Life After Mac: Real Stories of alumni finding their way—Emily-Rose
I was fortunate enough to be accepted to McMaster University for a Master of Applied Science (M.A.Sc) in Biomedical Engineering under the supervision of Dr. Kathryn Grandfield. This unique program takes students with backgrounds in either health sciences or engineering. I fall in the former category after obtaining my undergraduate degree from Texas Christian University in Biology (B.Sc) in 2014. I grew up in Newmarket Ontario but went to the US to compete as an NCAA Division 1 athlete on a full-ride scholarship. However, I always knew I wanted to return back to Ontario after my studies.
At McMaster, I had the privilege of getting hands-on experience with various imaging technologies working at state-of-the-art facilities including the Canadian Centre for Electron Microscopy (CCEM), the Electron Microscopy Facility in the Health Science Centre, and the McMaster Automotive Resource Center (MARC).
After completing my Master’s Degree, I wanted to get some experience in industry. I went to a McMaster career fair where I learned about Keyence Corporation. I spoke with the representatives at the booth. They had a division where they sold microscopes. We talked about my work with microscopy at McMaster and I got an interview and was hired as a Technical Sales Representative selling their digital microscope to various industries including automotive, aerospace, pharmaceutical, etc. During my time at Keyence, I found myself enjoying the onsite installation, customer training and customer support aspects of the jobs the most. I decided to start looking for Technical Support jobs.
I landed a job as a Field Service Representative at ThermoFisher Scientific where I am currently employed. I cover a wide range of products including qPCR, genetic sequencers and microscopes. I got my job in 2018 and in 2020 when the pandemic hit I was onsite using my experience to install and repair the equipment used to test for Covid. It was very rewarding work knowing that the equipment I was servicing had such a direct impact on society.
I would not be where I am today without McMaster University and my supervisor Dr. Kathryn Grandfield who gave me this opportunity. In addition to the career path McMaster helped build, I met my husband at the university where he was a Master’s student in the Nuclear Engineering program. We now have two beautiful children!
My advice to others is not to worry too much if your career path is not exactly what you thought it would be and to embrace the opportunities you are given. You never know where that opportunity might take you. I went from a health science degree where I thought I’d be working mainly with people to a technology job where I work with equipment. And I am very happy with where I have ended up!
Emily-Rose Joyal (Creighton)
M.A.Sc. Biomedical Engineering ‘16
The Office of Alumni Engagement will be featuring recent grad’s career stories to show career paths are anything but linear. If you graduated in the last 10 years and are interested, share your story.
If you are looking to get started on your own journey, take advantage of the resources available to recent graduates through our partnership with the Student Success Centre.
