Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1510765
48 SMT007 MAGAZINE I NOVEMBER 2023 You always have home- work and tests. ey don't really teach you about the work-life balance that you need to avoid burnout by the end of the term. It seems like everyone nowadays is talking about work-life balance. When- ever we have multiple things going on at one time and it's overwhelming, my boss tells me, "Don't ever let your work overtake your personal life, because your career is not a sprint; it's a marathon." Michelle Te: Is that work-life balance and flex- ibility something you discussed with your friends at school? How important was that? I believe those ideas formed when we were at school and what we saw on social media. We saw classmates with internships who said, "I like this about my internship, but I wish I could have had more flexibility to work from home or the opportunity to take a day off." For Gen Z, in general, those ideals are everywhere. Matties: So, when you were thinking about your career, what was most important to you? Looking back on my senior year, I wanted challenging, purposeful work, but also a nice salary. Now, the location matters—it's been hard being so far away from my family. If there had been more roles open near home, maybe I would have considered it. But I love my work; it's challenging and brings purpose. Matties: When you talk about "purpose," what do you mean? Is that a higher purpose for mankind or just for your well-being? For my generation, purposeful work is about our own well-being. We really care about that. Every day that you go to work, you feel like you're accomplishing something; it's for the greater good, and you're helping people. At the same time, you can balance your work and home life. Matties: Was work-life balance discussed during your job interview? How was it brought up? I brought it up and asked several questions. If you want to make this job into a career, it's really impor- tant for my generation to ask those questions in the interview. If the inter- viewer doesn't immedi- ately tell you about a typ- ical day for a validation engineer, you need to ask. Ask them: Do I have the flexibility to work from home? Will I be given PTO and retirement? You need to take initiative and ask whether that will be part of your work environ- ment, especially if it's a core value for you. Matties: Have you heard the saying, "Leave your problems at the door?" Is that something employers have shifted away from? Yes, there's been a shi, especially at my work- place. My boss is awesome and he understands that you're human. Matties: Oftentimes, people think of manu- facturing as the big robotic arms in automo- tive factories they see in commercials. In our industry, manufacturing is scaled down to, in some cases, manually lifting boards from one tank to the next. You're dealing with chemi- cals, odors, and protective gear. How impor- tant is the quality of environment for you? Safety matters, 100%. I don't want to be in a career where I feel like I'm in harm's way every single day that I'm working there. I know my employer is taking every necessary safety precaution because, again, your career is not a sprint; it's a marathon. Hannah Nelson