- What is the current degree that you are working towards?
- Hi! My name is Michael Hanley and I’m currently enrolled in the Nanotechnology Engineering Program at the University of Waterloo, and I will be graduating in 2025.
- Why did you choose to pursue this degree?
- The biggest reason I ended up choosing Nanotechnology Engineering was my love for chemistry. In high school, I knew that chemistry was my favourite subject, however, I knew I didn’t want to go into pure science as I knew I wanted to be able to design and build things. I originally thought I was going to pursue Chemical Engineering but when I went to the University of Waterloo open house, I found out that Nanotechnology Engineering had more chemistry than Chemical Engineering and I was hooked into the idea of enrolling in Nanotechnology Engineering. After looking at the program content, I saw that could obtain a wide range of skills in Chemistry, Material Science, and Chemical/Electrical Engineering and that solidified me into joining the program.
- What have been the most significant challenges, if any, that you’ve encountered on this degree path?
- The most significant challenge I’ve faced pursuing this career path is trying to diversify my skills and engineering perspective through co-op. I love what I learn in the Nanotechnology Engineering Program, but I know that I wanted to try some form of Product/Mechanical Design Engineering with hopes to potentially bring what I learn from industry and incorporate it into what I learned from the Nanotechnology Engineering Program. I’ve been able to overcome this challenge, but it required a lot of effort outside of the classroom to do so.
- What is your favorite part about the University of Waterloo?
- The best thing about Waterloo is the co-op program and the ability to gain hands-on experience. Being able to graduate with 2 years of working experience right out of graduation is invaluable and the ability to try out 6 different co-ops to find out what you’re interested in is amazing! Also, the number of facilities we have to work on personal projects is great and the student design teams have been one of my favourite experiences while at university, it’s given me a great opportunity to work on projects that I would never do in class.
- Now reflecting on your path in nanotechnology so far, what recommendations would you have for younger (high school) students interested in pursuing a career or degree in this field? (Useful classes or skills, etc.)
- My advice for potential students looking to pursue a career or degree in this field is to have good time management and a great work ethic. These 2 skills will definitely lead to success within any degree you pursue and within any career you pursue. Also, in the Nanotechnology Engineering Program, we take lots of chemistry classes throughout the degree, so make sure you know you like chemistry!
To learn more about Michael Hanley please visit his LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mhanley10/