Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast! This episode features a conversation with Bailei Hoyng, a 2015 Van Buren High School graduate who is a Process Development Engineer for Boston Scientific living in Israel. Bailei shares about what she does as a process engineer, how her co-ops in college helped her identify the specific type of engineering she enjoyed, what it is like to live in Israel, and much more. Whether you are interested in a career as a engineer, are still exploring your options, or want to live overseas someday, I hope that what Bailei shares today will help all of you make better career decisions and have fulfilling career journeys. Enjoy the show!
1:40 - What Boston Scientific does and what Bailei does as a process engineer.
2:39 - Process development goes beyond the creation of a new product.
3:35 - New product for which Bailei helped develop the process for it to be produced.
5:25 - Process developers have to consider how any changes they make will impact the later development processes.
7:05 - Bailei did a co-op with an orthopedic company in college and learned a lot from that experience that she now applies in her job.
8:07 - As a high schooler, Bailei randomly thought she wanted to go into biomedical engineering.
9:30 - As an engineer, Bailei is still able to help people.
10:00 - Attended the University of Akron because it was the lowest cost - the degree is what matters, not the name of the school on the degree.
11:30 - The various paths/majors Bailei could have pursued
12:43 - Five co-ops is not typical for most biomedical process engineers.
13:45 - Co-ops gave Bailei the opportunity to learn about her skills and those that she needed to improve as she headed into her career.
15:23 - Bailei had multiple co-ops with Zimmer in three different fields.
18:00 - Co-ops are about the company and the student learning from each other.
19:28 - Bailei suggests having co-ops/internships with various companies to be able to compare the experiences and be able to make better employment decisions.
20:40 - The confluence of Covid and Bailei’s first job with Boston Scientific.
21:33 - Things that are unexpected lead to route modification, and that has worked well in Bailei’s career.
22:55 - Being in a sink or swim position leads to growth.
25:42 - Bailei wanted to make a move, but she hit some significant delays
26:40 - The opportunity to go to Israel
28:25 - Becoming acclimated to Israeli culture
29:55 - Getting gas in Israel is a process.
31:05 - Concerns Bailei had about going to Israel were unfounded.
34:28 - Bailei’s advice for people considering this career.
36:52 - Connections are EVERYTHING.
39:22 - If you aren’t learning and you are feeling stuck in your job, make a change.
39:55 - Being uncomfortable is what leads a person to grow.
40:36 - Don’t be afraid to communicate what you want.
Questions?
Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/) or e-mail (bbratt@vbschools.net).
Connect with Bailei on LinkedIn (www.linkedin.com/in/bailei-hoyng-151178149/) or by e-mail (bailei.hoyng@bsi.com).
