Name: Michael Paen Class Year: 2015 College Degree: Criminal Justice Current Location: Fayetteville, NC What was your first job out of college, and what is your current job (if they’re different)? My first job out of college was working for a catering company. My current job is a TACP in the United States Air Force. What do you miss most about Marist? Definitely seeing my friends everyday, and seeing the leaves change across from the Hudson. Tell us a little about your current job and how Marist prepared you for it. My current job requires a lot of time management and organization. Balancing football and classes at Marist definitely helped give me a leg up. What is your favorite part of your job now? The experiences and being able to do and learn things I would not have the opportunity to anywhere else. What’s the best part about life after college? The worst? The best part is not having to write papers, the worst is not seeing my friends. What’s one thing you wish someone had told you about postgrad life? What’s something surprising? I wish someone would have told me to take cooking classes in college. Its surprising how much I miss the library. Do you have anything you’d like to tell current seniors as they prepare to graduate? Enjoy every last minute, and participate as much as possible. What’s your dream job? Marine biologist
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The interviewing portion of any job is arguably one of the most stressful and sweat-inducing occasions of the job search process. However, it is also an inevitable part of any job hunt, and something to see as a challenge, rather than a death wish. One of the best ways to change your approach to the interview from fear to confidence is to prepare for it - plain and simple. Go in with a plan, know what you want to get out of this interview, but don't come off as thinking this interview is all about you, because it's not. It's about what you can offer their company, and what the benefits are of hiring you as opposed to any other candidate sitting outside in the hallway. With that in mind, here are some quick and easy tips to help you build the confidence you need to succeed and nail that job interview...
For further tips, consider attending Career Service's Interview Preparation Day this Thursday, Feb. 23rd to get interview experience and feedback. That said, remember that the prep interviews this Thursday are just that - interviews designed to prepare you, not scare you. You don’t win an award for acing them, and you don’t lose a job for bombing them. They are a tool to help prepare yourself for the real thing, and they should be treated accordingly and prepared for just as you would for a real interview, but don’t put too much pressure on yourself. It will all work out. Name: Lauren Emory Class Year: 2015 College Degree: Bachelor of Science in Digital Media, Bachelor of Arts in Studio Art (Concentration in Painting) Current Location: Queens, New York What was your first job out of college, and what is your current job (if they’re different)? I started a job as a Graphic Designer at a wholesale company called Iscream right after graduating in June. Three months into that job I found out there was an opening at one of my former internships at an animation production company/youtube network called Frederator Networks, Inc. I absolutely loved that internship and really wanted to work there, so I applied - and in September I started working as their Graphic Designer in New York City. 10 months into that position the company went through major restructuring and laid off nearly half of their employees, including me. I was unemployed for two months until I was hired at Nickelodeon as a Designer in their marketing department. What do you miss most about Marist? My professors! I loved learning from them not only from their classes- but learning from them because of the people they are, and the kind of artist they are, and how they continue to create on the side, while still working a full time job! (which is so, so, hard to do). I really looked up to all of them and I wish I could still hang out with them all the time at the Steel Plant. Tell us a little about your current job and how Marist prepared you for it. Right now I'm a Designer at Nickelodeon in their Partner Marketing, Positioning, and Presentations team. (otherwise known as NP3!) We're a support team for the Partner Marketing, Ad Sales, Consumer Products, and Retail departments. We create presentations, one-sheets, e-mail blasts, Nickelodeon premiums, and so much more! Marist helped me prepare for this job not only because I have the skills within the entire Adobe Suite and Microsoft Office - but my Art and Advertising Design certificate gave me a nice background when starting this job, because I am still learning a lot more about marketing! To create easy-to-read and easy-to-understand marketing collateral- you really need to understand the information being presented. Because as a designer, not only are you making it look pretty - you might need to reword and shorten things to make everything as seamless as possible. The design and scripting go hand and hand - sometimes scripting changes with the design or the design changes with the scripting. This is all stuff I'm still learning about but going to a Liberal Arts college like Marist, where I got a nice background in English, Advertising, and so much more, really helped me catch on quickly. What is your favorite part of your job now? I like designing! I love the work, I love the Adobe Suite and working with it all day - and I can do so with my headphones on and music blasting in my ears!! So my favorite part is probably that I am able to stay creative all day. But also, Nickelodeon is a part of Viacom - a huge entertainment company that includes other brands like MTV, CMT, TVLand, Comedy Central, and more. Another favorite part not related to the work I do would be that the building I work in is AWESOME and there is a lot of perks. Sometimes we have free happy hours on Thursdays. They also give out a lot of free stuff when announcing new shows, like I got a pair of sunglasses when they announced the new season of "America's Next Top Model!" But also, their Christmas party was insane - I actually got to attend two of them since our team overlaps with different parts of the company, and it was unbelievable! What’s the best part about life after college? The worst? I'd say the best part is being independent. I got a whole new sense of accomplishment and self worth after graduating and moving out of my parents house. I'm a lot more confident as a person, and so much happier now than when I was in school. Living on my own and doing whatever I want to on my own time is awesome! I'm making slightly enough money that if I want to go to a concert, or a convention, or travel, or buy video games, or eat expensive mac and cheese, I can save up and do so - which is the best. I'd say the worst part is the uncertainty of everything and how fast time flies now. Working every weekday 9-6, the days go by so quickly and you forget what even happened half of the time. Then, some days you could be working until 12 A.M. and have to cancel all of your plans. And then just like that - you could be laid off from your job. I'd recommend to everyone to have a savings account readily handy because that's what saved me when it happened to me! What’s one thing you wish someone had told you about postgrad life? What’s something surprising? I wish somebody would have told me that things will go wrong and you need to be prepared. At this point, I'm always just waiting for the next obstacle. I knew that nothing would be perfect, but it doesn't get that much easier after graduating. While you can be independent and make your own decisions, life will continue to throw you unexpected curveballs! However, you will become more tough and mature with each obstacle and everything will be all right in the end! This is something my mother is just admitting to me recently, that there's 'always the next thing' - but that's why you need to make the most of the happy times you have, so you can keep a good spirit when the bad times roll around again! Something I found surprising is how quickly time flies by when you're working, doing basically the same thing, every weekday - it's been nearly two years already and it feels like I graduated just yesterday. Do you have anything you’d like to tell current seniors as they prepare to graduate? As soon as you start working - start a savings account, aside from your 401k. And keep your resume and portfolio up to date! Because layoffs do happen and if you don't want to move back into your parents house, make sure you have at the very least what would be equal to three months rent and loan payments - because finding a new job is always super difficult no matter how much experience you have! It took me two months to find my current job and that was honestly really quick. However, don't let this scare [you] and continue to take chances! Just stay prepared. But still spend the money you make on things that are fun. You're not just working to pay your rent and your loans - if you want to drop a couple hundred on the new Nintendo console coming out... you worked hard for your money- DO IT! (if you have the reasonable means, of course). Also, when it comes to becoming a professional in the workplace - you're going to have to learn! You might have no idea what you're doing at first, and you will make mistakes. You're new, the person who hired you knows you're new, and they know you're going to mess up. It will only be a problem if it continues to happen - so take notes, be present, own up to your mistakes and then fix them, take advice from your coworkers, and keep a good attitude. Everybody you work with wants you to succeed and if you have a good attitude, take constructive criticism to heart, and always make changes for the better - your career will keep on growing! What’s your dream job? I'd like to be a Creative Director one day. I want to be able to lead and teach a team of designers to create awesome projects. I'm not exactly sure where, but I'd love to continue to work in a field that has to do with cartoons and animation, or maybe music, or puppies, or something else fun that I am passionate about! Name: Lizzy Peper Class Year: 2016 College Degree: Communication, Public Relations; Minors: Spanish, Studio Art and Psychology Current Location: Baltimore, MD What is your current job? I am the Marketing Coordinator for Charm City Run, a family of running stores local to the Baltimore area. What do you miss most about Marist? There are plenty of things I miss about Marist but the thing I miss most is the opportunities available. I was able to do so many different things that I loved - run competitively, dance, take art classes, join clubs and live with my best friends. Once you graduate, it’s much harder to do so many different things - enjoy all the great options around you while you can! Tell us a little about your current job and how Marist prepared you for it. As Marketing Coordinator, my main responsibilities include maintaining our website and social media accounts, managing our online store, helping plan events, updating our blog, sending email blasts and writing press materials. I have definitely used press releases that I wrote for group projects as examples for ones for Charm City Run. However, although classes did give me a great foundation of skills, I think my experiences with clubs prepared me the most for my job. My involvement with PRSSA, SGA and Dance Ensemble allowed me to feel comfortable using social media accounts, WordPress and planning events as soon as I started working. What is your favorite part of your job now? I love that my job connects to two of my passions: running and blogging. Every day, in some capacity, I help people run. It is very rewarding to share my love for running with others and be a small part of their own running journey. I also appreciate that running is an integral part of Charm City Run’s company culture. Our bi-weekly managers meetings always kick off with a 7 a.m. run around the Baltimore harbor and I end up meeting up with co-workers to run from the stores even on my days off. I also work with amazing local and national fitness and athletic companies. And, a major bonus: 80% of my weekly wardrobe consists of comfortable running clothes and shoes. In addition, I learn a lot in my role that I can apply to my personal blog: Pep In Your Step. I am constantly improving my Photoshop, social media and website building skills which help me improve my own health and fitness blog. What’s the best part about life after college? The worst? The best part is actually applying everything you’ve learned in school. It’s great to feel like what you are doing is having an impact and means more than a grade on a test. The worst part is trying to figure everything out! All of the sudden you have to find a job, look for a place to live, find new doctors, pay for groceries, make new friends and oh, start saving for retirement. I always say that I am trying to adult but only succeeding at it about 65% of the time. What’s one thing you wish someone had told you about postgrad life? What’s something surprising? Something that I never thought about is that is is challenging to make postgrad friends. When you are in high school and college, everyone is in the same position as you, you automatically have things in common with the people around you and you are constantly presented with opportunities such as classes and activities to meet people your age with similar interests. After you graduate, unless you are going to graduate school, you have to make an extra effort to meet new people. I definitely have to put myself out there to meet other young people while carving time out of the busy work week to stay in touch with the incredible friends I made at Marist and in high school. Trust me, you’ll quickly determine the friendships that will last; treasure those and text, call and visit those people as often as you can. Do you have anything you’d like to tell current seniors as they prepare to graduate? I would say, enjoy every moment. The last semester of senior year, I focused on “just getting through” classes and responsibilities because everything was getting overwhelming. Let yourself embrace the stage you’re at now and then do the same once you graduate. If you enjoy where you’re at, you’ll have no regrets when you move on to postgrad life. Marist is amazing but so is your first job and figuring out how to be an adult so don’t look at one as better or worse than the other. Life keeps chugging along no matter what you do so you may as well enjoy the ride. I guess what I’m trying to say is don’t dwell on the past or worry about the future; be present and live in each moment. What’s your dream job? I used to say that my dream job was writing for a health magazine. Now I fulfill my love of writing about wellness with my blog so this is a tough question. I guess I’ll go with my own advice and live in the moment: my dream job is the one I have now. Ultimately, I look forward to living in other places and taking on different roles, but for now I am happy with where I am. Be sure to check out Lizzy's blog at pepinurstep.com to see more of what she's up to!
For the first installment of Marist CCS' new alumni feature, I interviewed James Holodnak '15, a former Marist football player and a current Peace Corp volunteer in South America, where he's been living since January 2016. Name: James Holodnak Class Year: 2015 College Degree: Bachelor of Arts in Psychology Current Location: Mompós, Colombia What was your first job out of college, and what is your current job (if they’re different)? 3rd grade teacher at my local elementary school. Now I am teaching English as a foreign language in Colombia with the Peace Corps. What do you miss most about Marist? Seeing friends every single day all day. Also the cafe - I hate cooking! Tell us a little about your current job and how Marist prepared you for it. I'm a Peace Corps Volunteer living and working in a rural community in Colombia. I teach English and have gender equality groups among other clubs and extracurricular activities. Marist, specifically the interactions and relationships I had with the Marist brothers on campus, opened my mind to a more liberal perspective which has enabled me to grow into a more flexible, tolerant person - pivotal characteristics if you want to join the Peace Corps! What is your favorite part of your job now? Living and working in a beautiful country and always speaking Spanish. What’s the best part about life after college? The worst?
You can chase your dreams and see what you're made of. [The worst part is] not kicking it with your friends all day. Instead of giving them the digs and laughing with all your buddies you will most likely send a text in the group chat and wait til people go to the bathroom at work to reply - not as fun. What’s one thing you wish someone had told you about postgrad life? What’s something surprising? That life is fun. It's not the worst thing ever and college doesn't have to be the best years of your life. Every year you're presently in should be the best year. Something surprising about postgrad life for me is how soon I wanted to see my friends again at Marist. I was for sure thinking I wouldn't go back to Poughkeepsie until my 10 year championship reunion but I came back for the alumni game the same year I graduated haha. Do you have anything you’d like to tell current seniors as they prepare to graduate? Get trashed before the ceremony - or bring a book to read. The senator has a terrible speech that he repeats every year and you're really only waiting for your name to be called and to throw your hat at someone you never liked. What’s your dream job? I'd be an amazing full-time dad if my wife still cooked, but teacher + football coach is definitely the dream. |
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