Interviewing the professionals: your window to their world

My career counselor once told me this advice. She said, "If you are really thinking of becoming a insert dream job here (e.g. medical doctor, nurse, finance advisor etc.), you should interview one." Sounds easy enough right?...Not. At least for me, it wasn't. Back then, my decision was to apply to veterinary school. While I do have an idea of what the possible responsibilities of a veterinarian might be, I knew that nothing beats having first hand knowledge and experience when it comes to important decisions about your life. This is especially true if the decision is about your college major.

Photo by UBC Library Graphics

The succeeding interviews just happened naturally when I started working with veterinarians on a part-time basis. Because I had access to them during most of the week, I was able to interact with them in their work setting. In addition, I was also able to observe and perform the duties of a pet nurse.

If you don't have access to a work setting like I did, there are many possible ways in which you can interview some experts in your career of interest. If you are in high school or community college, you can ask a career counselor where you can find somebody to interview. In addition, you can also ask your family or relatives if they know somebody who work in a certain career field. When all these choices fail, volunteer opportunities will usually connect you to some of those people.

Look at this step as another opportunity to make a more informed decision about your college major. Don't take it as a 'must do' step. In other words, getting first-hand experience is more important when it comes to developing the required knowledge and skills. Interviewing experts and/or professionals will come naturally once you meet people who work in that field through volunteering.