Advice for the Upcoming Graduate
Walk into our office any day of the week and your bound to catch a conversation on learning, learning styles, or educational institutions in general. Our team loves to challenge what’s possible and necessary in the classroom.
While hosting students from Florida University a few months ago, several team members shared their thoughts and experiences on how they arrived at Whiteboard and Chattanooga. It was astonishing to hear just how diverse these journeys had been. Regardless, everyone had strong opinions related to higher-education: What one should study. Where you should go. Should you go at all?
So I thought it would be fun to shoot a quick questionnaire to our team and share their insights here. Below are several unedited responses. I hope you enjoy, and for the upcoming graduate — I hope this might help guide your path.
Nick Davidson (Front-End Developer)
Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study?
A: Vanderbilt University; Bachelor of Musical Arts; Cleveland State University; Master of Music Performance
Q: Regarding higher-education, would you do it again? Why?
A: Absolutely. Music is and always has been my first passion. Music is a great preparation for many different careers and shares many skills with technical careers like programming. And I can still do music, both to share and for myself.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating high-school seniors, what would it be?
A: Consider all your options. Do things that will make you happy and give you options for multiple paths in the future. Do try to master whatever you go for and not settle for being a jack of several trades, master of none.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating undergraduate seniors, what would it be?
A: Now that you’re mentally prepared for your career, get help with your professional presentation — excellent resume, excellent LinkedIn profile, CV, your personal appearance and interviewing/interpersonal skills. These things actually matter and will make you stand out in a competitive crowd of equally qualified job seekers.
Lauren Cutrell (Director of Interactive)
Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study?
A: Lee University & Kennesaw State University
Q: Regarding higher-education, would you do it again? Why?
A: Not in the way I did it. While I see the value in college, liberal art studies and the experience you gain that’s holistic… I think the level of investment it requires financially is not quite connected to the yield & return in the working world shortly thereafter. I would reconsider a trade-school, or working and getting further into a specific role / field and then going to school at that juncture, for less.
Thomas Hollar (Rails Developer)
Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study?
A: Florida State University; B.S. in Communication & Information Technology & M.S. in Information Technology
Q: Regarding higher-education, would you do it again? Why?
A: Yes, absolutely. It’s one of the top Communication & Information schools in the country and was one of the first to combine such disciplines.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating high-school seniors, what would it be?
A: Don’t slack off and make sure you don’t take an easy class load just to get through the year.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating undergraduate seniors, what would it be?
A: Just because you have a degree doesn’t make you entitled to a job or high paying salary. You have an advantage with finishing school but the real work is ahead of you; take the momentum and confidence you have in finishing your degree and bring that into the work force and be ready to earn your way up.
Mia Baker (Senior Project Leader)
Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study?
A: University of Georgia, Education and Studio Art
Q: Regarding higher-education, would you do it again? Why?
A: Nope. I only used the degree for a year during the recession and lost my job. Never saw that coming when I started down the teaching path. Teaching = job security before 2008. I would have been more ambitious getting a degree in Industrial Design if my parents would have let me. They convinced me that teaching was a sure thing. Boy were they wrong.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating high-school seniors, what would it be?
A: Take your time. Don’t rush into going to college. Look into trade schools for a short-term goal until you figure out who you are and how you want to contribute to society. Avoid debt and useless degrees. Contrary to popular belief, you do not have to spend many years in school to qualify for a high paying job. By pursuing an associate’s degree instead of attending a four-year college, you could spend as little as two years in school and get a great job after graduation. Examples: Air Traffic Controllers = $121,280, Radiation Therapists = $79,140, Nuclear Technicians = $72,610, Web Developers = $62,680, and the list goes on!
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating undergraduate seniors, what would it be?
A: Take as many internships as possible.
Kody Dahl (Director of Design)
Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study?
A: Georgia State University; Design
Q: Regarding higher-education, would you do it again? Why?
A: Yep! I was more likely to be challenged in my work by people I would never interact with of my own volition. I would approach it more as an opportunity to experiment and try new things than I did the first time around.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating high-school seniors, what would it be?
A: Be professionally curious. That’s what you’re in that school building (or on that old-generation LMS platform) for — learning new things and experimenting with new things. Grades don’t matter if you’re not learning something new. Think critically, be risky, and work your ass off. You don’t have a lot to lose by it — and you stand to gain the farm.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating undergraduate seniors, what would it be?
A: Be professionally curious. If you ever stop learning, you give your skills an expiration date. You’re (usually) the only person who will prioritize that for yourself, so. Do that.
Mackenzie Hill (Project Leader)
Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study?
A: University of Akron; Business Administration
Q: Regarding higher-education, would you do it again? Why?
A: Nope. I didn’t finish school, and I think I have made out just fine so far without former schooling! I do sometimes wish I would have finished schooling in hopes of having better grammar and writing skills.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating high-school seniors, what would it be?
A: If you don’t know what you’re going to school for or what you want to be when you grow up, don’t go to college or university. There are plenty of short courses or smaller classes that you can take until you find what you love!
Stephanie Czajkowski (Front-End Developer)
Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study?
A: Auburn University, Public Relations
Q: Regarding higher-education, would you do it again? Why?
A: Knowing what I know now, I wouldn’t, only because I’ve figured out a bit more about myself and what I enjoy doing.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating high-school seniors, what would it be?
A: Don’t assume the best forms of education are the ones put directly in front of you. Especially if you’re not yet sure what you want to focus on, try as many new experiences as possible. Attend college classes that sound interesting even if you’re not enrolled in them. Take advantage of the amount of knowledge, information and new experiences you’re about to be surrounded by that you’ll likely never have easy access to again.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating undergraduate seniors, what would it be?
A: Don’t make decisions influenced by what you’ve been led to believe you’re ‘supposed’ to do or what’s typical of most people. Just do what’s best for you and have as much fun as possible.
Emily Lloyd (Project Leader)
Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study?
A: Auburn University; Public Relations
Q: Regarding higher-education, would you do it again? Why?
A: Definitely, my social and educational experience was vital to my career. Even just being around 25,000 people who were from all different cultures and backgrounds was a learning experience in itself.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating high-school seniors, what would it be?
A: The most important skill that you can have is the ability to properly communicate in written form. Get as much guidance from your english/writing teachers as possible in high school and college. The ability to communicate clearly and effectively will help you in almost any job and will likely help you “get” a job. Keep refining your writing skills.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating undergraduate seniors, what would it be?
A: Don’t settle for the first paying job that comes along — make sure that it’s a job that you’ll actually enjoy doing and that you’re interested in (even if you have to do a trial period or shadow people at your potential office) — you’re doing this job for 40 hours of your life per week — almost more time spent at your office than at your home. Make sure you actually like what you’re doing, even if it doesn’t pay as well.
Nick Morrison (Designer)
Q: Where did you go to school? What did you study?
A: Georgia State University, Design
Q: Regarding higher-education, would you do it again? Why?
A: Yes. The audience of my peers was the most valuable part of higher-education for me though. Working alongside people with a common interest in a studio setting was very beneficial.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating high-school seniors, what would it be?
A: The prestigious-ness of a school is not as important as you might think. Also getting your core classes done at a local college and transferring and getting your degree from a “better” college is a great idea. You still get the degree from the university you want, but you save money and often time going local.
Q: If you had one piece of advice to give to graduating undergraduate seniors, what would it be?
A: Start finding internships, networking, and resume building at the beginning of your senior year or earlier.
