Keith Olson
Natural Energy Laboratory of Hawaii Authority (NELHA)
Kona, HI USA
"Things are going to happen...but how you react to what’s happening is what’s most important."
Career Roadmap
Keith's work combines: Engineering, Environment & Nature, and Learning / Being Challenged
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Select a generic scientific area of interest to study (Chemistry, Biology, Engineering...) and master the basics. Then minor or take a class or two in computer programming.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Associate's Degree
Engineering, General
Suffolk County Community College
Bachelor's Degree
Chemical Engineering
State University of New York at New Paltz
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life took a while to figure out
1.
Grew up on Long Island, New York; says at the time, the possibility of someday living in Hawaii didn’t even cross his mind.
2.
He knew he wanted to go to the State University of New York’s College of Environmental Science and Forestry.
3.
But first, he went to Suffolk County Community College to save money; says community college taught him tons of life skills.
4.
When he got to the College of Environmental Science and Forestry, he entered the paper science and engineering program.
5.
After graduating, he moved to California and worked at a paper mill for several months, but decided it wasn’t for him.
6.
He had many of the skill sets of a chemical engineer, so he ended up working for Chevron and the Berkeley Lab.
7.
He and his wife decided to move to Hawaii; he couldn’t find a job so he became a forest ranger and built up his soft skills.
8.
Now works at NELHA, an 870-acre ocean and science technology park; he also teaches yoga on the side!
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Myself:
Your work needs to be perfect.
How I responded:
I realized that in the long run that this didn't matter. I had to start thinking big picture and not let small things get to me.
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I didn't have mentors in my family to coach me on the difficulties of College or to show and help me transition into a professional career.