Ask The NAEM Board: What Is The One Skill You Use Every Day But Didn’t Expect To?
I started in college as a pre-Veterinary student with a major in Chemistry. Little did I know that after completing an internship in a Veterinary Hospital and completing a semester of animal science courses, I would realize I could not handle the “biology” of the practice (I couldn’t stand the site of blood). After leaving the pre-Vet program I stayed on course with the bachelors degree in Chemistry because I really liked it but I had no idea what to do with my degree after graduating.
After a year of teaching High School science (Chemistry, Biology and Physical Science), I realized I was not ready to teach science let alone to very young students, so I started looking for a job where I could use my Chemistry degree. More than 20 years later, I still love science and I am still in love with the environmental field that launched my career. Moreover, I still love teaching and do so on a daily basis.
Teaching is an essential part of my job and I enjoy it and love instructing the associates in my company. The training I do is not in a structured classroom setting but rather through the interaction with the different locations and associates during project meetings and audits. The interaction really goes a long way in creating understanding and compliance at the end of the day.
I never thought after that first year as High School Science teacher I would become a science instructor for the better part of my career and will probably end up teaching in a classroom again some day.
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NAEM Staff
The National Association for Environmental, Health and Safety, and Sustainability (EHS&S) Management (NAEM) empowers corporate leaders to advance environmental stewardship, create safe and healthy workplaces and promote global sustainability. As the leading business community for EHS&S decision-makers, we provide engaging forums, a curated network, peer benchmarking, research insights and tools for solving today’s corporate EHS&S management challenges. Visit us online at naem.org.