Students Prepare for Careers with Experiential LearningAfter five years of comparatively lean times, more than 150 prospective employers returned this year to OSU for the winter career fair interviewing more than 1,200 OSU students. And while the economy is picking up, we're not back to a 'student market' economy just yet, according to Tom Munnerlyn, director of Oregon State University's Career Services program.
To gain an edge on the interview competition, College of Business students are making experiential learning a priority. Fifty-five percent of College of Business students participate in at least one experiential learning activity prior to graduation. This might include an internship, an international exchange, a class project involving an outside entity, a club leadership role and/or work experience.
Garrison Dyer, COB advisor and career/internship coordinator, encourages students to begin preparing for careers when they are freshman and to continuously build their work or leadership experiences. "Experiential learning helps students figure out or affirm their career goals and makes them more employable following graduation," said Dyer.
INTERNSHIPS
Erik Olson, a senior in business marketing, has a passion for both sports and marketing. Since his freshman year, he has completed summer internships in these respective areas in hope that he'll be able to land a job in the field after graduation. This summer he will start a sports marketing internship within Nike's Golf Division.
"School experience is necessary background for the work environment, but getting actual experience is key," said Olson. "A lot of people in school have a tough time applying what they've learned and my experiences have really helped me."
To date, Olson has worked for the Portland Trailblazers and OSU Athletics in the Sports Marketing Department, excelling in their internship programs. He has also interned with MSNBC News Corporation in New York, nabbing one of two competitive spots nationally. There, he worked within the Marketing and Creative Services Department.
"I was involved in nationwide marketing which was different than what I was used to," said Olson. "I helped launch the new MSNBC primetime program, The Situation with Tucker Carlson, through market research and execution of promotional plans."
"People I've talked with regarding future jobs have said that school accomplishments are good, but they want to hire someone who knows how to work!" said Olson. "I've learned a lot about work environment do's and don'ts and these experiences have solidified my interest in the field."
For the naturally curious Robert Hrdinsky, a senior in the marketing and international business options, when his marketing professor announced in class information about the Close to the Customer Project, he decided to apply for an internship and got the position. Hrdinsky has already completed two internships in New York while on a National Student Exchange--one in the film industry and another in the TV industry. He also did an internship in Las Vegas for the National Association of Broadcasters.
"It would be a shame to spend time at the university and not take advantage of opportunities in front of you," said Hrdinsky.
Danielle Denfeld, a fifth year accounting option and education double degree student, spent her summers working for the family business, Denfeld Paint Stores. Denfeld did everything from accounts receivable and accounts payable to unloading trucks and breaking down boxes. During the school year she focused on her studies, did an international exchange and participated in Beta Alpha Psi.
When a KPMG recruiter came to campus, Denfeld interviewed and was selected for a paid summer internship. According to Denfeld, 1300 interns nationally spent their first week in Palm Springs training. Nine of the 27 that came from Portland were from OSU, the largest Oregon school represented there. Her second week, she received office training, a laptop and a company credit card. "They treated you like a real employee. We did real work and did not just make copies," said Denfeld.
Another week of training covered specialty areas including tax, audit and internal auditing, code of conduct and building soft skills. "After that, we were thrown into the fire, but not in a bad way," said Denfeld. "You would get some really challenging jobs and everyone was helpful. You felt like you were doing jobs that were productive."
During this time Denfeld traveled to Detroit and Boston for the client she was working on, often working long hours during the week, flying home for the weekend and then doing it all over again.
At the conclusion of her internship, which she extended a few weeks, she received a job offer.
"The internship was an ah-ha," said Denfeld. "After taking all the accounting classes, having the summer experience verified to me that I enjoy it. I realized I could do this for a career."
"The internship was critical because it increased my chances of getting a job. Had I done it and not enjoyed the company, I would not have accepted, but it would have helped me get other jobs at other places," said Denfeld.
According to Garrison Dyer, more and more companies are willing to pay for interns.
"We don't mandate that companies pay to recruit interns here," said Dyer, "but candidate pools improve if there is some compensation."
INTERNATIONAL EXCHANGE
Michelle Simon, graduated in 2004 with international business and marketing options. She currently works as an English teacher in Saitama Japan, near Tokyo and while in college, went on an international exchange to Denmark.
"Before I went to Denmark, I had heard you learned more outside the classroom than in, and it's true. After visiting a country, you have a sudden interest in learning more about it, because you can relate to it, you have been there!" said Simon.
Nick Bender, a fifth year senior with an international business option and Chinese minor, is in the midst of his third international exchange opportunity. After a National Student Exchange to Hawaii, then exchanges to Sweden and now Beijing, he credits two of his professors Steve Lawton, his international business professor, and Mark Ren, his Chinese professor, for sparking his interest in the world.
"The best thing about it is the way it changes your perspective," said Bender. "I've come from small town Stayton to Beijing which is bigger than New York and Los Angeles combined. It helps you figure out your place in the world when you actually understand it. I have a lot better idea now than before and it helps me to evaluate my options and exposures."
While Bender admits hunting for a job is a little difficult from the other side of the planet, he's gaining a good hold on the Chinese language and getting a good understanding of how to get things done in that country. Upon his return, he hopes to land a job with a US company with international ties.
Wade Reese, a senior studying international business, came back to college after selling his own t-shirt business. "I didn't know much about contracts and other things and decided I needed an education." Actively involved in the Austin Entrepreneurship Program, he currently runs his own foundation form business called Wade Reese Construction and has done a variety of jobs in the residential construction industry. He is currently a founding leader in the newly formed OSU SIFE club (see related story on page XX) and plans on doing an exchange to Hong Kong in the fall. He already has a job lined up in Hong Kong where he hopes to learn more about the commercial side of the construction industry and eventually return to complete an MBA.
"I'm using all that OSU offers. So many don't take advantage," said Reese. "Speakers, clubs, international exchanges, meeting with professors…there is so much to learn. Too many people don't see outside the classroom and are not getting the true value of their education."
STUDENT ORGANIZATIONS
Denfeld credits her participation in Beta Alpha Psi for helping her in her career choices. "It opened my eyes to different opportunities in accounting and allowed me to network with different people from different firms and talk with people who had graduated recently in the same field. Listening to their advice really helped."
After managing his parent's retirement accounts and leading the Finance Club through their first "real money" purchases, Finance Club President Byron Williams realized that he wants to take his business knowledge and go into teaching.
"Through the Finance Club I learned to manage investments in a more balanced way," said Williams. "When I look at the finances of a company, certain things will trigger a response where they didn't before. I believe in experiential education and want to share that with other students."
WORK EXPERIENCE
For John Morgan, a senior in the marketing option with an engineering minor, getting paid for his on-the-job experiences is key. "Most college students are poor and we want a job after graduation, so I try to get paid for what I do," said Morgan. While attending college, Morgan worked at the OSU Foundation as a student fundraiser and new student marketer. During summers, he did some on the job training and took tests to become a certified mechanic. He also did metal fabrication work on 20 ton rock crushers and worked with a construction engineering company. Through these experiences, he learned that he didn't want to do engineering strictly, but instead wanted to work with people understanding their design needs, budget and engineering requirements. As a result, this year he started working for Caribou Software. He's the marketing director for this region, helping Caribou Software break into the market by meeting with prospective clients and setting up and attending trade shows. "My future plans are in design or product engineering, or technical marketing, so this is a real world experience that relates to that."
"Personally, the biggest thing I get from these jobs is references. Future or prospective bosses call and it gets me in the door, especially if I don't have a 3.9 GPA," said Morgan. "A lot of what I'm doing is bits and pieces of what I want to do. It helped me figure out I don't want to be an engineer and sit behind a desk. I don't want to be a metal fabricator the rest of my life. It helps you figure out what you do and don't want to do."
FIND YOUR PASSION
Meredith Wellman, '01, MBA '02, senior product analyst at Stockamp & Associates, developed web pages for Congresswoman Darlene Hooley, interned at OregonLive.com and interned at Oracle helping with the technical systems as part of the sales team.
"When I look back, every step has been a step along the way," said Wellman. "All the internships and jobs I've had have helped me gain or solidify a skill set that I needed."
"It is important to find something you are passionate about and look for opportunities to gain exposure, depth and knowledge of that," said Wellman. "It can be a smaller activity and still be a very meaningful experience."
According to Dyer, a resume and references built with experiential learning give you a more favorable chance to get in the door for an interview. "Your confidence, clarity of focus, skills gained and related background experiences give you the best opportunity to find a career fit."
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