Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2011 - (Page 40)

one step ahead The World Outside Your Major by Kartik Sameer Madiraju I’m an engineering major. Knowing this about me, you might assume that I plan to work as an engineer. So it will probably surprise you to learn that I’m actually going to be a lawyer. When I tell people this, they ask, “Can you even do that?” Most wonder why I didn’t just major in political science or history or government. Many people grow up thinking that every profession demands a specific education in a specific field, with little room for creativity. If I want to be a doctor, I should major in biochemistry. If I want to practice law, I should earn a degree in political science. of course you need a law degree to become an attorney and a medical degree to become a doctor, but you can combine these professional courses with studies in a wide range of other fields. And, as I’ve discovered for myself, just because you major in a science doesn’t mean you have to pursue a career in it. let’s rewind about five or six years. I was in high school, in the thick of the fuel cell research project that I would enter into the science fair. The idea was innovative, and my results were promising. My mentor suggested applying for a patent, which got me thinking: why couldn’t an engineer deliver his ideas, in the form a product, straight to the doorstep of those who would benefit most from it? The idea of becoming a technically savvy businessman or a business-minded scientist inspired me to continue my research—and to make my prototypes look better as well as work better. This might eventually lead, I thought, to a better-selling product. At that time, I was set on eventually starting a fuel cell company that would research and market new sources of energy. But when I attended the Intel International Science and engineering Fair in 2007, yet another exciting possibility became clear to me. A journalist approached me with a simple yet profound question: current regulations and laws don’t require governments to be proactive about protecting the environment, so why should they support environmental discoveries such as my own? I thought about little else for the next week. The people who understood how the environment worked and which technologies could be used to protect it were engineers, but few were taking the extra step to make sure that that knowledge was written into the law. I decided that I could hone my skills in communication, earn a law degree, and take the step myself. I might not be at the lab bench producing results, but I could most definitely take my engineering knowledge to the courtrooms and prevent polluting industries from negating others’ results. Science and engineering are such complex and vast fields in themselves that we often lose sight of the many connections they have to politics, business, and law. Training in science can open many doors in these fields if you choose to pursue them. My dream is to help prevent further damage to our environment through my practice as a lawyer; in the future, I hope to take my engineering knowledge even further by entering politics and writing laws and creating programs necessary to ensure that our environment is protected. Just as our world is becoming more interconnected and interdependent, so too are academic disciplines and career fields. So if you find an opportunity to apply your skills and education in an unconventional way, I say go for it. Take that bold step outside your major and see the challenges and possibilities that emerge. Kartik Sameer Madiraju is an engineering student at mcgill university. a published writer of short fiction and poetry, kartik also enjoys badminton, traveling, singing, and watching hockey. 40 imagine May/Jun 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2011

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2011
Contents
Big Picture
In My Own Words
App Quest
Become a Citizen Scientist with Your Cell Phone
Media Arts and Technology at the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards
The Accidental Animator
The New Media Explorers
Learning by Design
A Generation of Criminals
Digital Storytelling
Drama and Duct Tape
Selected Opportunities & Resources
Off the Shelf
Word Wise
Exploring Career Options
One Step Ahead
Planning Ahead for College
Students Review
Creative Minds Imagine
Mark Your Calendar
Knossos Games

Imagine Magazine - Johns Hopkins - May/June 2011