“What I Would Tell My Freshman Self”

By: Brianna Jackson, MBA student- Finance

I know sometimes many of us wish we could go back in time and do things a little differently. When it comes to school, I catch myself thinking about the things I could have done early on that would have helped me now. Mostly, I wish I could tell my freshman self what to expect and to do things that will benefit me in the future.

After I graduated high school, I had no idea what I wanted to study in college because I had absolutely no clue about what I wanted to be when I “grew up”- thank goodness for prerequisites! So, I took my time with my classes and attended the local NMSU branch in Alamogordo; I wasn’t ready to venture off to a new city quite yet. Looking back on it now, I would go back and tell myself to just go for it and move away to have the “real” college experience. Then I think about how all of my classmates who did move away to go to NMSU or UNM ended up coming back to Alamogordo after just one semester. I remember telling myself back then that I had made the right decision to stay at home for a while. And maybe I was right, maybe I would have come back just like the rest of them. But, I would definitely tell myself not to be afraid of taking risks because I’ve learned that sometimes the scariest things are also the most rewarding.

So, I eventually moved to Albuquerque because my dad got a job at Kirtland and I decided to move with my family because the Alamogordo was no longer for me and I didn’t want to be stuck there. I had also already been at the local branch for a year and pretty soon they would no longer be able to offer the classes I needed for a 4 year degree. I was very happy to move because Albuquerque seemed so exciting coming from a small town. However, I did not attend UNM right away; I took online classes for one year through NMSU because we had moved so suddenly. But, I would go back and tell myself to start at UNM right away because this eventually put me behind on the credits I needed to graduate on time. Ultimately, I needed to get out of my comfort zone and venture out into the world.

As a freshman, I don’t think most of us really see how things all fit together from the time you start college until you graduate. At least for me, I always felt like graduation was too far off and I didn’t realize everything it would take to find a job. It is important to start thinking about that right away and get involved with organizations on campus and get to know people; all of that pays off when it comes time to find a job. I was a junior at Anderson by the time I figured out I needed to get involved and do more than just school. So, I joined student organizations and really got to know people who have helped me along the way.

It is weird looking back on my whole college experience and see where I am today. Now, I am already almost done with my first semester as an MBA student and I have a job at Morgan Stanley Smith Barney as a Client Service Associate. I love it and I am learning a lot about the finance world. I’m excited for what else is coming my way after I am completely done with school. It is coming up fast, but I’m ready!

What You SHOULD Be Doing During Your Summer Break

By: Frankie Gonzales, BBA Finance

 

During the summer most students, myself included, usually check-out of school. They just had yet another difficult semester and any talk of school and the upcoming Fall semester usually returns a stop-talking face. However, let me tell you there can be a significant benefit to thinking about your career path. By investing some time into your personal career development you are making a direct investment in yourself.

Fall is a big recruiting season for most firms across the country. Many will be traveling to campuses and will be hosting information sessions about their companies. Also many application deadlines for top-notch summer internships are due towards the end of the fall semester. This means that if you want to be competitive for the recruiting season and land your dream job/internship you should spend some time over the summer getting prepared.  One of the best things is that it doesn’t require any calculus, statistics, accounting or anything that brings up impressions of work. Everyone’s fall semester is busier than they expected during the summer and you don’t want to get caught the night before an application is due trying to throw together a resume and practicing your interview skills.

How should you get started? Well let me tell you… head on over to the Anderson Career Services Office and make an appointment! Kate Williams, the career services advisor, will take care of you and help you setup your personal professional development plan. Come with questions, ideas, and any drafts you have. Don’t worry if you don’t have anything at all, there is no better time to start than now! Some things to think about are what do you want to be doing in the future? Kate has many ideas and lots of helpful advice to help you start your path of professional development.

I had the opportunity to work with the Anderson Career Services Office this past summer and it was an all-around great experience. Kate helped me to setup my resume by showing me how to better use my experience and my skills to my advantage on paper. We talked about everything from how to get my resume noticed by a recruiter to how to introduce myself at an interview. Everything that we went over made me much more confident going into all of the “Brand You” Events and the Career Fair in the fall. So trust me taking time to work on your professional development really pays off in the end.

Summer is such a huge opportunity for Anderson Students to set themselves up for success at all of the career services events over the course of the year and remember that one of the best ways to get a job that you love is to prepare ahead of time. Anderson provides many resources for their students and it’s up to you to take advantage of them, trust me they truly help! If you have any questions at all please contact me at fgonza03@unm.edu.

Life Happens: But Don’t Let it Ruin Your Credibility

By: Emily McGowan – MBA Student

Oh, that event sounds great, and that one too! Oh, that’s my favorite event of the year; of course I’ll be going. It’s a common occurrence for people to hear the description of an event, think it sounds great and sign up without even considering the timing. Then the event approaches and they realize they have to work, class or another commitment and decide not to show.

As a former President of a student organization, let me tell you the easiest way to lose the respect of your peers is for you to sign up for an event and not show. Now we all know “life happens” and things do come up. However, it’s all about how you deal with it. The simple act of letting the person in charge know you can’t make it is all you need to do. If it’s a onetime thing, it won’t be a problem. On the other hand, if you have what I call “trigger finger” where you consistently sign up for things and don’t show, you will forever lose your credibility with others.

What people often don’t realize is the effects on others when they choose not to come to an event. In some instances it creates more work for everyone else by your absence. In other instances money was spent on you or you could be taking the spot of another individual at the event. Something I used to have to continually stress to my members is that we understand you can’t make it to everything, and we don’t expect you to. We would much rather you not sign up, then not show up.

Some of you may be thinking, why would anyone do this? There are a lot of reasons, however a common one I’ve encountered is overscheduling. This is especially common with students because we want to do it all and simply just don’t have the time. I’ve fallen victim to overscheduling myself many times, where you think about everything that has to get done and realize something will have to be cut. It’s all about priorities and planning. By planning ahead, if something really needs to be cut at least it can be done in advance. This is an important lesson for us all to learn before we enter the workforce as no one wants to be the unreliable employee.