Recently, I reached out to some college students that I know and asked them to write about how they chose their majors. The following is post by Tanaz Ahmed, a freshman at University of Michigan.
Whenever I tell people that I plan on majoring in English there is often an unspoken, sometimes even spoken, sentiment that I’m pursuing something that isn’t “job-worthy.” Most (my parents included) just want to know, why English? There are hundreds of Continue reading
You know you’re going to college, but can’t fathom how those four years will translate into preparing you to get a job because you don’t even have the slightest clue of what you want to study. Or you’re in college. You’ve flitted from major to major in several times, but still are unsure about your choice. Or worse. You’re near the end of your degree, it’s too late to switch majors, and you decided that you don’t want to pursue a career in the field your degree prepares you to enter into.
Sound like you?
Take a little bit of time to watch a few short videos from JobTalk4All’s previous event, “College Bound, Now What? Figuring Out Your Career Path,” to glean insight into how to figure “it” all out.
In Part I, Gardening Teacher Suzanne Cunningham shares her story of how she entered Smith College headed for law school and became a gardening teacher instead.
Hear from Holly Bull, who’s the president of Princeton’s Center for Interim Programs, talk about the benefits of taking a gap year. Bull took two gap years herself, so she knows the benefits from firsthand experiences. Helping people navigate their gap year experience since 1986, Bull has holds a bachelor’s degree from University of Virginia and a master’s in education from Harvard University.
Career Coach Alex Freund finishes up the event by explaining what you, as a college student, can and should do to prepare for entering the workforce. Freund had a long career as a hiring manager in Fortune 500 companies including Honeywell and Tyco before starting his coaching business, The Landing Expert.
Recently, I had the opportunity to Skype with CEO Stefan Cordiner and COO Blake Wittman of Lime&Tonic, a startup that culls the best restaurants and activities from some of the world’s “coolest cities” to provide exclusive experiences to their members. Launching in Prague in early 2011, Lime&Tonic has since rolled out locations in Sydney, Dubai, London, Slovenia, and Rio de Janeiro. Cordiner and Wittman, who display the kind of ease with one another that’s reminiscent of childhood friends, talk candidly about what it’s like to run a startup.
Tell me about Lime&Tonic.
SC: We like to say internally that we’re saving the world from boredom. What this really means is that we spend our days finding cool things to do – unique events and social experiences for our members. We’re always seeking the “wow factor” in the experiences Continue reading
This interview is with Shubhro Saha, a Princeton University sophomore and entrepreneur who co-founded Panther Logic, a company which makes “competitor-tracking dead-simple.” A graduate of Tigerlabs startup accelerator, Saha is running his company while pursuing a major in operations research and financial engineering.
What did you did in high school aside from academics?
I did the student council and the debate team. Our school would go to national teams, so I had the great opportunity to debate internationally as well. In student council, I was president my final year and that was a great amount of work, but it was incredibly fulfilling. Continue reading
Christine Blauvelt and Arielle Sandor after pitching at the New York Stock Exchange.
Today’s jobtalk is with two up-and-coming social entrepreneurs, Christine Blauvelt and Arielle Sandor. Blauvelt and Sandor’s startup, DUMA, was inspired after they both spent time in Kenya working on their senior theses. Blauvelt, who majored in anthropology, studied HIV/AIDS in the Muslim community. Sandor, a history major, studied how community theater works to educate high-risk communities.
DUMA addresses unemployment in Kenya by connecting employers with qualified employees through a cell-phone based job-networking service. This month, Blauvelt and Sandor leave for Kenya to grow DUMA. Continue reading
Amita Maram in Italy, where she was studying abroad last year.
Today on JobTalk, an interview with Amita Maram, who is a 2012 graduate from Wellesley College. Currently Maram works at Small World Coffee and plans on applying to graduate programs next fall. If you’re interested in knowing more about all-women’s colleges, you’ll want to check out this interview.
Education: B.A. Classical Civilization, Wellesley College, 2012
Age: 22
What made you decide to go to an all-women’s college?
I was actually at Rutgers University for a year. While I was there, I was on Douglas College, which used to be the all-women’s college on Rutgers. So I lived in an all-women’s dorm, and I had to take a class on women and gender. At that time, I was applying to transfer, and there were a bunch of different factors that affected the schools I picked including size, location, and student body. But one thing I seriously considered was going to an all-women’s college because I felt comfortable in the women and gender class in a way I had never felt comfortable [in a class] before. Continue reading
Today’s jobtalk is with Brian Tiemeyer who has over 4 years of experience in the Marine Corps and worked for 7 years as a financial advisor before becoming a fireman for Newport News in Virginia. Applicants admitted to Newport News Fire Department are required to become emergency medical technicians, so Tiemeyer can also work in a hospital setting.
Title: Firefighter and Medic
Education:
Certified Emergency Medical Technician (intermediate), 2011
Pro Board Certified Nationally Recognized Firefighter, 2012
B.A. Communications, Old Dominion University, 2003
Age: 35
What made you decide to become a fireman?
There were a couple of different reasons. I always liked the military feel of fire departments. A fire department is a paramilitary organization; there’s a chain of command structure, and it’s a disciplined environment. Continue reading
Today’s jobtalk is with Assemblyman Reed Gusciora, who’s first time running for office was in high school when he ran for student council. Assemblyman Gusciora serves N.J.’s 15th Legislative District and is a prosecutor for Lawrence Township.
Title: Assemblyman/Criminal Prosecutor
Education:
B.A. International Relations, Catholic University, 1982
J.D. Seton Hall University School of Law, 1988
Career Stage: Advanced
Did you know early on in your life that you wanted to go into politics?
I did. I have always been idealistic and interested in politics. When I was a kid I visited the United Nations and loved it. I wanted to be an ambassador, but when I first started to look at careers and found out that you had to have an advanced degree to become an ambassador, I changed my mind. I ended up getting an advanced degree after all, but it is very difficult to get into the Foreign Service, so I didn’t pursue it. Continue reading
James Smits sitting in front of the Tiger Inn.
Today’s jobtalk is with James Smits, a brand-new college graduate who works at TigerLabs, downtown Princeton’s first co-working space for emerging start-up companies. Smits joined TigerLabs this past February to help coordinate and oversee its first summer accelerator program for college students, which is housed in the Tiger Inn.
Title: Program Director
Education:
B.A. Economics and Certificate in Environmental Studies, Princeton University, 2012
Age: 21
How did you get involved with TigerLabs?
I know a lot of people in the entrepreneurship community at Princeton. I worked for a start-up last summer, and I realized that is where I wanted to be – involved with start-ups. A buddy of mine connected me to Bert, who’s one of the co-founders of TigerLabs. He knew that Bert was looking for someone to fill a program director position at TigerLabs. At that Continue reading
Guest Post by Dan Bauer
Today’s jobtalk is with Stevee Mills, an acrobat with Circus Oz, Australia’s internationally acclaimed contemporary circus. From New York to Hong Kong, Circus Oz has taken its self-crafted performances of wit, grace and spectacle to 26 countries across five continents, to critical acclaim. The Circus Oz show is a rock-n-roll, animal free circus that full of death-defying stunts, awe-inspiring acrobatic performances, irreverent comedy and a spectacular live band. The company had three performances at McCarter Theatre on April 7th and 8th 2012.
Title: Acrobat
Education:
B. A. Circus Arts, National Institute of Circus Arts, 2010
Age: 27
How old were you when you first realized you had a drive and talent for the circus?
I was 23 years old when I became interested in circus. I am a former gymnast so after 5 years of working in the animal industry, I realized I would rather be doing backflips again. Continue reading