By Steve Seepersaud
Although many of us were eager to say goodbye to 2020, the reality is that we are still experiencing much of what we did last year because of the pandemic. Our current students are well aware of this as they navigate difficult job and internship searches.
The Binghamton alumni network, which has always had a heart for students, recently stepped up to provide assistance. Nearly 120 alumni in the Metro New York region volunteered to speak with students last month at the annual Networking Night.
This event, held online using the Remo platform, enabled more than 300 students to speak with alumni in a wide variety of fields. Networking Night was part of the University's CONNECT week of career development programming, which also included virtual employer visits and online winter session courses.
Alumni who attended Networking Night represented industries from healthcare to engineering to finance to law. Some volunteers have participated in this event on many occasions while others were first-timers. They all had similar motivation for being involved.
"I have a passion for coaching and helping others early in their career journey,"
said Michael Fuchs '04, senior solution engineer at FinancialForce. "There is no manual
out there on how to get a job, and I wanted to share my professional experiences so
others could learn from them."
Not surprisingly, many of the students wanted to know how to adjust their job and internship strategies in response to shrinking opportunities brought on by the pandemic.
"As I talked to the students, I drew parallels between them and others, including me, trying to find their first job or internship after Sept. 11, in a recovering economy," Fuchs said. "There will always be obstacles, but we need to adapt and find a way around them."
Alumni encouraged students to shift their mindset. While it's easy to give into panic and worry, it's more productive to think about ways to create opportunities for yourself.
"Students asked about entrepreneurship and what they could do to be more prepared
for when they enter the workforce," said Shantay Carter '00, staff nurse for Northwell
Health Systems, and keynote speaker for the 2021 American Nurses Association-New York
Annual Conference. "My advice was to find a mentor and be intentional and strategic
with their networking."
As traditional networking events have moved online, and initiatives to bring alumni and students together have grown, such as the Mentor Match program, the alumni volunteers encourage their peers to become involved and offer their expertise and experience to students.
"I believe that if you're in a position to give back, then you should," Carter said. "Plus, you never know the impact that you can have on a student, especially as we're going through a pandemic right now. These are unprecedented times, and these students can benefit from our time, knowledge and support."
