Full Name: Maureen Hodgens
Class Year: 2019
Major: History
Shadowing Visit Site: Massachusetts General Hospital
Describe your visit and what did you gain from the experience?
During my visit at MGH, I was able to help pass out informational packets to new employees before my host alumni’s presentation, meet all four of his coworkers for half hour meetings to discuss their typical day and hear some of their advice, receive a tour of the hospital, and go out to lunch with my host and his coworkers at their favorite restaurant in the city.
How did this experience influence or connect to your future career plans/goals?
After years of wanting to work in a hospital, I had really been losing hope in the medical field and this day sparked a newfound hope and motivation for me. Before this shadow experience, I had never been to MGH before, but I quickly learned that it is truly an amazing place, and maybe even one that I would be interested in working at in the future.
What is some helpful advice your alumni host shared with you?
My alumni host told me: “A career is not a prison sentence. When I was in college, I always felt like the path I chose would be binding and inescapable, but it’s not. You can always change your mind, even once you are hired as a new employee.”
Why would you recommend the Alumni Job Shadowing Program to other students?
I recommend the Alumni Job Shadowing Program to other students because you don’t know if you like a job until you actually get field experience. Most of the tasks my host alumni completed throughout the day were completely different from his job description. It is also helpful to shadow for the day because you can feel what it is like to wake up and make the commute, what lunch in the city with coworkers is like, how a commute home feels, and what it feels like to come home after a “long day at work.” Until you actually take part in a day on the job, you can’t judge if the job is a right fit for you. It’s better to spend one day experiencing a job that you don’t like rather than a month, year, or even more. Even if the job you are matched with isn’t a perfect fit, you will absolutely learn something from your experience. This program is a great resource for students who are unsure, somewhat sure, or completely sure of what they want to do in the future. Everyone can benefit from participating in a program like this while at Holy Cross!
