A stay at home jeweler, a Nike account executive, a news anchor and a research specialist by day and actress by night were just a few of the IU alumni who doled out career advice to current students Friday in the Indiana Memorial Union.
The Walter Center for Career Achievement invited more than 20 distinguished alumni to Connect 2017, a conference-style program, which demonstrated the opportunities a degree in the liberal arts and sciences can provide students.
Recruitment coordinator, Rhian Buchol, said the intention behind Friday’s program was to help students find the value in their degree by encouraging them to network with alumni who have utilized theirs.
“We’re trying to find a way to show students they have options by bringing in alumni who have been in their shoes,” Bucholz said.
Although, some degrees provide college students with a sense of security because the outcome is more established.
Students in the College of Arts and Sciences do not have this security, Bucholz said. Although students are learning a wide breadth of skills, she said they often don’t know what career path to take. Bucholz said the variety of options can lead to them feeling lost and confused about the career path they should take.
“We’re trying to provide close, personalized environments, so students don’t get overwhelmed,” Bucholz said.
Friday’s program had five sessions, each with three seminars. The seminar topics ranged from entrepreneurship, internships, gender in the workplace, overcoming failure and artistic careers.
In one of the sessions about artistic careers, the alumni discussed combining their interest in the arts with a practical career, which helps them to sustain their livelihood. All of the panelists were artists, but the way in which each of them incorporate it into their lives is different.
Katie Fagan, artists and repertoire manager at Prescription Songs, emphasized the importance of creating relationships through networking because she said the connections students make can help them in the future, even if they don’t realize it now.
“If you can’t get where you want right out of college, that’s okay,” Fagan said. “If you can get somewhere that’s going to take you to the next level, do it.”
Fagan, who graduated in 2010 with a bachelor’s degree in popular vocal music, said she came to the realization that her major was not the most sustainable. She said her natural reaction was to panic because she didn’t know how she would apply it to the real world.
“I had no clue,” Fagan said, “I was like, there’s no chance. I’m never going to get out of IU.”
Fagan said the connections she made her senior year ended up helping her get her current position. By reaching out to people who had connections in the music industry, she was able to create her own connections.
Ultimately, she got her job because she was persistent, yet respectful, a combination she said is important when reaching out to potential employers.
Laura Fonseca, Walter Center for Career Achievement’s senior associate director, said the program was created by the center’s team after reaching out to alumni and students to understand their preferred networking method.
“Alumn can provide additional insight into industries and career paths,” Fonseca said. “Research tells us networking continues to be incredibly important for any job seeker.”
