This isn't what I thought: Navigating career changes till you find your people

Many students, especially those in higher education, have often been described as “driven” with a “clear career path”. Starting as early as grade school, they began their career journey with college preparatory courses, specialized learning experiences, and attending a local college before High School graduation to get a head start on their answer to “What do you want to be when you grow up?”. Yet, students of all ages often get to college, or even their “ideal” career, and find their “dream” just isn’t what they thought. This talk will not only give permission to those people to try something new but will use my personal experience “career path hopping” to demonstrate how no past experience is “wasted time”.  This talk is designed to encourage career exploration outside the standard expectations to find your place as a scientist and individual.