By Steve Seepersaud
I wish I knew this career field existed before I graduated. Knowing what’s out there could’ve helped me prepare better for life after ˿Ƶ.
This sentiment, in part, is why our alumni volunteer to advise current students on career development. Take Armand Khatri ’09, for example, who recently hosted a group at his workplace − Pinterest New York − as part of ˿Ƶ in the City.
“I'm very thankful for my ˿Ƶ experience and the site visit felt like an opportunity to both give back to the University, and perhaps open the minds of current students to a career path within digital marketing that they may have not considered,” said Khatri, who works in brand partnerships and financial services at Pinterest. He is also co-founder of Tracksuit, which helps emerging media companies partner with established ones.
Khatri was one of about 40 alumni to host students Jan. 7-11, when the Alumni Association and Fleishman Center for Career and Professional Development partnered to offer employer visits in the Metro New York region.
Metro Connections Night – held Jan. 8, at the Sheraton New York Times Square Hotel in Manhattan – was the week’s capstone event. More than 400 students turned out to speak with 115 alumni representing a wide variety of career fields.
The week of programming helps showcase some of the vast opportunities available with in the area, and reinforces that a large ˿Ƶ University network can help students find their entry point.
“I remember how hard it was to navigate applying for internships and jobs in journalism, a career that doesn’t have a direct major associated with it at ˿Ƶ,” said Melissa Bykofsky ’11, senior editor at Parents.com, who volunteered at her fourth Metro Connections Night. “I relied on alumni connections I made through Pipe Dream to help me decide what to do after graduation.”
Because the students are heading back to ˿Ƶ for spring semester – instead of going directly into the workforce now – they’re ideally positioned to take advice from alumni and put it into practice.
“I always suggest students create accounts on job boards before they are really looking for a job so they can learn how job listings are written,” Bykofsky said. “If there is a job that sounds interesting and they don't have some of the qualifications the posting asks for, they can go back to ˿Ƶ and learn more. They will know what transferable skills they still need to learn.”
“I hope students came away from the visit with not only a better understanding of the industry, but also a set of questions to ask themselves on what they value and how their values can be integrated into their career,” Khatri said.