PHEC 027: Why I Started the Myth-busting Challenge

A large portion of my audience includes people who have completed their degree but struggle with getting into the field of public health for one reason or another.  Questions about how I became an epidemiologist were (and still are) the most common questions I received on LinkedIn, because people really wanted to know how I managed to get into the position that matched my degree. That is one of the main reasons I started this podcast.  I place a big emphasis on motivating students and encouraging them to “own” their journey through graduate school (instead of just surviving) and to develop a broader view of the possibilities within public health, regarding careers.

Recently, I’ve decided to focus on a better way to help those of you who have already completed your degree, but face challenges getting into the field of public health.  Instead of working one on one, I developed a program that can help several at once and begin to foster a new community where you can start to encourage one another, network, and begin to achieve your career goals.

I polled members of the podcast group on Facebook, and found interesting results.  The number one career challenge that people who had already completed their public health degrees faced was lack of experience or skills needed to get into the field.  The second biggest challenge, which was very close to number one, was the belief that public health job opportunities are limited.

Please listen to the full episode for more details.