Alumni Spotlight - Angelo Fields
College students are notorious for being unsure with decision making, with boyfriends and girlfriends, and with majors. Taking a general route to explore options isn’t such a bad idea, especially when it means stepping outside comfort zones to study abroad or participate in a co-op. Proud alum Angelo Fields still bleeds blue and white, and he has one of the coolest job ever. Fields graduated in December 2004 as a general Science major. While he was a Penn State student, he participated in a Johnson & Johnson co-op that taught him exactly what he wanted- or rather didn’t want to do- for the rest of his life.
“The co-op was completely different than the production side of things,” Fields said. “Research is a lot of solitude, not a lot of interaction with other people. I learned a lab environment wasn’t for me. Fast-paced was.”
That’s what brought him to his current position in Columbus, Ohio. Fields’ is a brewing group manager at Anheuser-Busch. He started as the company’s microbiologist, where he assessed the quality of beer (and yes, that does include a daily taste-testing).
“I loved beer coming out of school, and I thought it was the right way to go,” Fields said.
Fields still appreciates his co-op experience in helping him realize his true calling.
“What I got out of it was as valuable as anything. In your best-case scenario, you’ll find out what you want to do in life. In another case, you’ll find out exactly what you don’t want to do. Beer just worked for me,” he said. “It’s lucky for me that it takes a technical mind. It allowed me to use creativity, social interaction, and all the skills I got at Penn State- the best four-and-a-half years of my life. If you get up every morning and you like what you do, you’re no longer constantly longing for college. The co-op and the student both find out if they’re a match for each other. I still proudly keep Johnson and Johnson on my resume.”
Fields keeps his experiences at Penn State, both academic and social, close to his heart. His most fond memory is according to him, “a no-brainer.”
Along with his roommate and close friend, Fields never missed a single home or away game his junior and senior years.
“The best part about it was the money I was able to make on co-op junior year was able to pay for experiences for the next two years. We hit all the Big 10 schools. We didn’t miss a single game,” he said.
Fields’ advice for current students is to maximize the college experience by taking advantage of opportunities like a co-op.
“You’ll realize this is where your degree is sending you. Is this what you want to do for the rest of your life? There are only so many hours of sunlight in a day. Get as much in as you can, and have a good time with it,” he said.
For more information on co-op, internship, externship, and study abroad experiences contact Susan Knell or visit http://cie.science.psu.edu/