drinking water supply and wastewater.  People in my agency are engineers, urban planners, biologists, geologists, chemists, hydrologists, lawyers and many other professions.

 

General Manager

Jeff Goldenberg

General Manager, House of Blues

I enjoy using my business background and my creativity to increase revenue. In addition, I enjoy meeting people and developing business relationships throughout the city and country. I like that every day is different. During the day I have meetings with various department heads such as sales, marketing, booking, human resources and operations.  I may stay for a show to support staff. The work life balance is good as I create it myself.  Some days may be longer than others due to business dinners and shows.

 

In terms of education, I have a college degree and there is a wide range.  There is no upper limit for salary. 

 

Career options range from managing other venues to specific areas of operations, revenue streams, food, marketing, sales, etc.  

 

Key piece of advice: It is very rewarding and communication skills are very important.  You must be people oriented and be able to motivate others and work with a wide variety of people. Being creative, as well as business and detail oriented, is necessary as well.  

 

Health Care

Rezarta Molle

Director of Government Affairs for A Health Insurance Company

I am passionate about my work because I am interested in changing the face of health care and making it more affordable. The only thing I do not love about my job is the corporate tension. During the day I work with a number of operational departments to hep them understand and implement regulatory changes. I have a great work-life balance but I also believe that you are the one that sets that balance.


Level of education needed is either an MBA (Masters of Business Administration) or a law degree.

Salary range can be between 100-250,000.

 

Multiple career options within the field include becoming a senior specialist, a clinician or a lawyer.

 

What key piece of advice would you give people interested in your career: 

It is challenging and you are always going. 

 

Health and Wellness Program Manager

Robin Brandes

Education: Bachelors in Business Administration and Certificate in Integrative Nutrition

 

Background: this is a second career for me. My career path began in Retail in a management training program at Sterns Department Stores. Then I worked in marketing research for a small company which led to a media research job at Leo Burnett an Advertising Agency in Chicago. After that I began a career in Advertising Sales for magazines like Organic Gardening and Soap Opera Digest Magazine. This displays how a career path is not always straight forward. The key though is that the skills you develop in each job are transferable and valuable in helping to find what you are passionate about and where you excel. 

 

I am passionate about my job as Wellness Program Manager. I enjoy the variety of my day to day. I wear many hats so the job is rarely dull. The job is highly interactive and creative. 

 

Job responsibilities:

Health Coaching - one on one 30 minute health coaching sessions with employees. 

Planning the Wellness Calendar- determining wellness topics, finding fitness instructors, planning challenges, organizing wellness fair. 

Presenting wellness workshops, cooking Demonstrations, tobacco cessation classes 

Coordinating ergonomic evaluations 

Promoting the wellness program- writing newsletters, creating flyers, creating surveys and more

 

Education requirements: I would recommend getting a bachelors degree in public health, and if you interested in doing health coaching, there are a variety of certificate programs available. 

 

Information Security 

Walt Williams

Director of Information Security and Compliance.  

 

Why are you passionate about what you do?

I get to be part of making a company successful.  If a company's customers can't trust us with their information, we go out of business.  I'm pitted against intelligent adversaries, as I try to put into place sufficient protections to successfully repel attacks we incur on a daily basis.  This lets me be creative as well as analytical, using all aspects of my mind and talents.

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

There are no typical days.  Mostly it depends upon are the attacks you're seeing ones that are defeating your protections, and then managing a response.  This makes some days much like a game of chess with real world stakes.  Some days I get to test my defenses, playing to role of the attacker to ensure my defenses would keep some one as skilled as me out.  Some days I get to work with folks designing new systems to ensure that they're designed securely with resilience in mind.

 

What is the work life balance like with your career?

I'm a father, husband, published author (two books, three articles), and take all of my vacations.  Some days are worse than others, but if I do my job well, I have an excellent balance.

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

This depends upon what you are trying to do.  At the highest levels, you'll need a masters degree, if not a Ph D. and can expect salaries in excess of $250,000  Entry level work will pay at least $60,000 and depending on the nature of the work, may not even require a BS/BA.  I highly recommend a BS/BA in the social sciences (sociology, psychology, anthropology) over a degree in computer science unless you plan to be a security researcher, penetration tester or advance no higher than a security engineer.  Graduate work in law or business is more helpful for career advancement than a degree in information security or computer science.

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they?

You can be a penetration tester, an incident responder, a forensics investigator, a security engineer, a security architect, security researcher, as well as management as high as a chief information security officer.

 

Investment Management

Bill Heitin

Partner at investment management company.

I like working with families, foundations and endowments to make sure they have a strong investment program.  Unfortunately some of what we do is not in our control. Investing in public and private companies can be difficult as well. A typical day for me begins at 6am as I am a morning person.  I return emails from the night before and get an understanding of what is going on in the stock markets around the world. I end my day at 5pm.  I have flexibility with my work-life balance as I can work from almost any place. 

 

Level of education needed: I hold a B.S. in accounting and an MBA in finance.

Salary range: Starting salaries are 40k and there is no upper limit if you are really good.

 

Career options within the field: There are many types of investments so you can become an expert in public or private equities, fixed income, or real estate. You can work for many types of companies, such as a private equity, a wall street firm, an endowment or mutual fund organization.


What key piece of advice would you give people interested in your career?

Get good grades in college and focus in on areas you enjoy.  Getting summer work experience is important.  Networking is very important. Schedule informational interviews so you can learn what might be a good fit for you. Be willing to start at the bottom. Do anything you can to be a team player and learn all you can.

Librarian:

Karin

Why are you passionate about what you do?

I am retired from working in our public library.  I started there as a volunteer after doing assorted other jobs:  managing and being the buyer for a craft shop, and selling real estate.   There is a wonderful order to libraries; it’s all there if you know how to look.  I started at the desk, and ended up in the Technical Services Department [pretty much anything that happens to library material when it’s not being circulated] through happenstance, but it was where I belonged.  It took a lot of years, supervised by degreed librarians, before a director decided it was clear that I knew what I was doing and made me the cataloguer/supervisor. 

 

Assigning Dewey numbers to the new nonfiction books was like solving many puzzles every day, and I love puzzles.  Sometimes it was hard to decide what a book was truly about at its most basic level, and then I’d read chunks of it, talk about it with others, and finally decide.  I was the only paralibrarian (no degree, working in a professional position) in our area, and that was, in a way, kind of cool.

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day looks like for you?

There was no typical day.  Being in a small library, I didn’t always get to sit at my desk making decisions about where in the collection to put each book.  There were shipments to unpack, books to order, periodicals to put in the database, and all the books that came in had to have labels and be data-entered.  And sometimes I had to work at the adult or children’s circulation desk when they were short handed.

 

What is the work life balance like with your career?

In most jobs, surely the work life balance is up to you.  The difference would be someone who can be on call: medical people, chauffeurs, part-time workers without a regular schedule, teachers who need to do lesson prep and paper correcting outside of school hours, etc.  I had a regular schedule of 37.5 hours a week with an unpaid half-hour meal break every day. 

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

Most cataloguers and heads of technical service departments have a masters degree in Library and Information Sciences.  The salary is not huge and in public libraries varies so much from town to town that it doesn’t warrant discussion.  One might do better in an academic setting, but I don’t know.  People don’t go into librarianship to get rich and retire young.

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they?

With a Masters in Library and Information Sciences, it is customary to specialize.  People will focus on Reference, Technical Services, Young Adult or Juvenile librarianship, or being an archivist.  There are medical and law library specialists, school librarians, and so forth. 

 

Lawyers

Joel Fishman

A lawyer, practitioner in the suburbs

 

Why are you passionate about what you do?

- I like helping people


Is there anything you don’t love about your job?

- I have to work a lot of hours: nights, weekends and more. 


Can you say a bit about what a typical day looks like for you?

  • At the office by 9 o clock and I am home by 7:15. After dinner I work for a couple of hours. 

  • I speak to clients over the phone, review documents, and draft different documents. 

 

What is the work/life balance like with your career?

- I work too much, but now that my kids are gone it is what it is. When the kids are smaller I spent more time with them. I probably work more than I should but I have a short commute.


What level of education and salary range (starting and ultimately) can be expected?

  • Undergrad (4 years)

  • Law school (3 years) 

  • Salary range: 80,000–175,000 

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they?

-There’s all different kinds of law, but people can use their law degree for politics, nonprofits or business.

 

What key piece of advice would you give people interested in your career?

- Law school is very demanding, and it is a tremendous amount of reading and comprehension. A lot of the work is very detail oriented, so if you want to go into law you need to be a good reader and pay good attention to details. 

 

Sheila Pariser

Why are you passionate about what you do?

- I wanted to make a difference with children


Is there anything you don’t love about your job?

- I am pretty busy


Can you say a bit about what a typical day looks like for you?

- I am in court pretty much the whole day.

 

What is the work/life balance like with your career?

-I work part time so it balances pretty well. 


What level of education and salary range (starting and ultimately) can be expected?

  • A JD to be a lawyer

  • 30,000 to 150,000 to start

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they?

- Theres lots of different kinds of law

 

What key piece of advice would you give people interested in your career?

- Study hard

 

 

Marketing

Joan abrams

Ecommerce Director

Why are you passionate about what you do?

I am Director of E-Commerce for an online retailer and I LOVE my job. I am responsible for making the user experience on our website compelling and enjoyable for shopping. I conduct and analyze video user tests on our website to see what features help the customer find the products she wants. I am also responsible for planning sales, email promotions and Google search ads on all devices – desktop computers, tablets and mobile phones.

 

I enjoy my job because it combines art and science. I review the graphic look and feel of our website and the copy that we use to sell the products. At the same time, I use analytics to evaluate the success of our marketing campaigns. The world of ecommerce is constantly changing with new technology so that makes my job very interesting.

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

 

On a typical day, I may do any of these things:

  • Prepare the sales budget for the next month, predicting sales by day based on scheduled promotions.

  • Meet with graphic designers and copywriters to devise a new email campaign.Watch user videos to see how customers are interacting with our website.

  • Meet with web developers to give them specifications for new functionality on the website.

  • Review results of Google search campaigns.

  • Proofread copy for the new products on the website.

  • Present sales results to the executive team.

  • Devise social media campaigns for Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, etc.

  • Assist marketing managers and staff with their projects.

 

 

What is the work life balance like with your career?

My job is fairly demanding and I work full-time. I supervise a staff of people so I am in the office every day. Technology enables me to stay in touch with my staff if I am out of the office.

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

I have a Bachelors degree and an MBA. Entry level jobs in e-commerce can start at about $40-$50K and go up from there. There is a lot of demand for e-commerce analysts and professionals right now.

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they? 

There are career options on the technical and the marketing sides of e-commerce. People with programming experience can pursue careers as web developers. People with business experience often pursue careers in e-commerce marketing. Within e-commerce marketing there are specialists in web analytics, search marketing, social media marketing, email marketing and more.

 

Wendy Levinson

Marketing Communications Consultant

I work on a variety of projects within the marketing communications field for different clients, get paid by the hour or by the project. As a consultant, you set your own hourly rate.For the past five and a half years, I've been working for one large client in the healthcare industry.  I write website content, brochures, patient education packets, and many other marketing materials. I work closely with graphic designers to design printed materials, and I am a Web Editor for a few websites, which means in addition to coming up with new ideas for the content and writing it, I update it and post it, too.   I manage an annual community outreach program. I also work with photographers and staff photo shoots to select the images needed for the projects I am working on. I have done some special event planning, too. 

 

I like my job because I'm always learning new things about whatever subject I am working on (i.e. writing about) and feel proud to be working for an organization that helps people. It's interesting and fulfilling.  I am helping to get their important messages out to the public.

 

There is no typical day.  It depends on what I am working on that day. Most of the time, I am working at my computer.  Sometimes, I go into Boston to meet with my client.

 

I am self-employed, work out of a home office, and I find my own clients.  It's a great way to try to balance your work life.  I'm very grateful to be working from home.  However, there are a lot of distractions working at home, and I do miss having colleagues to interact and brainstorm with occasionally. Having said that, it's important to me that I can be home most of the times when my children get home from school. So, it's worth it! And, I really like making my own hours.

 

I received my undergraduate degree from Boston University College of Communication. I worked for large, international public relations firms in Washington, DC, right after school. I learned that I did not enjoy working for any client, on any issue.  I wanted to work for an organization that I cared about, and where I felt like I was communicating issues or messages of importance to the public.  After those experiences, I worked in communications for a university, an international non-profit child safety organization, and a hospital.  

 

I believe that if you are a strong writer and have strong interpersonal communication skills, you can work in many areas in this field.  I started in general public relations, then worked in media relations for a while, and now I've been in marketing communications, which is a very broad area.  There are so many organizations and businesses that need communications professionals to help them.  

Jason Wolfe

Chief media and marketing strategist

The media business is as exciting a business as there is to pick for your profession, but it's highly competitive, so understanding the field is half the battle. This is a field that you truly have to want to be involved in. You need to plan for it, both academically and professionally. What does that mean? Simple. Take as many classes as you can that involve a potential major, i.e. broadcast journalism, marketing, public relations. Gain as much experience as you can by applying for internships/summer jobs/part time jobs etc. in those respective categories and others, so that you can develop your resume and your list of contacts. In the media business, it's very much about who you know, and not always about what you know. In my role as VP for WEEI and WRKO, my responsibilities were vast. I was in charge of personnel, production, and marketing, among other duties, but my main job was to create a vision for both stations that matched the core listenership to each. As a radio executive I needed to understand my audience inside and out, what makes them tick, what do they care about the most, and how to reach them as often as possible. In my current job, as Chief Media and Marketing Strategist for The Financial Exchange Radio Network, I've used many of my experiences at the radio stations to help me understand a different format and a different audience. Every day, I work to enhance a brand that had been built years before, by creating deals to expand the reach of our show to additional terrestrial radio stations and to parts of the new media landscape, which is all about digital. This space is evolving constantly, and to be a successful media person today, be it a show producer or a top executive, one must have a solid understanding of how to utilize the tools available to them in this area. Social media, mobile, and the web, provide tremendous opportunities for you to enhance your product and create more ways for consumers to engage with it. I love the media business. It's been great to me and it can great to you if you want it badly enough. As a manger here are the keys to my vision. I deliver this message to my staff every day. Personality breeds engagement. Engagement breeds loyalty. Loyalty breeds ratings. Ratings breed revenue. So as you continue to strive to achieve your goals, be passionate about the business. Read, watch, and digest everything you can. Take chances. If you don't try, you can't grow, and there's nothing wrong with making mistakes as long as you learn from them. And finally, be driven. Push yourself to succeed. Nothing in life comes easy, but with hard work and dedication, you can accomplish anything, in this business or any other.

 

Diana Zapata

Heathcare marketing

Why are you passionate about what you do?

I enjoy the energy around working in a non-profit healthcare organization. What you do has an impact the on lives of many.

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

Working with many different people and teams in the organization in the development and execution of marketing strategy and or solving for organizational and business challenges.

 

What is the work life balance like with your career?

It is challenging but doable if you show your manager that you get your work done with excellence and on time.

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

Typically an MBA or a Masters in healthcare strategy or communications is needed to continue to advance in the organization. Entry level can be at around $35,000/year and progress to over $100,000 with 15+ years of experience plus advanced degree. 

 

Musicians/ Teachers

Lisa Winner

Singer, Voice teacher

I have always been passionate about music and voice.  I started playing the piano at age 7 and singing at age 10.  Whenever I played and sang somewhere, people always reacted in a very positive way which made me want to do it even more.I studied voice at New York University and was able to make money playing in piano bars and at weddings with bands for many years.I started teaching kids in 1995 because I really love the voice and love working with kids, helping them to find their voices and confidence.  I also teach piano and strive to help kids love playing music.The downsides of working for yourself in a freelance career like music is that it is not steady.  There is no steady paycheck and you only get the work that you seek out.  You have to be your own booking agent and manage your career.The upside is that you work for yourself and if you become a mom, you can have more time to spend with your kids.  Ideally, you need a partner who can help with the living expenses so you can be a mom and still do your craft.Education needed is really just the many hours and years logged perfecting your craft.  You can go to college and be a music major, especially if you want to work with orchestras or in TV or movies or any other bigger opportunities.  Also a Music Education major is necessary if you want to teach in the public school system.Salary range varies greatly from very little if you are an artist to more if you become a teacher, and even more if you are lucky enough to  write or sing  a hit song.My advice is: only go into music as a profession if you have a real passion for it, the willingness to work hard at your craft and don't mind an unsteady lifestyle.

 

 

David Hagan:

Piano teacher/ Concert Pianist:

Why are you passionate about what you do?

 

I grew up with music.  My mother had a good singing voice, and my father played many different instruments in various large and small ensembles.  He also led his own dance band and conducted concert bands.  I loved to listen to all kinds of recordings as well as live music and didn’t have to be coaxed into studying piano.  I always practiced the pieces I was assigned, but I learned a lot of other music on my own. 

 

I enjoy being able to perform and share a piece of music with an audience, and perhaps move them to understand why that piece is so great.  I am also happy in my teaching when I can inspire a responsive student to develop these abilities.

 

Can you say what a typical day for you looks like?

 

It depends on which day it is.  While I was still teaching piano (I retired from this about 7 years ago) some days would be primarily devoted to teaching, some to getting ready for a concert of my own, and others just for learning new pieces for upcoming concerts.  Or a combination of the three.  Nowadays I have more time for preparing and playing recitals.

 

What is the work life balance like with your career?

 

It pretty much is my life:  It’s not limited to 9 to 5, but can include evenings and weekends instead – or in addition.  The number of hours per week varies depending on the number of pupils and the amount of practice time required for my concerts.

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

 

At least a Master’s degree for a teaching job.  Teaching is not the most lucrative job, but music teaching is comparable to academic teaching.  A full-time college teaching job pays more, but requires more time for meetings and other responsibilities.  Part-time jobs can vary widely, but provide more time if you want to do any performing of your own.

 

Earnings for concert performing vary widely, and unless you’re a member of a group which performs regularly (such as a chamber ensemble or orchestra) you won’t have a steady income.  Having a teaching job as well will help to smooth things out, and the two are quite complimentary.

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they?

 

My own music training prepared me for various types of teaching:  private piano lessons, piano classes (several pianists at a time), chamber music coaching, and music history classes.  As far as my own performance history goes, I have played solo and duet recitals, performed with orchestras, and collaborated with singers and instrumentalists.  In addition to concert venues, the performances have involved radio and TV appearances as well as recordings.  

 

Occupational Therapists:

Marcie Lipsey

Why are you passionate about what you do?

I love working with children and watching them learn new things, gain confidence and feel proud of their achievements. Some children (and/or their parents) I worked with who are now grown have told me that they remember how I helped them. That makes me feel amazing! 

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

I am a consultant now, so I make my own schedule (based on the needs of the school or family asking for my assistance). Some days are busier than others, but the nice part is, I decide. 

Typically I go into a school and help teachers figure out how they can best help a child with fine motor, gross motor, sensory or visual processing delays or differences in skill acquisition. I might just watch a child or class or I might  be very involved in leading an activity. It depends on what the teacher and/or child's needs are and how they can best be met. 

 

What is the work life balance like with your career?

I have chosen to be available to my family and children first and foremost. I have a lot of flexibility in what I do. This wasn't as much the case when I worked in a  skilled nursing/rehab setting or even in other schools or early intervention. 

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

You need a Master's degree. Salary varies greatly depending on the setting. As an experienced clinician I earn more than a new graduate. 

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they? 

Yes, which is wonderful! I have worked with newborns and babies as well as those who are quite elderly or dying. I didn't enjoy the latter experience, but I have loved working with babies and families and school age children. I consider working with pre-schoolers my "specialty." OT's can work in mental health settings, which I did as part of my training and really enjoyed. However, I like working with children who have developmental delay, learning differences and sensory processing issues. I also loved working as an OT in a school for the Deaf- I am also a teacher of the Deaf so I combined both of my disciplines that way. Also in early intervention I worked with newly diagnosed Deaf babies and toddlers. I LOVED watching them learn to sign and know that I played a role in their learning to communicate- I will never forget the first word one of my children signed. I think I cried with his Mom!! (Sorry this is more of "passion" answer :)

 

 

Shira Picard

Supervisor for a team of OT assistants in the public school, also work at nursing home

 

Why are you passionate about what you do?

- I love what I do because the goal of OT is to make people feel good and independent. It is an empowering job. 


Is there anything you don’t love about your job?

- There is so much paperwork involved that I do not like to do. 


Can you say a bit about what a typical day looks like for you?

- I start out at one school, go to a couple of IEP meetings in the morning (update individual plans for students with special needs), then probably meet with assistants, oversee a treatment. Then she travels to another school, and in the afternoon does more testing. That involves an evaluation process, and then supervise another OT assistant. Then do paperwork and go home. 

 

What is the work/life balance like with your career?

I really love the flexibility, as a Mom I find it so helpful. You can be full time, or part time, and as a supervisor you can figure out how to flex your meetings around what you need to do.


What level of education and salary range (starting and ultimately) can be expected?

  • 5 year OT program if you know what you want to do; 1 year masters; 9 months of an internship; sit for licensing exam

  • Can get doctorate and make more

  • Salary range: 60,000- 100,000

  • Can be paid hourly without benefits, from $35- $90

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they?

  • Yes for sure! You can work in a hospital, rehab center, psych ward, in the schools, in a clinic, OT’s that do hand therapy, OT’s that help working age adults. The theory is you want to get someone back to what their daily life/ living skills was. 

 

What key piece of advice would you give people interested in your career?

- Shadow people in occupational therapy, to see what the job actually looks like and if you're passionate about it.

 

Is there anything else you think students may benefit from knowing?

  • It is really important to be a team player, you have to collaborate with an entire team.

PHYSICAL THERAPIST:

Kristina Dunlea PT, DPT, NCS

I am a physical therapist working both in a clinic and in academia. 

Physical therapists (PTs) are educated, licensed health care professionals who can help patients reduce pain and improve or restore mobility - in many cases without expensive surgery and often reducing the need for long-term use of prescription medications and their side effects. Physical therapists can teach patients how to prevent or manage their condition so that they will achieve long-term health benefits. PTs examine each individual and develop a plan, using treatment techniques to promote the ability to move, reduce pain, restore function, and prevent disability. In addition, PTs work with individuals to prevent the loss of mobility before it occurs by developing fitness- and wellness-oriented programs for healthier and more active lifestyles. There are multiple areas one can practice in; from pediatrics (including infants) to geriatrics, from sports clinics to acute care hospitals.

 

I work in an outpatient clinic and my focus has been on treating people with neurologic disorders; stroke, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease and vestibular disorders to name a few. Over the past few years, my practice has developed in that I am now primarily working with people with vestibular disorders. That can involve working with athletes post concussion, adults post concussion, adults with dizziness, balance or other inner ear problems. My past experience has included working in hospital, rehab and homecare settings. In addition to working in the clinic, I am an adjunct faculty member at Northeastern University. This means that I work by contract only; it is not a set part time or full time position for me. The class I assist with generally changes semester to semester. I have been a lab instructor which means I help out with the hands on teaching portion of the PT program. I have also had my own class which focuses on neurology and specifically vestibular rehabilitation.

 

One may inquire about the initials after my name.

PT – many years ago I graduated from Northeastern University with a Bachelors of Science in Physical Therapy, passed my boards and was able to become a licensed physical therapist (PT). At that time all graduating PTs came out with a BS.

DPT – Since the time when I went to school, the education has changed and now all students come out of school with a doctorate in physical therapy (DPT) – they will just have DPT after their name. I maintain both sets of credentials, as I was a PT first via the Bachelors program, yet then chose to go back to school to get my doctorate – now I have a Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) degree.

NCS – I have taken a career path that has focused on treating patients with neurological disorders hence I took and passed an advanced board certification exam in neurology and now have the additional title as a neurologic clinical specialist (NCS)

PTs can get an advanced board certification in these areas: Cardiopulmonary, Clinical Electrophysiology, Geriatrics, Orthopaedics, Neurology, Pediatrics, Sports, and Women's Health Physical Therapy

 

Why are you passionate about what you do?

As a former athlete and frequent patient myself, I have received the benefit of PT. Now I am able to do that for others.

I love that I am able to help others especially with certain types of “dizziness” I can make a significant difference in how they feel and help return them back to their normal activities. Whether it is helping someone be able to perform their daily activities without difficulty or returning an athlete back to their sport, is a very rewarding experience for me. I enjoy teaching and inspiring students and future PTs and sharing my knowledge and experiences with them. 

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

A typical day for the PT depends on the practice area you work in.

If you are in an outpatient clinic you may see 1 patient every ½ hour – they are scheduled usually 3 weeks ahead of time; if I have a more complicated patient I may see them for one hour. Documentation for what you are doing with patients takes some extra time that you may have in the middle or at the end of your day. It is different if you work in an inpatient setting where the schedule is not as rigid as those patients may have other medical needs and when you see them can vary. Being in the clinic is a physically active profession you will be moving and physically active with your patients vs. sitting at a desk.  When you are a PT you also have the opportunity to see something different on a daily basis – it keeps your work exciting and can challenge you as a therapist to always expend your knowledge base.

 

What is the work life balance like with your career?

A physical therapist can have excellent balance between work/life. Again this can depend on what type of setting you are working in and also what career goals you have. There can be a lot of flexibility whether you want to work perdiem/on an as needed basis or full time. Some therapists can set their own hours again depending on the work setting. 

 

What Do Physical Therapists Earn?

The median salary for a physical therapist is $80,000 depending on position, experience, education, location, and practice setting. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of physical therapists is expected to grow by 30 percent from 2008 to 2018, much faster than the average for all occupations. According to the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA), with just a 0.2 percent unemployment rate, physical therapists are now experiencing the best employment conditions since enactment of the Balanced Budget Act of 1997.

 

Resources:

The American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) is an invaluable resource.  Please refer to this website for even greater information. http://www.apta.org/CareersEducation/

Bureau of Labor is another good resource: 

http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/physical-therapists.htm#tab-1

 

 

Program Management

Wendy Shrago

 

Why are you passionate about what you do?

  • Program was a bracelet for children with autism, people with alzheimers and dimensia, and police would be able to find them

  • Projects that helped people

  • talking to families that project was helping


Is there anything you don’t love about your job?

-red tape of a big company


Can you say a bit about what a typical day looks like for you?

- Work with police department and arrange for them to bring the program could do for the community, what it would take for them to get trained

 

What is the work/life balance like with your career?

- I didn't work til the kids were older and only worked till school hours. 


What level of education and salary range (starting and ultimately) can be expected?

- having good people skills, B. S. in Math

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they?

Any place that has a project or a program, its just how companies are organized. 

 

What key piece of advice would you give people interested in your career?

-Technology, people rely on a lot of email and facebook, but they need to know how to have personal interactions

 

 

Real Estate Broker

Rick Gomolka

Why are you passionate about what you do?

I love helping people and I am a "deal junky" I love when a deal gets done. 

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like? I work 6-7 days a week. My job has flexible hours so I can be with my family during important times. However I am busiest when others do not work. Ie. Eves and weekends. 

 

What is the work life balance like with your career? I make my choices. Occasionally there are trade offs. 

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

No education required in Massachusetts. California requires undergrad degree. The better and more educated the person there is usually a higher potential to make a larger income, especially if you are a Broker ( owner) as supposed to an agent. I went to Northeastern University and my background is in computer and electrical engineering.

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they? 

Real estate law, Development, Stock market with real estate investment trusts. 

 

Research

Anonymous

Senior Project Coordinator, Oncology Clinical Trials

I am passionate about what I do because my work contributes to efforts to treat and cure cancer. The only thing I don't love is management's attitudes at times .  

 

Retail

Anne Brooks

Senior buyer

I like seeing results daily based on purchases made and developing strong partnerships. I do not like getting caught up in too many details. No day is the same.  I take trips to NY monthly, and do sales and store planning. The work-life balance is good as my company is flexible, but it can be difficult when traveling. 

 

Level of education needed: Bachelors degree

Salary range: 70-120k

 

Career options:  There are multiple careers within the field, such as planning, allocation, retail buying and store operations.

 

What key piece of advice would you give: It is rewarding but there is tough competition.

Retail is fast paced and you need to be able to multi-task and be organized.  Math and planning are a must for skills.

 

Psychologists:

Dr. Carol Garfinkle, Psy.D.

Psychologist:

What education is required?  

5 years for a doctoral degree after college (PhD is more research based doctoral degree and geared toward those who want to do research or teach; PsyD is more clinical training and training in psychological/neuropsychological testing - the fifth year is an internship in both cases).  You can also become a psychiatrist (prescribes medication as is medical doctor) which takes four years of medical school and two years of residency).  Masters level training is two years post graduating from college and the MSW degree seems to give the most flexibility for using your degree clinically.

 

What did you to do to know you were interested in the field before taking the plunge into graduate school?

I worked during college on a rape crisis unit, college student problems hotline, and volunteered on a hospital psychiatric ward. After college, my first job was as a foster care worker.   I also was fascinated by character studies in books I was reading and was drawn to trying to help friends with their problems.  Having therapy as a teenager also helped me realize how helpful a psychologist could be to people. 

 

What are different ways you can apply this degree?

You can do so many things!  You can teach, do research, testing, administration, design programs, work in a hospital or community mental health center outpatient setting with a team or work in private practice.  In addition, you can work with specific or multiple populations (child, adult, family, couples, groups) and specific or multiple populations (from issues such as addictions, trauma, depression, and anxiety to adjustment to divorce). You can get a specific degree in areas such as neuropsychology, sports psychology, forensic psychology or organizational psychology. You will always have a job as you can guarantee our profession will always be needed. 

 

What is the pay scale?

It has a wide range! Starting salary can be 30,000, and with experience work in hospitals/ outpatient settings might be closer to 60,000. However, private practice can pay closer to 100- 250,000 if you work for yourself. 

 

Why are you passionate about what you do?

I absolutely love my job!  It is incredibly rewarding work.  My day is never boring and I get to use all parts of myself from creative to analytical sides of me. I have been the clinical director of outpatient mental health centers and now am in private practice working with many populations of people.  I have never stopped learning and taking continuing education classes to learn multiple types of therapy (family systems, psychodynamic, cognitive behavioral, EMDR, Internal Family Systems, Expressive Therapies, etc).  I also like learning the neuroscience behind what we do. In addition, the flexibility of my schedule in private practice is amazing as a working mother.  I cannot imagine being more fulfilled!

 

Feel free to contact me for an individual or group meeting if you want to ask questions and hear more!

 

Beth Kurland, Ph.D

Clinical Psychologist

I am a clinical psychologist, I have been in practice for over 20 years, and I absolutely love what I do!  Psychologists can have many roles, but as a clinical psychologist I get to work directly with patients 1:1 to help them improve their lives in many ways.  Some psychologists who do not specialize in “clinical” psychology may function as researchers, making great contributions to the field of psychology by adding to our current knowledge base, or they may be professors at universities (who usually do teaching as well as research), or they may work in organizations and apply principles of psychology to help the organization run better.  As a clinical psychologist one can work in many different kinds of settings including hospitals and medical settings, psychiatric hospitals, schools, and outpatient settings.  I work in an outpatient setting.  I have an office in Norwood where patients come to see me.  I work with a broad range of people from preschool children and their parents to school age and adolescent patients, to adults.  I help people with anxiety, depression, learning disabilities, trauma, stress, life transitions like divorce, grief, behavioral problems, OCD, etc.  I have a strong interest in mind-body strategies to help patients toward greater wellness, and often incorporate meditation and other mind-body practices into my work.  I also teach people how to change their thinking and behaviors to help them live happier, more fulfilling lives.  There are so many things that I love about my job –  I love getting to help people and the feeling that I am making a difference; I love the variety of issues that I treat which keeps things interesting and challenging; I love being able to use my knowledge to help people improve their lives; I love working with people of all age ranges; I love developing meaningful relationships with my patients, and learning from them; I love the flexibility that my job provides me in terms of hours; and I love being able to look forward to going to work everyday and getting paid for doing something that is so enjoyable and fulfilling.  I feel very grateful that I have a career that has allowed me to work part-time so that I have been able to devote myself to raising my own family and finding what is a perfect work/family life balance for me.

 

In terms of my training/education that was required to become a clinical psychologist, I had to attend 4 years of graduate school after college, and complete a dissertation to get my Ph.D.  I attended Amherst College as an undergraduate, and went to Clark University for graduate school.  I was fortunate enough to go to a research institution where I did not have to pay tuition to attend graduate school.  In return, I had to work part-time as a teaching assistant, and I received a small stipend.  ( I am not sure if this is still the norm for a Ph.D. program, but it is worth looking into because it can make a huge difference in terms of not having huge loans after schooling).  After graduate school I had to complete a one year internship which I did at McLean Hospital.  Following that, I did two half-time (optional) post-doctoral fellowships in the Boston area to get further training.  My last hurdle was taking the licensing exam, which allowed me to practice on my own.  According to the internet, the average salary for a clinical psychologist is $75,000, though I think this can vary greatly depending on one’s setting and situation, from slightly lower, to well over $100,000.

 

 

Sales Engineer

 Ben Arnold

 Why are you passionate about what you do?

I help companies learn how to use new technical equipment to make their jobs easier.  Its interesting to see different applications and technical challenges every day.  You never know what might happen on any given day.

 

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

I spend a few days a week in an office  talking on the phone and planning for meetings, then the rest of the week is spent traveling to different companies to meet with their engineering team and discuss their applications.

 

 

What is the work life balance like with your career?

I am able to set my own hours to an extent, which help with balance.  I can start early and end early if I want to go to a soccer game for instance.   But the work can be demanding and its common to have to catch up on work at night.

 

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

Many people in this role have an engineering degree but its not totally necessary.  Salary can be significant in a good year.  Sales is nice in that the more you sell, the more money you make. 

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they? 

There are MANY options within the field of technical sales.  There are new things invented all the time, and they all need someone to help  people understand the benefits.

 

Social Worker

Katherine Hughes

Why are you passionate about what you do?

I have worked for many years as a juvenile court clinician.  We work in specialized mental health clinics which support the juvenile court by evaluating the mental health needs of kids and families involved in the juvenile court, providing services, and consultation to the court.]

 

I have the opportunity in my work to improve kids’ lives through addressing the issues which are holding them back, in school, at home, and in the community.  We work to influence the juvenile court to make decisions that may benefit kids and families by providing interventions which may make a real difference and help them heal, learn and grow, instead of a focus only on punitive measures to influence their behavior. 

 

Can you say a bit about what a typical day for you looks like?

I interview kids and families, speak with collateral sources of information (counselors, doctors, teachers, school administrators, lawyers, probation officers, mental health professionals, doctors/nurses, social agencies), try to obtain records to inform my understanding of history, write comprehensive psychological/forensic evaluations, go to Court and discuss recommendations.  I organize the selection and training of graduate student interns, meet with, teach and share cases with interns, read and edit their Court reports, meet with colleagues to discuss cases, share ideas and learn, and respond to mental health emergencies in Court.  I also mentor clinicians without significant forensic experience to meet state standards of practice.   My “typical day” can vary greatly.

 

What is the work life balance like with your career?

It is a challenge.  I have been fortunate to be able to work part-time and stay home part-time, but continue to feel pressure to work more, and stay home more!  I previously practiced law, however, and feel my current role is much more flexible.  It’s a constant effort to balance.  There is always more to be done at work and at home.

 

What level of education do you need and what salary range can be expected?

A master’s or doctoral degree in social work or psychology.  The salary range is lower than most professions with similar professional degrees as I work for a non-profit agency which has a contract with state agencies – our work is “privatized.” 

 

Are there multiple career options within your field and what are they?

There are multiple career options in both the fields of law and social work.  This is a very unique role for a social worker.

 

 

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