As fall graduates look forward to their dream jobs or internships back home, COVID-19 and the failing economy aren’t the most promising challenges in sight. College goes by so fast and before you know it, you’re scrambling to make post-graduation plans. Hear from some soon-to-be alumni on how they landed their jobs and are preparing for the next chapter.
Peyton Strobel is an accounting graduate student who plans to move to Hutchinson, KS, in May and work for Adams Brown.
“I took an accounting class in high school and my teacher thought I’d be really good at it and I thought she was crazy,” Strobel said. “But I took the first class and absolutely loved it and then just kept on taking classes and decided that’s what I wanted to go into.”
Strobel landed the job after she was an intern over the summer and was eager to start when they offered her a full-time position.
“I think involvement overall helped me stand out,” she said.
Maggie Hammes also landed her post-grad job from an internship back in her hometown. She will graduate this fall with a Bachelor’s degree in fine arts.
Koch & Co. reached out to her to start a centralized marketing department. She was excited to accept their offer for a full-time position.
“Overall it was a great work environment and I do feel like there is a lot of room for growth,” Hammes said.
When it comes to networking and putting yourself out there, having confidence in your abilities and taking the initiative to interact with potential employers is the way to go.
“I think it’s all about building confidence and building good relationships with your professors,” Sara Partin, senior in English literature, said. “Without having good conversations with my professors I don’t think I would’ve had the confidence that I have now to apply for grad school. It’s also about building your community with people who can actually get behind you and support you as well. That goes hand in hand with being able to have professors have your back, in a sense, but I think just being prepared for anything like that it takes a lot of confidence and preparation.”
No need to stress about not having the next step completely figured out though. Many seniors like Partin are still deciding where the next chapter will lead them.
“I have a few options,” Partin said. After multiple experiences through K-State such as a book editing internship and PR management she does for a campus organization now, this is a viable option. However, teaching has always been on her mind as well.
“With a Masters, I can also teach either high school level or community college level so I might do that, just depending on what happens with grad school because as a grad student I’ll be in charge of teaching Comp I and Comp II classes at K-State,” Partin said. “So, I’m going to test those waters out and see if I actually like teaching before I decide.”
After a few years as Wildcats, these two are ready to take on their next chapter confidently. Here’s their advice for other students:
- Get involved in college.
- Don’t be afraid to talk to people.
- Be personable! Whoever you’re reaching out to, make a personal connection and show the human side of you. People love people!
- Do your research to know what you want to do.
- Go to career fairs and get your name out there.
- Use social media and portfolios to showcase your talent.
- Get an internship!
Courtesy of Sara Partin - Take opportunities when they come and let them come to you. Don’t pass up an opportunity or disregard options that may not be exactly what you thought you wanted and be open to the idea of all opportunities in your field!
- Have confidence in yourself and what you want to do.
- Build connections with your professors (get to know them outside of class to help with networking in the real world!)
- Make friends in your classes.
- Get out of your comfort zone.
- Don’t be afraid of the future.
You can land your dream job at an accounting firm, do marketing in your hometown or move on to graduate school for more knowledge and experiences!
