Insights from Aryka Thomson: A redirection to passions

It’s never too late to pivot your career direction in a way that’ll allow you to pursue your passions – and that’s exactly what Aryka Thomson did. After graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University, Thomson realized she needed more. With support through colleagues that directed her to the online masters program at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Thomson’s opportunity to pursue environmental engineering was possible. Now as a Water/Wastewater Process Engineer at HDR, Thomson reflects on the program that gave her this opportunity to make aspirations real.

Why did you choose the Master of Engineering with a named option in Environmental Engineering?

A colleague recommended this program after completing it a year or two before I started looking into graduate programs. I was looking for an online program because of the geographic and daytime flexibility, allowing me to stay in my hometown and continue working full-time. I appreciate that this program is transparent and provides an explicit tuition cost, course list, and course schedule, which few institutions do. This program also offers opportunities to interact with on-campus and remote students from a variety of undergraduate fields and learn from professors and advisors with industry experience. The program felt well established (especially for an online program) and having it recommended by a colleague whose path I could see myself following helped make the choice clear.

How did the program support you and your goals?

Part way through my undergraduate program, I had a feeling mechanical engineering wasn’t the best fit for me. However, I landed a job at HDR, a company that I was—and still am—happy to work for and hoped that I would enjoy the field once I entered the workforce. This architecture and engineering consulting firm has hands in nearly every type of infrastructure. I started in the power generation sector and after a few years, I realized that my role as a mechanical engineer was not a good fit for me long-term.

I went on to research graduate programs in the environmental sector, hoping to find one that includes a focus on water and solid waste, both of which are interests of mine that also align with my employer’s work areas. The program at UW-Madison gave me an opportunity to steer my workload towards environmental engineering, confirming my interest, especially within wastewater treatment. The need for water/wastewater process engineers in my office was growing, and when the opportunity presented itself in my final year of the program, I made the switch. So far, I am enjoying my new role and applying the technical and soft skills I learned or improved upon throughout the program.

What would you tell others who are considering applying to this program?

The phrase “you get out what you put in” applies to this program. I have heard of other online programs that have you listening to lectures, taking occasional exams, and possibly doing a group project or two. In this program, nearly all courses had interactive lectures and group projects, sometimes in addition to individual homework. This contributed to more time spent on a weekly basis than I anticipated; however, the time spent learning from my professors and classmates and practicing engineering judgment on realistic projects was more valuable than other course structures that may have been less time-consuming but promoted memorization and test-taking.

As a recent graduate, how has the program impacted your career?

It’s allowed me to change the direction of my career to one that more closely aligns with my interests. It also gave me the opportunity to connect with classmates that continue to be part of my professional network as we all move forward in our careers. Working with classmates who have similar work experience but at different companies also provided new perspectives while helping me build self-confidence in my engineering judgment.