The first advice I will give to Bio Medical Engineering students is to never be discouraged. This may or may not end up being a problem for you, but if you end up doing poorly at any point, don’t get too discouraged. For every student you see who’s running around with a 4.0, you’ve got people who are failing classes. You’ll just be one of the ones who didn’t quit, and that’ll mean a lot to you when you finally get it.
My second advice to them is to always have a back up plan.
They have to think broadly and be proactive about their future right from the unset you have to think about what you want to end up doing with your degree specifically. Did you want to work with bio-transport of pharmaceuticals? Bioinformatics? See how many elective hours you have and what you want to do with them. See if there are any minors that would mesh well with that.
You should always attend career fairs, if nothing else, you’ll be used to it, and you might see some opportunities that you like for later. Who knows, they might even recognize your name later on.
Yes. Do an internship is very important. Since we spent so much time in the school, and what school can give us is limited. We need other way to learn something that we can not learn from school and in this case internship is an very good option. I get it when I worked in a lab in the NJMS as an Internship, I learned a lot besides knowledge, I learned how a lab runs, I learned the lab system.
And Also I think as a BME student, we should keep learning. Reading some Journals, news. Since we learn broad knowledge but we are not professional in any area. So pick one area which you really want to do and read more materials about this area.
If I were to give advice to Biomedical Engineering students I would say to get involved in research as soon as possible. This will give you critical hands on skills that you may want to use later on in your field. It will also help develop a solid resume that you can use to get a better internship or job later on. I would also advice them to not always focus just on research in the biomedical engineering department. It is important to do research into what professors in fields such as Mechanical Engineering, Chemical Engineering, or Material Engineering are doing because their project may better reflect your interest and what you are trying to do. Plus it gives them exposure into other fields and helps them find what they really enjoy doing. Also, I agree internships early on are important, not just over the summer but during the school year as well. I would say you do not always have to apply to the best of the best companies, it is good to diversify and apply to different sized companies. Also, it very helpful to try and contact the company yourself to show your interest, by doing things such as calling and emailing their employment or human resources office. This works better at smaller companies and can help get their foot in the door and help build them resume. In addition, I would say to go out and get involved in other clubs and associations on campus such as any networking or student alumni association on campus. Something I wish I had done was trying to get and internship earlier on in college and to get involved in research that I enjoyed more in college.
My best advice that I could give a Biomedical Engineering Student (and anyone for that matter) is to find a mentor. A mentor will be able to give you knowledge and show you skills that will help propel you forward in your career choice. Mentors are beneficial even outside of your particular career field because they are able to pass on lessons they have learned about professionalism in general. A mentor will be able to give you advice from an unbiased outlook, as well as, see a bigger picture than you at times. You'll be able to build a professional network through them, and (if you would like) have an understanding of what makes a great mentor for when you decide to become one.
The goals and approaches in industry are different when biomedical student enters into industry from academic . Industry researcher has practical view while academic has broad interest . Every company have different opinion on what skills and talents are valued most like communication skills and quantitative skills and team work. The biomedical student should also understand the value of networking . During team work they need to improve the skills like communication and leadership through the feedbacks from team members and leaders this will help them to find their flaws and fix them. The wide knowledge of biomedical students gained from their varied training helps them fully understand the medical capacity of a device as compared to mechanical and electrical engineer with lots of solid work experience.
I think the above posts mentioned many good tips, and personally my best advice would be to find a mentor and job internship. These will really help you get far and teach you more skills than you could have possibly gained simply by lectures. Additionally, great advice I once got was to market your skills over your experience when applying for a job. Even if you never had an internship or research experience, anyone and everyone has skills from their life experiences. Use these to your advantage on your resume and for interviews, you can discuss skills you gained through group projects, being part of a club, and other life experiences.
I would definitely agree that networking is huge part of landing that first job. It also helps if you've had previous internships/co-ops while completing your undergraduate degree. However, sometimes this can be difficult because a lot of companies want to hire people with a lot of experience and making yourself stand out among other students competing for the same job can be a challenge. I was in the same boat right after I graduated so here's some advice:
I would say if you find yourself in a "lull" between school and getting your first job or even in between jobs, take that extra time to develop a new skill, whether it's on your own or by taking a few extra classes. I know there are a ton of websites that offer online courses for programming languages, many of which are free! It doesn't even need to be something concrete; it could be something as simple as learning how to communicate better or practicing interviewing skills.
Another good thing to keep in mind is when you're applying to jobs, don't just send the same resume to every company. You should always be adjusting and revising your resumes tocater them specifically for the role you're looking at. Strong cover letters also make a big difference!
Lastly, networking doesn't stop once you've been hired. Keep talking and meeting new people to really get your name out there. I've learned, from personal experience, that sharing your ideas (no matter how big or small) can go a long way. Voice your opinions, give feedback, and propose new ideas. People will definitely notice and could potentially help you in the long run!
I agree with the tips that my classmates have mentioned, my advice is to try to build up connections with people that have a job already in your field. Try to find any co-ops/ internships because experience is essential after graduation. The GPA is a crucial factor that plays a role as well, but experience should be your top priority because it will help you to find a job. Also, experience will distinguish you from others when it comes to apply for jobs. So, focus on your GPA and at the same time try to find any opportunity ( such as internship/co-op) to get the experience needed. One of my classmates has mentioned that it is hard to find an internship or co-op, I believe that the resume is the key to get the experience that you are looking for. So, try to have a solid resume and don't give up on trying to find a good opportunity that you are looking for.
Learn connect and learn again. As a student, your job is to learn. Not just your discipline but everything possible. From biomedical engineering to design to cooking to networking. The more you know the better off you'll be and the more opportunities you can grab. As a soon-to-be adult in the "real world" your job is to find and secure a job. A large portion of the first job game is networking. Connect with as many people as you can and put on a friendly smile. You never know who will be the one with the Co-Op turned full time that can recommend you to their boss. Make sure you have something to do every summer to put on your resume. Some of my friends were struggling to fill up space on there. Ideally, you should have enough experience (internship, Co-Op, research, leadership, etc) by senior year that you need to omit stuff on your resume. Obviously, keep the grades high and motivation higher. You can't burnout before you have begun!
For someone who wants to work in the industry, my advice would be to find out what skills and experiences you need and also to always be nice to everybody you meet and work with, you never know how your connections might help you. Ask people how they got to where they are, and a majority of the time it is because they had connections. That's how it worked for me too. I had interned at a mechanical engineering firm and a coworker of mine said that her husband is a manager at a Med Device company and that's how I got my co-op at Getinge.
While it's great that you may have worked at a civil/mechanical/manufacturing firm, recruiters in the medical device field want college graduates that have experience working in an FDA regulated environment. So I would recommend taking an internship or co-op that is regulated by the FDA because that will give you a significant advantage over the competition. That is the exact reason why I am taking this course: to learn more about the industry and what it means to be regulated by the FDA.
Reading through the past comments, I also have to agree that students need to focus on obtaining as much industry experience as possible. Over the years, I heard from advisors that biomedical engineers compete with the other majors (chemical, electrical, and mechanical) in order to find jobs. Therefore, it makes it harder for us to grow our professional experience. My advice to my peers will be to connect as much as possible. Sadly, most of the time, it's about who you know to get a job. In addition, to not be picky about what opportunities are out there. While it's okay to be a little selective, we can't just consider particular jobs because they're our only interest. As we expose ourselves in the industry, we can learn about different fields that can spark our interest and make a career out of it. Overall, when you have the opportunity of doing a co-op or internship, connect as much as possible and excel in your position; engage with people and connect with them.
My best advice for the current and incoming students in the Biomedical engineering field is to obtain an internship/Co-op opportunities whether paid or unpaid. Any type of work experience you will receive while pursuing Bachelor will be in your great benefit when searching for Full-time jobs after graduating. Also, the most important tip is to make connections friendly and professional. Attend as many careers fair, on-campus workshop/conference as you can, you will get to learn about a company from the inside, it will improve your interview skills and will get to meet employers. That’s how you will broaden your network which eventually be very helpful. Now I know when we look for internship and job, they ask for experience while we are only in 2nd or 3rd year of your undergrad. In order to have little of information in our field, try to do research and get involved in activities on campus. In my personal experience, It took me a long time to get my first internship because I was not involved in any type of research or project until my 3rd year and was only focused on grades. So, like everyone mentioned in here, try networking as much as possible and do internships.
I'm not currently working in the industry but based on what I've seen so far and heard from the people around me it is very difficult to get a job without some sort of relevant experience. I think that the students should make it a priority for themselves to look for internship and coop opportunities as early as possible. This will save them tons of stress later on towards the end of college when it's time to look for a full-time position. They will have already made the connections they need to move further with their careers.
Even though I do not work in a medical device industry, some advice I would give is working on your networking skills and finding any experience related to what you want to do. Building on your networking skills helps with learning how to talk to people you’ve never met before and helps to see what else is out there. There might be other companies that are looking for potential candidates and networking to those people can benefit you in getting that position. Gaining experiences during your undergrad can help with finding positions after graduation. I wish I focused on these two areas to help project my career better. I also wish there were more classes to teach you how to work in the industry. While applying for jobs, it’s difficult to know which type of jobs are the ones to pursue. If we were taught what kind of positions were out there as a biomedical engineer and what they do and how to succeed in these positions, it would be more beneficial for us as students. GPA was always stressed on when in college and for an initial job, I believe it is important, especially for the bigger companies, but networking and experience is heavily relied on. I also believe many schools should incorporate co-ops and internships into their programs to help the students more. I went to a school where it was not required to do this and it was to be done either over the summer or to take less credits and do it during the semester but most students who are not required to do something will only focus on their academics to make sure they’re doing well. If I was required to take an internship during my curriculum, I would have stressed more about finding one verses just on my academics. I also believe that being more proactive during the semester to learn different coding languages is essential too because these will make you stand out different than other candidates.
Although I have not worked in a biomedical engineering related job, I do wish I was advised a bit, regarding academics, what to expect, and my future. First thing is to ensure you understand the task you are given at hand before beginning it. No matter how many questions you may ask, it is better to start a task given you have understood what is to be accomplished. This applies to not only academics, but also in the work place.
Although I am planning to go to physical therapy school, I have noticed a lot of students are conflicted between going into Academia or Industry. To avoid this dilemma, my piece of advice would be to go into research as soon as you have the opportunity too, to see if you enjoy research or not. Research is for some people and not for others.
