Students share NYC Career Trek takeaways

Career Treks with the Career Management team provide first-year and sophomore students in the Cornell SC Johnson College of Business the opportunity to learn about career paths and build a network of connections with participating firms that may support positive internship placement. They also offer participating firms an early opportunity to build relationships with students who will be part of the future recruiting pipeline. With Career Treks, students can explore fields such as marketing, finance, hospitality, consulting, and agri-business.

During winter break, students went on Career Treks to New York City and learned about marketing and finance from alumni and industry executives. In their own words, here’s what Dyson and School of Hotel Administration (SHA) students had to say about their experience:

Daniel Jin ’22 (SHA)

“The highlight of the trek was visiting companies that I’ve heard of on a regular basis and seeing how the work being done creates this amazing product/service many consumers end up receiving. I have met so many helpful and inspiring alumni that I will keep in touch with, and I have learned that marketing is definitely something I could see myself doing in the future.”

Malique Papailler ’21 (Dyson)

“The highlight of this trek was being able to visit many different firms with my peers and the faculty that attended. It was a fun experience and I was able to learn about the many different areas of finance that are available. Two things I have taken away are that: 1) it is never too early to start networking and meeting representatives at different firms, and 2) it is crucial to stay on top of current events and understand what is going on in the world. I definitely recommend this trek to anyone that is eager to learn more about finance! This trek has allowed me to meet many representatives at firms and really jumpstart my professional career. Moving forward, I plan to stay in touch and develop a strong network of relationships.”

Arin Sheehan ’22 (Dyson)

“One reoccurring theme throughout the trek was the importance of leaving your comfort zone in order to learn and grow as a person, whether that be taking a difficult class or studying topics that may not be entirely relevant to your major. I found this advice particularly relevant, especially when it can be difficult to see the immediate value in taking a variety of interesting classes when required courses can seem more important.

Additionally, all of the speakers described extremely varied experiences in marketing, which served to highlight how different marketing can be even across the same company, let alone across different industries. This trek has provided me with a greater understanding of the marketing industry and how marketing works in a wide variety of companies. This will help me better prepare for a future career in the space.”

Aishwarya Singh ’22 (SHA)

“Being able to visit Madison Square Garden was absolutely amazing. I love basketball and being in MSG’s studio—it was like being on TV! I learned about a bunch of job positions that I had never heard of before. I think I want to be a product manager in the future. It combines my passion for technology and marketing.”