Midhun Vasan sent a message to Steven Voorhees that said:
Sir,
Last time we met, you were holding on to a beer, 4th of August, 2016. WestRock had taken all the interns who were attending the ECD summit (Richmond, VA), to a huge arcade/bowling alley. It was a fun night. Dinner was good. The company was better. Folded sleeves and a casual smile, you seemed at ease and engaged in a conversation with the many interns surrounding you, looking up to you in a way to catch some life-altering advice or secrets. Like the rest of the interns, I asked you a question. You gave me a great answer. As all of us retired for the night, I had my mind made up all the more that I want to come back to work for WestRock. However, things don’t always go as planned, for whatever reasons.
Currently I am a graduate from Iowa State University, holding a Master’s degree in Industrial Engineering. I graduated in December, 2016. I finished my Bachelor’s in Mechanical Engineering from one of the best universities in India. Eager to learn and gain more knowledge, I decided to pursue higher education, which brought me to the U.S. I never held a full time position. I had done internships prior to my arrival in the U.S.
If you have started reading this line, thank you for your patience.
The ECD summit had a great impact on me. Not having worked on a full time basis before, I was still confused as to what kind of position I should hold. Quality? Production? Reliability? Manufacturing? List goes on in possible engineering roles. The ECD program caught my eyes and hooked me on to the idea of being able to rotate through different roles, at the end of which I could decide which role I suits me the best. Excited and eager I approached the WestRock employees in charge of the program. “ECD program is strictly designed for undergraduate students only” is the response I received from one employee. Others had the same response, phrased differently.
I currently have two more months to find a job before I have to leave the country. I am an immigrant on F1 Visa on OPT status. Having a Master’s degree right after my Bachelor’s degree has obviously robbed me of having work experience. My bad decision to pursue higher education. It has also made me overqualified for a program such as ECD for which I know I will be a perfect fit.
Obviously there is a reason for not including graduates in this program. The problem is, I do not know or understand why. I am the same as an undergraduate student who took few higher level classes and wrote a thesis. Sure, it has a degree’s name attached to it. When it comes to being employed in a full time position, I am as new to it as an undergraduate student. Yet, I am considered to be overqualified. And what is even more funny is that I am underqualified for jobs that needs a Bachelor’s degree plus one or two years of work experience, since the MS degree I hold doesn’t compensate for the work experience. This is not a letter to ask you to help me out. This is a letter, to understand why things are the way they are. I want to tell myself that wanting to keep on studying when I finished my undergraduate degree was not the wrong decision. I will find the answer somehow. If you could give me one, it will make it easier. Thank you for your time.
Sincerely,
Midhun Vasan
midhun.vasan@gmail.com; 515-708-3584
