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SUN FLOWER
e d i u G r e e 2015 Car
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How do you land a job after graduation? Here’s your guide to help you get one step closer. Find the do’s and don’ts of job interview attire, details on employment overseas and features on graduates who now work for the NFL.
Ilustration by Jillian Clough
Putting skills to work: Students find success withMILLS internships CEDAR EVAN PFLUGRADT
Property Management
REPORTER
@evpflu
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Photo illustration by Tarun Bali
The Career Development Center recommends starting a career path early.
Building the perfect résumé, other steps to land the job SAVANNAH STEVENSON REPORTER
@sunflowernews
It is never too late for college students to start deciding and designing what career they want to pursue. The sooner the better. With help from the Career Development Center and other resources from Wichita State, every student on campus should be prepared to take on the real world after receiving their diploma. Kim Kufahl, assistant director of marketing and strategic communication at the center, encourages students to come into the office, located in Brennan III at 17th Street and Yale Avenue, when they begin their college careers. “As freshmen, we want to get them involved with the Career Development Office right from the start,” Kufahl said. “That way, they have a leg up when getting involved with a career.” Center representatives want students to sign up and attend its fairs, workshops and other informational sessions. “We’re going to have a majors and minors fair on Oct. 27 and that’s a great place to either look at majors or add a minor,” Kufahl said. “We also have a series of workshops such as co-operative education, internships and résumés, and ‘ace the interview,’ that will help ease you on the right path.” Sara Muzzy, director of student academic programs and service, stressed the importance of these workshops for first-year students. “We have 60 [workshops] offered
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this semester alone,” Muzzy said. “That’s more than ample opportunities for all students to take advantage of some of those workshops.” The fairs are geared toward all students, but Kufahl emphasized starting and attending early in your college career. “We want freshmen to attend the on-campus career fair,” Kufahl said. “Start going now. Start meeting employers now, that way you can make a good impression when you can meet with an employer every year and they can see you growing professionally.” Once students enter their second year, the center urges them to become more involved with a specific career plan and specifying what their major will be. “This is when we really want you to dive in and start looking for co-operative education or internship experience,” Kufahl said. “We also have employer symposiums and it’s also good for sophomores to attend those and start learning about the industry.” In order to be involved with a student internship or a co-operative education program, students need to activate their “handshake” account. “What they would do is sign up in handshake,” Muzzy said. “They’d activate their profile and they can sign up for one of our workshops right then when they activate it. And the actual workshop students need to complete to be a part of co-op’s and internships would be the résumé and co-operative internship workshop.”
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Senior Nathan Templon never believed he would be doing what he is doing. Templon decided to put his skills to work in preparation for his senior year. That’s when he turned to the Career Development Center and ultimately became a manager at Boeing. “I never thought I’d be doing anything like this,” he said. “You get into the coursework and you learn what you enjoy, and then you put forth those skills and start applying for positions.” Templon, an engineering student, started applying for positions hoping to find a summer internship. “I worked with the Career Development Center on my résumé and also attended sessions on developing my interview skills,” he said. In the spring, Templon met with Boeing hiring managers. Boeing selected Templon for an internship for their VC25 program as a systems engineer. It came with a surprise. “The office gave me the name of a manager,” Templon said. “The manager then assigned me to the VC25 Program, which is most famously used as Air Force One.” As a systems engineer, Templon was assigned to work with clients to discuss modifications and then work with designers to make it possible. The designers then turn the project back to Templon’s team, which measures quality and ensures it meets all regulations. Templon worked at the Boeing plant near Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City. Over the summer, President Barack Obama visited Oklahoma City and Templon experienced the significance of the project. “It is majestic to watch Air Force One fly,” Templon said. Working on Air Force One posed exciting challenges for Templon. “Working on such a large ! system full of intricacies makes
Photo by Celeste Thompson
Abigale Martinez works with students at Jefferson Elementary School through a co-op with Communities in Schools.
you learn something new every day,” he said. Templon suggested that students who desire to follow a similar path turn to the Career Development Center for interviewing skills. “Being the best is no use if you can’t convince the hiring person that you are the best,” he said. Templon graduates in December. At the end of his internship Boeing extended a full-time position to Templon, and he is considering accepting it. “You feel like you’re working with a purpose and serious impact,” he said. “The country is being ran out of your plane. You’re building a mobile White House.” The Career Development Center not only works with various internships but also works closely with a variety of cooperative education programs. Co-ops are different in the case of internships. In Co-ops, the student forgoes classes to pursue working full-time, while still earning credit for the position. Abigale Martinez is in her fifth semester working for Communities in Schools, a local non-profit dropout prevention organization. Communities in Schools works with more than 10,000 individual students and their families in Sedgwick County each year. “Before I started with Communities in Schools I had never
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taught or really interacted with kids,” Martinez said. Now in her fifth semester at Jefferson Elementary, Martinez has several responsibilities. Martinez facilitates a lunch group with students once a week called Alcohol, Tobacco and Other Drugs (ATOD). In addition, Martinez works with fourth grade students to educate them about financial literacy. “Communities in Schools is also present in middle schools and high schools, but I prefer the elementary-school level because we are the first contact,” Martinez said. “We want to get students on the right track as early as possible.” Martinez is also in charge of meeting people who recently arrived in the United States with limited English skills and are adapting to American culture. Martinez works to develop their skills so they can integrate themselves with the rest of the class. “Typically, newcomers have trouble getting involved,” she said. “I want to make them feel welcome to the environment.” Martinez facilitates a program called “Falcons Got Soul,” which is an after-school running program designed to increase student involvement and build self-confidence.
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PAGE 2 | CAREER GUIDE THE STAFF:
EDITORIAL
Editor-in-Chief Shelby Reynolds Managing Editor Danielle Prewitt Multimedia Editor Xavier Mortenson Sports Editor Reece Burns Opinion Editor Alex Perry Special Sections Editor Amanda Hansen Production Editor Jillian Clough
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Dating in the workplace
Pros, cons to working with a significant other; Is it kosher? Attraction can come from anywhere in many different ways and forms. COLUMN BY We’re all VICTORIA attracted to HENDRICKS our friends for some reason. Maybe we have the same tastes or are complete opposites that balance each other out. But what happens when you and the person you’re attracted to work together? The rules of this vary from workplace to workplace. All work environments and employers have unique policies. Generally, managers have some common threads when it comes to mixing
business and pleasure. Most of the time, as was my case when I worked at the Hutchinson Mall 8 Theatre some years ago, it was tolerated but frowned upon. They made it very clear that it was only tolerated with associates that were on the same level. If two “associates” decided to start seeing one another romantically, that was more acceptable. It was not acceptable for a manager and an associate to date for several reasons. The first was because of the power-dynamic issue. In the case of workplace ethics and liability laws, such as the potential for sexual harassment lawsuits if the relationship went sour between the two individuals, there may be
claims of an abuse of power, manipulation or the manager taking advantage of their subordinate. Furthermore, on the opposite side of that same coin, there is the potential risk of that manager doing favors and playing favorites toward the subordinate he/she was dating. Another potentially negative consequence is that, in most cases with the manager, he or she may not be taken seriously or have the respect of the other workers any longer. Other associates may undermine the authority of the manager, and the manager’s colleagues may think that he/she is dating this person simply to be boastful or, for some reason, to gain an advantage over the others.
Basically, reputations can be at stake with workplace dating. One final reprimand of dating in the workplace is, as the saying goes, to “leave your personal life at the door.” That certainly becomes much harder to do when your personal life comes to work with you. If a fight had ensued before, this has the potential to create drama at work, no work gets accomplished and the whole environment suffers. Ask these two questions before becoming involved with a fellow employee: • Do I see a connection with this person outside of work? • Is it worth my reputation or even my job if something goes wrong?
How college students balance classes, employment A modern-day college student’s schedule: wake up in a COLUMN BY rush for an 8 MEGAN LOOPER a.m. class, run across campus to make it to the next class on time, go straight to that part-time minimum wage job until closing hour and rush to grab a coffee on the way home to ensure you can stay awake for the several hours of vital studying. The question is: how and why do we do it, and most importantly, what does it take to keep us sane during our hectic routines? “I work solely because I need a source of income to support myself,” freshman Rachael Schremmer said. “As an incoming freshman, I am now on my own and must provide for my
everyday needs.” Cramming everything into a typical day while juggling work and class has physiologically been proven to cause increased amounts of stress in young adults. More than 50 percent of full-time college students have been employed in recent years, according to the American Association of University Professors. Faculty from this organization concluded that students enrolled full-time should work between 10 and 15 hours a week. Anymore would interfere with the quality of their education. This is definitely not the case as students advocate for more working hours due to the seemingly never-ending increase in tuition costs. A study conducted at Yale
University in 2012 recorded that chronic stress can reduce brain volume and kill brain cells. A smaller, less functional brain volume can lead to impaired cognition and decreased emotional function. According to New York University, stress is reported to be the No. 1 impediment to academic performance. So what will we do to maintain the grades needed to receive a diploma while making a living? From a student standpoint, there are many effective ways to manage stress levels. “When I find myself freaking out about everything I have going on, I sit down, take a deep breath, and make a list of specific things I need to accomplish that day,” Schremmer said. “It helps me stay organized and feel more prepared to get started.”
Finding a career feels more difficult than ever The good news is if you’re reading this, you’re in a better position to COLUMN BY find stable ALEX PERRY employment as an adult than people who didn’t attend college at all. That’s assuming you don’t drop out, of course. The bad news is, well, most everything else. Decades ago, some people could pay for tuition with a day job, maybe even accruing a bit of savings along the way. They could use their degrees to find a job, settle down and start a family. Even at the best of times, that didn’t necessarily pan out for many graduates, but in today’s trying times, we are still told this is the way to go. It’s no revelation to anybody that the financial burden of a college education has grown exorbitantly, but it’s staggering to
RÉSUMÉ
FROM PAGE 1
Starting their junior year, the center works with student to prepare them for interviews and proper business etiquette. “Junior year, we’d like you to go to what’s called “Dine/Dress/Interview,” Kufahl said. “It’s at the Wichita Country Club and it will be in February. Everybody dresses in business professional, you get served a fancy four-course meal [and] we teach you how to dine like a professional. Last year we had a waiting list so this year we are doing two nights.” The center hopes to have developed a relationship with every student entering his or her senior year. For students attending graduate school, there is a Graduate School Fair that seniors can
actually see the numbers. Earlier this year, CNBC’s “Debt by Degree” series found the annual tuition at public, four-year schools in 1971 came to less than $500 when adjusted for inflation. In 2015, students at the same schools can expect to pay around $9,139. Yes, it’s bad. Additionally, more workplace competition means jobs are fewer and far between, so paying off student debt won’t be easy for most. I’m graduating in May, and I’d love nothing more than to take a few months and backpack around Europe like graduates did in ancient times, but that won’t be possible for most of us. In lieu of that, the best we can do is try as hard as we possibly can to find a means to a living wage. I’ve received advice from dozens of recent college graduations over the years, so I’ll share some of it here. Unpaid internships are scams.
attend Oct. 21. “We’ll be in the RSC and we’ll have graduate school recruiters from all different schools here talking to students about their plans,” Muzzy said. No matter what year a student arrives at WSU, the center welcomes new students at any point in their college careers to talk about plans for after graduation. The center also stresses the importance of having a perfect résumé. “It doesn’t matter what year you are in college, you should have a collegiate-level résumé,” Muzzy said. “You should constantly be building upon the existing résumé that you have. We encourage students to look at their résumé every six months to see if anything needs to be added or changed. Our peer advisors are résumé experts and we are always here to help.”
You shouldn’t settle for that unless you have an additional means of income or you’re guaranteed a full-time position when it’s done. Don’t be anyone’s human coffee delivery service unless you get something out of it. Writers and artists, be careful about working “for exposure.” Exposure is great, but it doesn’t pay the rent. Understand your labor has monetary value and be wary of anyone who says otherwise. Finally, and I know all of you have heard this before, but it really comes down to knowing the right people. You can never do enough networking. If someone can help you get a stable position, it’s definitely worth considering. The outlook is bleak for college graduates these days, and don’t bet on the government forgiving student loan debt anytime soon. No matter how futile it can feel at times, filling out 15 applications a day is better than doing nothing at all.
Other tips include trying to sleep as much as possible, eating healthy, staying positive and doing things you love in the amount of free time you have. “Sometimes I just sit down for five minutes and do nothing but enjoy a couple pieces of chocolate,” Schremmer said. “Being on the go all the time, it’s nice to get my head on straight and just relax.” Having to work while attending school is not the ideal life, but one that is unavoidable. It is up to us to make the most of it. “I might not be able to go out with my friends every time I want to, but that’s okay,” Schremmer said. “College is all about time management and choosing what is important. My priority is to get a degree, so sometimes my social life unfortunately has to suffer.”
INTERN
FROM PAGE 1 Martinez was surprised by how much the program actually does for the students and their families. “Not many realize how much work we actually do,” Martinez said. “I’ve had the opportunity to take children to doctors appointments, I’ve taken food to families within the community and facilitated clothes.” Communities in Schools is the nation’s leading dropout prevention program. Martinez added that her experience with the program has given her valuable skills to move forward. “You learn skills you wouldn’t find in the classroom,” she said. Martinez learned about the opportunities with Communities in Schools through the Career Development Center. Martinez suggested students should do their research and take advantage of the resources available to them. “Don’t be afraid,” she said. “It’s not as hard as you think it is.”
PAGE 3 | CAREER GUIDE
Dress the part
Do’s and don’ts of male, female dress for the job interview Hair should be wellgroomed and kept out of your face Don’t wear bold, distracting colors or patterns Don’t wear anything too short; skirts should be knee length Wear pantyhose with skirts if needed, otherwise be sure legs are shaved Illustration by Jillian Clough JESSICA GREEN REPORTER @jesserca9
Everyone has been told at least once, “Don’t judge a book by its cover.” But, when it comes to landing that dream job, a lot can be said by the clothes worn to the interview. Some students may dream of working at Spirit Aerosystems, Koch Industries or KWCH 12 Eyewitness News. Senior Amanda Chamberlain wants to be a teacher, and had an interview last January with Maize Central Elementary School. “I interviewed with a panel of two intervention teachers (teachers that help students learn in smaller groups) and the assistant principal,” she said. “I wore gray dress pants, a plum-colored top, a three-quarter sleeved blazer and close-toed black heels. I really thought I overdressed for the interview but in a good way.”
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
Don’t forget to shave the day of your interview
Hair and facial hair should be neatly trimmed
Don’t wear plunging necklines or spaghetti straps
Ties should coordinate with suit and dress shirt
If you don’t have a suit, wear a white button up and dress pants
Suits are good, traditional colors are best: dark blue, gray or black
Shoes should be medium to low-heeled, nothing flashy
Don’t forget dress socks with your shoes
Chamberlain said she wants to stay in the Maize USD 266 School District after graduating from Wichita State. “I want to interview for a full-time teaching position and overdressing at my interview showed them I know how to dress professionally,” she said. While Chamberlain didn’t have any issues with her interview outfit, the WSU Co-op and Internship website includes tips for other students during their professional interviews: • Color coordinate • Clothes should be neat, clean and pressed, if possible • Remove body piercings and cover tattoos if possible • Do not chew gum during the interview and avoid smoking before • Carry a small briefcase/bag or portfolio if needed
• Bring a pen and paper to take notes and contact information • Hair and fingernails should be neat, clean and styled Sandra Sipes, a professor in the Elliott School of Communication who teaches business profession classes, had some additional advice for students. “The more conservative the better,” she said. “Be careful of jewelry, and if you wear jewelry stick to studs for earrings. If you do your nails, make sure your nails are done; if you paint your toenails, make sure your toenails are done, too.” While most career choices don’t require business-casual dress every day, Chamberlain’s advice to other students is to dress the part and be yourself. “I say dress up even if the job doesn’t require it daily,” she said. “But don’t be afraid to show some personality in the interview, too.”
Which career are you best suited for? TJ RIGG
REPORTER
@tj_rigg
College students oftentimes enter college without any idea of what they should major in and what career path they should choose. This quiz is for those students to help gauge what career is best for them.
1. Of the following, which interests you the most? A. Writing a short story B. Solving a complicated
4. What hours would you prefer to work? A. Any schedule is fine with me; The more flexible, the better
equation C. Researching an important historical or political event D. Observing a large group of people in a crowded area
B. Traditional 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. C. A schedule that allows you to
2. What’s the highest education level you plan to obtain? A. Bachelor’s degree B. Doctorate C. Bachelor’s degree, and take
5. What kind of salary would you like to be paid? A. Pay is not important; doing my
3. If you won the lottery and didn’t have to worry about money, which of the following would you be likely to do? A. Work on something creative or
6. When you work, which of the following appeals most to you? A. Being flexible with job duties
work as often as you can
D. A schedule that is determined daily based on how much work you get accomplished the day before
some other courses to continue education D. Master’s degree
artistic B. Design a new computer program C. Work on a political campaign D. Volunteer for the peace corps or equivalent
job well is the real paycheck
B. Six figures C. Moderate pay that allows me to live comfortably D. Enough to get by and save small amounts on each paycheck
and coming up with creative ways of completing the job B. Following a set of instructions exactly to get the job done C. Being a team leader but also listening to what others have to say when completing a task D. Having a set of instructions but being allowed to be flexible with them as needed
SEE ANSWERS • PAGE 7
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WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
Students studying aboard return with new outlook Many travelers end up working where they studied after graduation
Courtesy Photos
Wichita State alumnae Nicole Herndlbauer spent a year in Austria in 2009. She met her husband while overseas and now works in Vienna. BRENNEN SMITH
L
REPORTER
@brennen19_26
atvia, France, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain and Czech Republic. These are all countries Wichita State junior Caleb Smith, a major in aerospace engineering, visited while studying abroad from March to July. While studying the University of Applied Sciences in Hamburg, Germany, Smith participated with a team and designed a unique solution for a dual-purpose rapid decompression panel and emergency exit for large passenger aircraft. He worked with three other international students. Smith is one of more than 100 students Ann Burger has directly worked with as the associate director for Study Abroad and Exchange Programs in the Office of International Education.
Burger said a countless number of students return from their international experience with a new outlook about life. “I remember one student in particular,” Burger said. “She had met so many people in Europe who spoke multiple languages and she only spoke English. She had such an increased awareness of other cultures and languages that she decided to ... study Spanish as a result of her study abroad experience.” Burger said she studied in Mexico and lived with a host family. She spoke Spanish daily, she said, and later worked for a year in Chile. Those experiences gave her insight into the value of study abroad programs. That is why she took the job she has now. Alumnus Tim Wilson went to Guangzhou, China, to study at Sun Yat-sen University, where he enrolled in business classes and
taught English in 2008. Alumnae Nicole Herndlbauer He said he initially traveled to studied abroad from 2009 to 2010 China for adventure, but went in Wiener Neustadt, Austria. She back because he got a job offer. said there are sometimes downImmediately after graduating sides to studying abroad. in 2010 with majors in internaHerndlbauer said she did not tional business and speak fluent German “I love what I do and played charades at marketing, Wilson now. I hope to received a job offer and the bank in order to pay continue doing her bills. She said basic began working in Shanghai, China, as a this and having errands — such as research analyst at The trying to catch a bus to the chance to CID Group, one of help companies the grocery store before Taiwan’s largest venture it closes — can become grow.” capital funds. He said he stressful and time CALEB WILSON provided a unique and consuming. WSU JUNIOR global perspective to the “But in the end, research as the only non-Asian when I look back at all of the employee. problems and pains, it makes me Now, Wilson is an investment smile,” Herndlbauer said. “The manager responsible for sourcing difficulties and embarrassments and structuring new investment often lead to the best stories later opportunities. on.” “I love what I do now,” Wilson Herndlbauer also met her said. “I hope to continue doing future husband, Thomas, during this and having the chance to help her one year in Austria. companies grow.” Now Herndlbauer lives in
Vienna with her husband and works at an atomic energy agency, a United Nations organization, where she works to strengthen worldwide nuclear security with individuals from around the world. Caleb Smith, the junior who studies all over Europe last spring, and his design project team eventually presented their project to Airbus. “Now I’ve navigated one of the busiest airports in the world (London Heathrow) with only a one and half hour layover [and] been to nine foreign countries,” Smith said. “While I’ll admit that I still have a long way to go before I will be able to speak German (fluently), I know a lot more than I did before I left.” Students interested in studying abroad can sign up for information sessions online at wichita. edu/studyabroad or email studyabroad@wichita.edu.
Bilingual applicants more attractive to employers VICTORIA HENDRICKS
REPORTER
@sunflowernews
“Hola, ¿cómo estás?” Spanish, French and German are just a handful of the colorful foreign languages students will hear when strolling down the hallways of the Modern and Classical Languages and Literatures Department in Jardine Hall at Wichita State. Ears perk up at the fluency, tone, inflection and speed the professors use. Those sounds are also becoming more imperative in today’s workplaces. “Employers always prefer bilingual employees, especially in the context of global business and services,” said Wilson Baldridge, department chair of the Modern and Classical Languages Department. Rachel Showstack, assistant professor of Spanish and Linguistics, agreed.
“Bilingualism is helpful in social services, politics, elementary education and a range of other fields, as well,” she said. “If an employer has a choice between two similar candidates and one is bilingual, the bilingual candidate will usually be more attractive.” The facts are out there about why learning a second or more languages is vital to employment placement after graduation. “The United States has the second largest Spanish-speaking population in the world,” said Rocio Del Aguila, academic lecturer of Spanish and graduate coordinator of the Spanish MA program. Jose Enrique Navarro, assistant professor of Spanish and coordinator of the certificate in Spanish for the professions, said one in five U.S. residents speak a foreign language at home.
SEE BILINGUAL • PAGE 7
Abstract degrees may equal job security MARISSA CAMPBELL
REPORTER
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Deciding which major to choose can be difficult because are many options and interesting university degrees at Wichita State to consider. Some students may want to major in teaching or nursing, where they know jobs and careers are readily available. Others will major in sociology or a foreign language, which may be nerve-wracking when it is time to find a job. Although it may seem difficult, many of the students majoring in these “abstract,” liberal arts degrees said it will be quite simple to find the career that they desire. “I moved around a lot, trying to figure out what I wanted to do,” junior Kayla McLaughlin said. “I’ve always been interested in sign language and deaf culture, and then I took a class with a girl who was deaf and the interpreter there and it blew my mind. That’s when I knew I wanted a career in this.” McLaughlin said many people might think an interpreting career is hard to find due to the lack of demand, but it actually
is not. Interpreters are contracted out by different companies and will float between them depending on when they are needed. There are also two different kinds of sign language used by English speakers. American Sign Language is used mostly by the deaf community and is more conversational. Signing Exact English is word-for-word, including grammar. The complicated part about interpreting is many interpreters should know both types. “Students that are deaf and need an interpreter may struggle on their homework if the interpreter doesn’t know Signing Exact English,” McLaughlin said. “They struggle because they are smart and can speak and read English, they just don’t know all of the stylistics that go with it, which is why I’m going to learn both.” Although the intensive classes and amount of material may intimidate some students, those who are interested should not stray away.
SEE DEGREES • PAGE 7
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EMPLOYER SPOTLIGHT PAGE 6 | CAREER GUIDE
www.thesunflower.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
Several Wichita companies have a fleat of employees made up of former Shockers. A few of them offer advice on ways to land jobs, internships after graduation.
Koch: Companies look for more than just skills
Photo by Xavier Mortenson
Employees at Bombardier Learjet in Wichita advise to communicate and practice interviews to prepare for positions outside of college.
Bombardier: Practice interview, communication skills with profs AMANDA HANSEN
REPORTER
@mandabri4
What does it take to get a job after college? That’s one of the most commonly asked question among college students. Employees at Bombardier Learjet offer advice on things students can do now to increase the likelihood of landing a job or internship after graduation. Dustin Thiry, an engineer and maintenance data analyst for Bombardier Learjet, said students might prepare for the possibility of finding a career not directly associated with the degree. Thiry graduated from Wichita State in 2013 with an aerospace engineering degree and soon after received an internship position unrelated to it. “I’m working customer support, so I don’t use my engineering degree a whole lot,” he said. “At first you have to deal with not getting what you expected because you think you’re going to get an internship in your degree. I think it was the best thing that happened to me because now I have a completely different outlook on the organization and aircraft itself.” Thiry said his communication skills are what set him apart from all the other engineering students. “You kind of know what other students are doing, so do something different,” he said. “For me, that was communication, getting really good at communicating because a lot of engineers aren’t.” Kara Cornwell, customer service representative for component repair and overhaul for Bombardier Learjet, said the best piece of advice she’d give students who wish to start a career right out of college is to practice interviewing with professors. “[Professors have] been in the real world
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If you only go in and out of the classroom and you don’t interact with your professors, you’re never going to learn anything other than what the professor is teaching you.” MARY CLAVO, WSU ALUMNA
and know what companies expect,” she said. “They’ve had that experience and I think that will help [students] develop better interview skills. A lot of the time, students are intimidated by the interview process and it’s just a conversation. You’re interviewing them just as much as they’re interviewing you.” Campus and community involvement, obtaining leadership roles and developing skills in several different areas can increase candidates’ competitiveness for a job, Cornwell said. Mary Clavo, customer service and account manager for Latin America at Bombardier Learjet, said she recommends students get an internship because it’s much easier to be hired internally for a full-time job. Clavo also emphasized the importance of building relationships with professors. “If you only go in and out of the classroom and you don’t interact with your professors, you’re never going to get anything other than what the professor is teaching you,” she said. “Try to create better relationships with your professors and try to ask more questions.” Clavo, Thiry and Cornwell agreed participation in extracurricular activities, improving skills unique than other students, building relationships with professors and earning an internship are surefire ways to start a career after college. “Try to create that relationship and go after hours to learn, Clavo said. “Get experience outside of the classroom. It worked great for me, and I think it’s great advice for students.”
Photo by Xavier Mortenson
Koch Industries has been a source of several internships and jobs for Wichita State graduates. Its staff looks for interns who not only have talent, but also a drive to succeed. ASCHA LEE
have experience, and that’s why we have an intern program,” Woodward said. “We have a preference toward hiring students and training them, growing our own talent instead of acquiring it from elsewhere.” He spoke passionately about the type of people Koch looks for, putting emphasis on the fact that they want talent in order to be competitive in the market, but more importantly, Koch wants people with virtue and a drive to succeed and make a It’s contribution to competitive the company. but it’s not Woodward said impossible.” the internships
REPORTER
@aschalee
On a sunny day in a tastefully decorated office building lounge, a former Wichita State student-athlete sits and ponders working for a company that he starting working for as an intern. Joe Woodward, who ran track for two years and graduated in 2012 with a degree in accounting, began his internship with Invista during his junior year at WSU. Invista is just one of the 10 companies owned by Koch Industries, a multinational corporation based in Wichita. Koch is widely known for its unique business philosophy, which emphasizes the importance of creativity, integrity and fulfillment, among several other values outlined and articulated by the company’s guiding principles listed on its website. According to Forbes, Koch Industries is America’s second-largest private company, employing more than 100,000 people worldwide. Woodward said sometimes, instead of asking what Koch does, it’s easier to ask what Koch does not do. He said while you may not see Koch’s name on a lot of products, that Koch produces the materials that go into a vast number of different commodities, including paper towels, carpet, drywall and more. Woodward started working full-time in accounting at Koch after graduating from WSU, and is now a representative for college relations. He said 90 percent of hiring at Koch happens in September, and generally looks for students pursuing a technical degree. All internships are paid, and according to Koch’s news website, about 80 percent of interns receive full-time offers. “We get that college students don’t
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JOE WOODWARD are competiWSU ALUMNUS tive, but still a realistic goal for many students. “It’s competitive but it’s not impossible,” Woodward said. “We don’t only hire rockstars. We hire normal people who want to work hard.” Koch Industries maintains a steady presence on campus and often recruits by sending volunteers to talk with students about the company and its principles. Woodward said the recruiters on campus are usually just employees from other departments at Koch who volunteer their time to come and talk to college students. He said the recruiters want to get to know the students and their values, because values don’t typically appear on a resume. “We look for people who align with our values and also have the initiative and drive to really make a difference,” Woodward said. “I’d say, in a word, that being here is really fulfilling. You earn fulfillment when you can make a difference, and I feel like Koch is a place where you can make a difference.”
Sports Management alumni take center stage in NFL as season begins EVAN PFLUGRADT
REPORTER
@evpflu
Courtesy Photo
Alumnus Dan Beckler preps San Fransisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick for an interview.
In sports there is no stage bigger than the National Football League, and seven alumni of the Wichita State Sports Management program have achieved success working on that stage. Dan Beckler is in his sixth season as senior manager of football communications for the San Francisco 49ers. In his time with the 49ers, he has seen three straight NFC Championship Titles and a Super Bowl appearance. “Once I realized how much I enjoyed the NFL, I was determined to make it work,” Beckler said. Beckler works directly with players and the front office to handle public relations operations. He oversees internal organization postings
through 49ers.com. Beckler directly works with local and various national organizations to publicize the team. “Our main goal is to publicize players through the local market and then work them up to the national scene,” Beckler said. “National outlets, ESPN and Sports Illustrated, work with our department very consistently.” Kellen Begnoche, client services manager for the Kansas City Chiefs, oversees all aspects of the Suite Services team and VIP hospitality for all suite members and corporate partners. “My position with the Chiefs is the perfect blend of business and football,” Begnoche said. “I view my role with the Chiefs as a member of a business unit, and the product that we happen to sell just so happens to be football.”
Amy Foreman, events operations coordinator for AT&T Stadium and the Dallas Cowboys, has been part of the Final Four, the first ever College Football Playoff National Championship, the record-breaking final George Strait concert, the record-breaking 50th ACM Awards, an NFL playoff game and much more. Obtaining a job in professional sports can be hard to come by. And a job in the NFL is even more elusive. “It’s difficult,” Foreman said. “There are nine full-time staff members in our department, and only two got their job just by applying. The rest of us were recommended by a colleague or were rehired by a supervisor we had worked for previously. The sports industry is all about who you know.”
SEE NFL • PAGE 7
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PAGE 7 | CAREER GUIDE
www.thesunflower.com
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
Inside look on big exams: Students share tips, tricks ASCHA LEE
REPORTER
@aschalee
Graduate schools in the United States accepted only about 40 percent of all applications last year according to a 2014 report from the Council of Graduate Schools in Washington, D.C. Most graduate school application processes require the GRE test, which stands for “graduate record examination.” Erin Terrell, a senior studying Communication Sciences and Disorders, plans to take the test Friday. Terrell said she hopes to get her master’s degree in speech pathology. “It’s hard to feel prepared for such a major test, but I feel fairly confident going into it,” Terrell said. “After I finish my school work, I try to put in about one hour of studying every night. So far I have been studying vocabulary with flashcards, and have been taking practice tests out of a workbook for the last few months.” Terrell said the most stressful part of studying for the test is trying to retain the wide variety of information the exam covers. She said she uses a study board, which helps her organize and summarize all the material, and that she chews the same flavor of gum every time
BILINGUAL FROM PAGE 5
“American employers need personnel who can speak more than one language to accommodate the needs of that population,” he said. Moreover, the advantages are far and wide being bilingual, especially in careers. “[B]eing bilingual can make the difference between you and your coworkers and can bring unique opportunities for your professional development,” Del Aguila said. “If you are in a bilingual working space, you will fit better and the results of your team work might improve.” In addition, the advantages also demonstrate strength in cognitive development. “Recent studies show that people who speak more than one language may perform better in academic terms, because those individuals are more prone to develop sustained attention and switch between tasks,” Navarro said. Generally, all the professors said the need to be fluent is
DEGREES FROM PAGE 5
“It is a great asset to have in everyday life,” said Susan Goodwyn, a sign language instructor. “Being able to communicate with a person who doesn’t hear can provide many avenues whether that’s friendships with people who are deaf or using the signing skills in another job.” Sign language and sociology majors agree the job hunt is fairly easy for them. That may come as a shock, but since there are fewer majors in those fields there may be more opportunities available to these students, especially if they partake in internships or go on to graduate
she does homework or studies. “I use Orbit sweet mint,” she said. “It’s just a quirky little way for me to calm down from the day and it helps me to just sit down and focus.” It is not uncommon for students to adopt unique habits while preparing for important exams, since covering so much material can get overwhelming and monotonous at times. But for some, avoiding long hours of studying altogether can be their key to maintaining focus. “I never binge studied,” said Nicholus Cox, a senior electrical engineering major. “I don’t do well looking at books or watching videos for a long period of time, so I would solve five to eight problems at a time, walk away and do the dishes or something, then solve a few more.” Cox, who recently took the four-hour GRE, said his most important piece of advice for others is to take the practice tests, which he said are nearly identical to the actual test. Practice exams are easily available and seem to be helpful, not only to students taking the GRE, but also the Medical College Admission Test (MCAT). Maha Madi, a senior psychology major who took the MCAT in June, also said practice tests helped her
MCLL offers 10 languages: • Arabic • Chinese • French • German • Italian • Japanese
• Latin and Greek • Russian • Spanish
preferred, but not demanded. “It depends on the type of work,” Showstack said. “Of course, fluency is recommended and that is the reason why we try to make our students practice as much as possible and in an adequate cultural context. Fluency comes with time and exposure to the language,” Del Aguila said. So the question remains. What language is best to know? “No language is more practical than the other,” Navarro said. “It is how we use it or what we use it for that makes it practical for us. If someone’s loves a language, he or she will find the way to make it practical, may it be by using it in a professional setting, meeting new people, or traveling or living abroad.” school. “[Most everyone] in the WSU sociology department has a job coming out of grad school,” graduate student Jacob Erickson said. “The skills you get from statistical analysis are really marketable and really useful in lots of different jobs.” Many sociology majors either work as professors or as statistical analysts, which work for companies using statistical software procedures for marketing-based purposes, such as discovering what people are buying or watching to help companies cater their commercials and products to customers’ needs. “The department here is really awesome as well,” Erikson said. “All of the professors are really good to work with.”
Photo Illustration by Tarun Bali
WSU students prepare for the graduate record examination, or GRE, by using clever studying tricks while trying to retain an extensive amount of information.
most to prepare. “They put you in the test mindset and help you build up the stamina to take the exam,” Madi said. The newly revised MCAT takes six hours to complete. She said she studied seven to eight hours a day to prepare for the big exam earlier this summer, and she, too, developed special tricks for studying and even rewarded herself for good behavior at times.
NFL
FROM PAGE 6 Beckler said connections are the best way to get a start. While networking is essential, Beckler said hard work will never go unnoticed. “You have to be able to work hard,” Beckler said. “You should be the first one in and the last one out. It’s coming through when you’re called upon that leaves a strong lasting impression.” Begnoche and Beckler said internships were ultimately what allowed them to break into the league. “There’s a lot of long hours involved for not much pay, but when you get that final break for
“I never studied at home, so I became a regular at Starbucks and the Donut Whole, and I would sometimes treat myself to something when I went in there,” Madi said. Tarak Sharma, a volunteer research worker for biology professor George Bousfield’s study, has a doctorate and more than 28 years of teaching experience in community colleges, universities and medical schools. During that a full time position there is nothing more rewarding,” Beckler said. “You can’t just go from point A to point B without some hard work along the way.” Beckler first realized the opportunity to work in the NFL while in a class with Clay Stoldt when he was told about a sports publicity program put together by ESPN. Beckler was selected for the internship where he had first-hand experience working a training camp for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Begnoche said there’s a lot of turnover in sports, so you never know where your next break might come from. “The only guarantee is to keep working hard and make the most of every opportunity,” Begnoche said.
time, he helped hundreds of students prepare for the MCAT. He said it is important to remember the MCAT tests critical thinking. “If you want to take the MCAT, you have to strategize to obtain a higher score,” Sharma said. “If a student knows where he or she is lacking in terms of critical thinking, he or she can fix it and be successful. You have to be in it to win it.”
Dan Beckler
Senior Manager of Public Relations for San Francisco 49ers
Kellen Begnoche
Client Services Manager for the Kansas City Chiefs
Mickey Loomis
Executive Vice President/General Manager of Football Operations for New Orleans Saints
Scot McClloughan
General Manager for Washington Redskins
Amy Stratbucker
Event Operations Coordinator for Dallas Cowboys
Pat Tetrick
Senior Manager of Guest Relations for Denver Broncos
Rusty Wiley
Manager, Suite Sales for Atlanta Falcons Courtesy Photo
Alumnus Dan Beckler prepares the San Fransisco 49ers for interviews. Beckler is senior manager of public releations for the team.
ANSWERS
FROM PAGE 3
If you answered mostly...
A. You are probably best suited
for a career that allows you to be creative on a day-to-day basis. This includes careers in English, communication, fine arts and more. Pay is often not the greatest in these fields, but that usually doesn’t matter to someone in one of these jobs. You get more satisfaction out of doing your
job well than you do about being paid large amounts of money.
B. You would be best suited
with a career in STEM — science, technology, engineering or mathematics. These careers are usually high paying and require more than a bachelor’s degree — sometimes, you might have to get a doctorate because these fields are often competitive.
C.
Your best bet would be to pursue a career in history, political science or criminal justice. You like to look at
current events analytically and see how they impact the present and future. You likely have a clear understanding of modern politics and could succeed in a political career of your own.
D.
You are suited for a career in a social science. This includes sociology, psychology, women’s studies, social services and more. You try to understand human behavior and why people do the things they do. You want to help other people, either individually or on a large scale for the greater good of humanity.
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353 North Mead Street • WarrenOldTown.com
** $8 for 3D. Does not include Directors Suite.
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