We asked W. P. Carey Alumni: Looking back, what do you wish you would have done more of while in school at W. P. Carey to better prepare for entering the workforce?
Here’s what they shared:
- Network with Your Classmates
- Get Going Early With Career Services
- Take More Finance and Accounting Electives
- Invest Time Now for the Rich Rewards Later
- Find a More Multi-disciplinary Approach to College
- Find Opportunities to Work on Real Projects
- Find A Relevant Internship
- Network To Increase Your Net Worth
Network with Your Classmates
One thing I wish I would have done more of while at W. P. Carey was network. The word was always tossed around but I never took up the opportunity. As my brand has grown so has my network, and it has been extremely helpful; so I can only imagine how impactful it may have been if I would have started a few years earlier.
Emma Vollrath, BS Business Administration and Management ‘21, Emma Lou the label
Get Going Early With Career Services
The one thing I wish I had done more of in college was leveraging the career services center in my freshman and sophomore years. Doing so would have afforded me insight into the competitive job market and helped direct me in choosing a major that was most relevant to employers. As a liberal arts major in the late 1970s, my opportunities at graduation were quite limited. I would have equally enjoyed pursuing a business degree and had more options to consider as I began my professional career.
MaryAnn Miller, MBA ‘01, Avnet Inc.
Take More Finance and Accounting Electives
I wish that I had taken more financial and accounting classes as electives in order to develop a greater understanding prior to joining the workforce. As I have moved into my career, I have found that not only are financials the lifeblood of your company, they tell the story of where you are at in terms of revenue, overall profit, and everything in between. Being able to forecast where you are headed as an organization is vital to your personal success as you move forward in your career. If I had taken advantage of accounting electives, I would have been that much more in a position to succeed upon entering the workforce.
Johnny Sivilla, BS Business Administration ‘20, Cintas
Invest Time Now for the Rich Rewards Later
I wish I would have taken advantage of more of the opportunities that were provided. While you can work and have a family–I had one under 2 and another on the way while pursuing my MBA not to mention being Executive Director of a large health plan–I wish I would have made more time for the opportunities afforded.
There was one class I did take–a weekend symposium on organizational leadership where several community business leaders and W. P. Carey Alum came to speak and many of the learnings shared there have stuck with me to today. I still use that information with staff and with other executives where I am today. It was an optional seminar I would have otherwise missed had I not made the time. Make time and leverage everything you can that comes your way. Small investments like this can reap big returns later.
Shannon Decker, Dual MBA (Finance & Marketing) ‘11, VBC One
Find a More Multi-disciplinary Approach to College
I think I would’ve attempted to pursue a more multi-disciplinary strategy during my time. I’ll give an example: I graduated with degrees in Finance and Business Data Analytics, but I found a job in a startup where I also needed to learn mobile app design and a lot of marketing. Had I known that I would be “wearing a lot of hats,” I would’ve chosen more courses from other disciplines within ASU and made a more conscious effort to broaden my skillsets. This would make it so that when people start talking about these other disciplines, I might not have all the knowledge about it, but I’ll have classmates, teachers, textbooks, and at least a general overview of where to start learning more if I need to. Most degree programs aren’t structured this way either, so I would encourage you to do your best to start figuring it out and pushing your limits as early as possible.
Hayden Krug, Dual Degrees in Finance and Data Analytics ‘22, GetMVP
Find Opportunities to Work on Real Projects
In retrospect, the one thing I wish I would have done more while in college: gaining real-world career experience. As a student, it can be easy to skip opportunities that aren’t directly related to your major or don’t seem like they will help you get a job after graduation. But spending time in the workforce and getting exposure to different aspects of a particular field is essential for figuring out what you actually enjoy doing and what role you want to play in that industry. Additionally, working on real projects can teach you valuable skills and help you develop crucial professional connections. After all, they say that “nothing teaches you like experience,” and that couldn’t be more true when it comes to preparing yourself for entering into the workforce. If you’re still in college, take full advantage of every opportunity to gain real-world knowledge and skills! It will pay off in the end.
Jesse Carrie, BA Marketing ‘14, QuantumWork Advisory
Find A Relevant Internship
I wish I had spent more time in a relevant internship or part-time job, which helped me get more relevant work experience for my first job (post-graduation), instead of doing the typical college experience jobs – retail, restaurants, etc. I lost a job opportunity over this. This is especially true for business majors.
Vincent Ferraro, MBA ‘82, Adjunct Faculty and Marketing Consultant at SDSU
Network To Increase Your Net Worth
I wish I would have networked more w/ my colleagues while in college as it would have certainly prepared me better for entering the workforce. Your network is critical to ensure you’re not just another resume submission and part of the 2-3% that might even get an interview to secure your dream job. A referral provides you with a 50% chance of getting an interview and a 20% chance of getting hired. Networking is not only good to build your circle but also provides you with a critical skill needed to make an impact while gainfully employed. Create a LinkedIn profile and get to building your professional network, that’s how I was found to write my 2 cents for this article.
Patrick Walker, BS Global Business, Leadership & Management ‘10, Galen Healthcare
Terkel creates community-driven content featuring expert insights. Sign up at terkel.io to answer questions and get published.
