Working Throughout College

Synergy Baby, Syner-What?

The main thing is to find a job that is complementary to your education. If you are a finance student, get a job at a bank, either in customer service or in credit and loans. The advantage of working in customer service is that it will give you a great look into areas like public relations – something that marketing students read about while you are mastering it. Working in credit and loans is an obvious plus for the aspiring financier as you familiarize yourself with risk analysis, portfolio management and bad loans. Credit shows the dark side of business: some clients will have trouble making ends meet. This is a valuable lesson in balancing the quest for profit with respecting people and treating everyone with courtesy. Credit or debt is often overlooked but in business, understanding a company’s obligations goes a long way to explaining its health.

Marketing students can also benefit from jobs at banks but they may wish to get in the field and work as part of independent public relations firms or as a member of a corporate public relations department. Taking part in grassroots programs and hitting the streets provides students with healthy exercise and priceless experience. Going up to others and filling out surveys may seem tedious and pushy, but marketing research and consumer behavior are key areas in marketing so this will give you a taste of what you are getting yourself into. And if you are running out of job ideas, do not forget where you spent some time in your earlier years; places like malls and stores provide great retail experience in everything from inventory management, customer service and shelf space management.

Working in a bar is a great way to acquire street smarts. First, it gives you an opportunity to earn money while others are burning theirs. Second, it gives you free time during the week when you would be working at some other job during regular hours. Third, you get to work with liquor companies and see how they operate. Sponsorships, inventory management and deal making with these companies will prove valuable in various career paths.

All of these tips will not only help pay the bills, but create synergy with your future employment. They will also provide you with great reference material in class and exams as well. You may sometimes forget a specific theory but dropping a real life example will make the grader see that you know your stuff.

Textbooks are outdated for the most part. Their cases often outline what specific firms did years ago. Having experience helps put your finger on the pulse of the economy, specific sectors and individual companies as you breeze through school.