(176e) How to Entrepreneur - a Young Professional's Adventure in an Entrepreneurial Organization

The leap from the classroom to the field is an exciting one. The thought that finals and late nights in the lab are finally at end breeds eagerness, but this is far from the truth. Entering an entrepreneurial organization has the tests and late nights but in a very different way. One begins to learn to implement the skills accumulated in college. High school taught you how to learn, college is where you learned to think, and the professional world is where you implement. The plant, lab, and jobsite become the classrooms, the operators, other engineers, and office coworkers become the teachers and if you hope to succeed you take advantage of all the resources available. An entrepreneurial job is sink or swim and swimming requires hard work and long hours, if you’re willing to do the work and put in the time the reward is unmatched.  An entrepreneurial organization is in constant change, continually improving, and sometimes making a few mistakes.  A young professional with a positive energetic attitude cannot find a better place to be early in their career. This talk breaks down some important lessons learned in the first year as a young chemical engineering professional in this entrepreneurial environment.