Where will your MPH degree take you? Two lessons to mentally prepare for your MPH degree in the time of COVID-19, with Sujani Siva
05/19/20 • 14 min
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Show Notes
In this episode, we’re talking about preparing for your MPH degree in the time of COVID-19. Some of you may be feeling unsure about how things are going to be when classes start. Perhaps you’re feeling some anxiety, or have many questions around whether your experience is going to be valuable. We’re here to tell you that these feelings you are experiencing are valid. This episode is to give you a bit of comfort and to convince you that despite the changes we must face, you can still have a good experience.
In 2017, Sujani wrote a two-part blog post titled “Where will your MPH degree take you?”. She wrote this piece to reflect on her journey into public health. As Sujani reflects on the current situation we are in due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she couldn’t help but think about the new set of MPH students who will be embarking on their graduate program this fall. She was compelled to revisit this reflection to see if the same lessons still apply. (Spoiler alert: they do still apply!)
You’ll Learn
- The training you are embarking on is extremely important
- There are things you can’t control in this pandemic that will be affecting your MPH program/training
- Two important lessons that Sujani learnt during her MPH degree, and a reflection on whether they still apply in the current context
- These two lessons are: seeking your own opportunities and going above and beyond the bare minimum
- Examples on how to seek your own opportunities (lesson #1)
- Example of how Sujani went above and beyond the bare minimum (lesson #2)
- An invitation to talk about/reflect on your current feelings as you prepare for your MPH program
Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.
Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!
Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text!
Show Notes
In this episode, we’re talking about preparing for your MPH degree in the time of COVID-19. Some of you may be feeling unsure about how things are going to be when classes start. Perhaps you’re feeling some anxiety, or have many questions around whether your experience is going to be valuable. We’re here to tell you that these feelings you are experiencing are valid. This episode is to give you a bit of comfort and to convince you that despite the changes we must face, you can still have a good experience.
In 2017, Sujani wrote a two-part blog post titled “Where will your MPH degree take you?”. She wrote this piece to reflect on her journey into public health. As Sujani reflects on the current situation we are in due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she couldn’t help but think about the new set of MPH students who will be embarking on their graduate program this fall. She was compelled to revisit this reflection to see if the same lessons still apply. (Spoiler alert: they do still apply!)
You’ll Learn
- The training you are embarking on is extremely important
- There are things you can’t control in this pandemic that will be affecting your MPH program/training
- Two important lessons that Sujani learnt during her MPH degree, and a reflection on whether they still apply in the current context
- These two lessons are: seeking your own opportunities and going above and beyond the bare minimum
- Examples on how to seek your own opportunities (lesson #1)
- Example of how Sujani went above and beyond the bare minimum (lesson #2)
- An invitation to talk about/reflect on your current feelings as you prepare for your MPH program
Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.
Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!
Previous Episode
Behind the scenes at PH SPOT with Kajanth and Sujani
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Show Notes
This is the second episode we are recording since the COVID-19 pandemic. As we all try to navigate this new way of life, we at PH SPOT wanted to switch things up and produce a few podcast episodes that are different from our original show.
In today’s episode, Sujani sits down with someone special. You may have heard his name in our intro episode, or in some of our email communications. If you guessed Kajanth, you are absolutely right.
Kajanth, as introduced in our intro episode, is one of the unsung heroes of PH SPOT. He is responsible for how all of the content is delivered to you. He is behind the building of our websites (PH SPOT and Infographics101.com), podcasts, and online course, to name a few...Name a PH SPOT product, and Kajanth is probably the reason you can access it on your devices. (Kajanth is also Sujani’s husband!)
For this episode, we thought it would be fun for the two of them to record an unplanned and unscripted episode about PH SPOT. This was an exciting and equally nervous episode to record as neither knew where the conversation was going!
You’ll Learn
- Who Kajanth is, and his role at PH SPOT (as a non-public health person, what he thinks of public health)
- The moment PH SPOT began to feel like more than a blog
- The journey of how PH SPOT came to be
- The different moments that Sujani and Kajanth remember about building PH SPOT – the fun and the difficult moments
- The small and big dreams they’ve dreamt up for the future of PH SPOT
Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.
Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!
Next Episode
Three tips for public health professionals starting out their careers, with Sujani Siva
Tell us what you thought of this episode - send us a text!
Show Notes
In this episode, Sujani shares a presentation she did last year to the ThriveHire audience. Having recently found this video, and listening to it again now almost a year later, we felt that the advice couldn’t be any more important right now. So we decided to put it up here on our podcast, as well as a little bit about our Infographics 101 course that ties in with tip #3. So, enjoy this episode, brought to you by Sujani, from the past 😉
You’ll Learn
- Sujani’s three tips for public health professionals starting out their careers
- Tip #1: Constantly think about building your network
- People and relationships will take you places: job opportunities, mentorship/advice, etc.
- Tip #2: Reflect, set goals, reflect some more & set more goals (and repeat)
- Look back, so you can look forward
- Tip #3: Make yourself stand out & shine
- How can you add value to your organization and make yourself stand out? And be valued?
- Developing a unique skill is one way to make yourself stand out, for example, being the one who can design infographics
Resources
- Relevant blog posts and podcast episode mentioned:
- Podcast: Where will your MPH degree take you? Two lessons to mentally prepare for your MPH degree in the time of COVID-19, with Sujani Siva
- Blog post: Where will your MPH degree take you? (Part 1)
- Blog post: Where will your MPH degree take you? (Part 2)
- Blog post: Lessons learned after an #InterviewFail for a once in a lifetime kind of interview (why building relationships are important)
- Free ebook: 7 Things You Can Do Right Now to Advance Your Public Health Career & Set Yourself Up for Success
- Course: INFOGRAPHICS 101 – How to design public health infographics with softwares you know & use
Join The Public Health Career Club: A global membership community where public health professionals connect, learn, and support each other in building meaningful and impactful careers.
Go from feeling confused, alone and overwhelmed, to feeling confident and in control of your life and career!
Public Health SPOTlight Podcast - Where will your MPH degree take you? Two lessons to mentally prepare for your MPH degree in the time of COVID-19, with Sujani Siva
Transcript
I was speaking to my younger cousin last week who will be starting university this fall. And the thought that his first day of university may be underwhelming, as he jumps in front of a computer from his table setup in his room was just something that I felt very sad for him. Especially because it wasn't part of his plan as he applied to university, which is probably the case for many of you who will be forced into an online MPH program, as certain
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