Being Open to Networking Creates Opportunities for Career Growth

As Aaron Odegard, MS, MLS(ASCP)^CMSM^CM, reflects back on his career trajectory, he is appreciative for all the individuals he has met who have given his career a boost.

“I wouldn’t be where I am without the great people who took a chance on me,” says Mr. Odegard, a microbiology medical technologist at Baptist Health in Jacksonville, Fla. “I always tell younger colleagues to stay open to new opportunities. You never know where it will lead.”

One pivotal moment occurred in 2003, through a chance meeting with Lynnette Chakkaphak, MS, MT(ASCP). Then the program director at St. Vincent’s MLS program in Jacksonville, she talked to him about medical laboratory specialist careers. Although he enrolled in another MLS program in town, he kept in touch with her. He got his start as a microbiology medical technologist starting on the bench at Mayo Clinic, in Jacksonville, Fla., worked his way up to lead technologist and earned a master’s degree in molecular pharmacology from Mayo Graduate School.

Years later, while teaching in the MLS program at the University of North Florida, he reached out to Ms. Chakkaphak, a member of the ASCP Board of Directors, about guest lecturing in his diagnostic bacteriology course. This conversation soon led to getting involved with ASCP. She connected him with the Society and he quickly became an ASCP Local Representative. It opened the door for several opportunities, including serving on the ASCP Council of Laboratory Professionals.

“Becoming part of local and national professional organizations, and volunteering with them, has worked out well for me. Every major accomplishment I’ve experienced is the result of collaborating with colleagues and mentors,” he says. “The connections made as a member of these groups has the ability to transform and drive your professional growth.”

Mr. Odegard encourages others to attend lectures and annual meetings, and to make it a point to connect with speakers at conferences and annual meetings. “Just starting a conversation with a speaker might trigger a connection or result in an exchange of business cards. I have found that if you are passionate about your work, others will take an interest and be willing to invest in your career growth,” he says. “Be brave and take risks. They’ll pay off in the long term.”