College Experiences That Helped A Resource Manager At Mercer Succeed
Michelle's undergraduate success stemmed from diverse work experiences, including internships and part-time jobs, emphasizing that "anything that gets you out into the workforce" is valuable. These experiences provided invaluable soft skills, like communication and professional etiquette, and broadened Michelle's understanding of various work environments, ultimately shaping their career path at Mercer.
Internships, Part-time Jobs, Networking, Communication Skills, Real-World Experience
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Michelle Reid
Resource Manager
Mercer
University of Texas at Austin
NA
Advertising, Public Relations
Consulting & Related Professional Services
Human Resources (HR)
Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Working part-time jobs and internships to gain real-world experience and develop soft skills.
2. Learning from diverse work experiences, even if not directly related to one's major.
3. Networking and meeting people to learn about different career paths and gain mentorship opportunities.
Transcript
Michelle, taking you back to your time at UT Austin, what did you do in undergrad that set you up for success in your career?
I think the best thing I did was doing internships and working part-time jobs. Anything that gets you out into the workforce, into the real world, and gives you experience working with different types of people and different types of jobs is beneficial.
You learn from those roles, learning about communication and how to write emails appropriately. These are the soft skills that college may or may not necessarily teach you. Getting out and meeting people who are doing something you're interested in can help you along. You can learn from them and discover what you maybe don't want to do.
Anything that gets you out of your college bubble and working with different types of people in different types of jobs can help you start gaining real-world experience. This applies to any workplace, whether it's an office, a restaurant, or any other place. They all offer valuable skills you wouldn't gain otherwise.
Don't get hung up on finding an internship that directly aligns with your major or what you want to do. That's great if you can find it, but if not, any job you enjoy or that has good benefits is valuable. For example, I worked at a place that provided a lot of free food in college, which was a great time.
It was a great place to work, and I learned so much there. So, just getting out there, whether it's an internship or a job, regardless of whether it's exactly what you want to do, is going to teach you a lot.
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