In Order To Choose A Career You Have To Do Research On And Off Campus

                 I am interested in becoming a Radiographer Technician. A neighbor of mine came to me one day and recommend I look into it. He stated it was a career where you can become licensed fairly quickly and it is a well paying career, with room for advancement and growth. I started doing my research online. I looked up qualifications, on job responsibilities, salary, and education. A very helpful website is www.bls.gov/oco, this website gives in depth information on many different careers. Whatever career you are interested this website is definitely one of the first places to go to.

                My school offered a trip to Methodist Hospital. I had no idea what the trip would be about but I do know that hospitals are one of the main locations Radiographer Technicians work. I signed up for the trip with no hesitation. Going on that trip was one of the best moves I made in advancing my knowledge on my career of interest. On that trip I learned the difference between a radiologist and a Radiographer Technician. It is good to surround yourself around what you want to be or do. In my case when I become a Radiographer Technician, I may probably spend most of my time in the hospital, so it only made sense to me to go a trip that toured the hospital. On the tour of the hospital, we toured the Radiology department. I got a chance to meet a very experienced Radiographer Technician, I was able to ask him questions about schooling, licensing programs, what to expect on the job, volunteering opportunities, as well as networking. It was truly a great experience for me.

                Luckily for me I have a relative in Florida who is an MRI Technician and works with radiation medicine. His field and the field I intend to enter are very similar and sometimes go hand and hand. So speaking with him was also a great experience. He recommended routes I should go and gave me reasons why. He honestly suggested I do MRI Technician instead of Radiographer Technician because MRI doesn’t use radioactive waves to receive images of patients, the less exposure to radiation the better. I never heard that perspective before talking to my cousin. It is great because now I have multiple perspectives to decide what I want to do, I know the risks and it is up to me to make a decision on what I want to do.

                When choosing a career you have to become very involved in your research. You have to get your hands dirty so to speak. I took a trip to the hospital and spoke with experienced Radiographer Technicians. The hospital trip was so important to me because the hospital can possibly be a future employer of mine. Doing research online is invaluable. It allows you to research your field of interest in the comfort of your own home. It gives you almost all the information you can think of about the career you are interested in. The only thing it lacks is personal perspectives. That’s why it is good to find someone who actually works in the field, whether it is a family member, a friend, or a mentor. These people can give you insight on the job that a lot of websites can miss.  

Tyrone Sterling