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Printer-Friendly ModeMany opportunities await in business
November 2, 2009 —
Nana Kwame Akowuah is taking a little advice from his mentor: “Dig your well before you’re thirsty.”
For the economics junior, the job fair in Curtiss Hall on Friday was just the beginning. Business majors at SVSU have many opportunities to start their future now, including internships, training programs, business fraternities and networking events.
For Akowuah, the job fair was a place to market himself for internships and his career at a time when global economies are unstable.
“When an economy is going down, everyone becomes conscious,” Akowuah said. “That is when businesses start thinking. That is when schools become very effective. Now, everybody is in the career office and getting out there.”
Mark Potts, assistant dean for undergraduate programs in the College of Business and Management, prepares business majors such as Akowuah for working in the competitive and innovative world of business.
Akowuah said his passion began in the family.
“My father started two businesses, and I got interested in how he was helping his business grow,” he says.
“I’m someone who naturally likes to come up with ideas to see how best we can make a change in society. And I know that the best way to make money is to have ideas to solve society’s problems. I realized that business was the perfect place for me to go.”
According to Potts, one of the keys to building a future in business is early preparation.
“Do the things that you need to do to get the job you want upon graduation,” he said. “Lay that foundation from your freshman year because your senior year will come soon enough, and then it is too late.”
One of the ways business majors are laying that foundation is through internships. Akowuah now holds one with Aramark’s Dining Services, and he said the majority of his business learning comes from this kind of extracurricular involvement.
“You’re able to put your learning into practice amid real challenges,” he said.
Many students intern according to their department or their major.
“They are at a number of CPA firms in the area,” Potts said.
“They’re at Dow Chemical. They’re at Dow Corning. We also have students working with Saginaw Children’s Museum . . . [or doing] the accounting work for Cardinal Racing.”
Potts said internships open doors for students and give them practical work experience.
“[Students] will have references, and it may not be who you are working for who hires you,” he said. “They may know somebody, or you now have a reference within the community.”
Another way business majors are planning for the future is through the Business Entrepreneur Skills Training program, known as the BEST program, now in its fourth year.
Lindsey Zion, international business and management junior, says the BEST program helped her to recognize her potential as a manager by giving her the hands-on and problem-solving skills she wanted.
“Freshmen do the basic learning program, which involves meeting with Career Planning and Placement and working on interviewing and networking skills,” Zion said. “Sophomores work on hands-on community serve projects with businesses. The upperclassmen are encouraged to meet with entrepreneurs to start up a business plan with them.”
Potts said the BEST program is where business major and minors are working with the Saginaw Children’s Museum, Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program and the YMCA. Students are certified as tax preparers who can assist low- and moderate-income families in the Saginaw Bay region.
They do tax returns and are preparing a video to help educate clients, both on and off campus, about financial responsibility, budgeting, saving and avoiding scams.
In addition to internships and community involvement, business honors societies such as Beta Gamma Sigma, Delta Sigma Pi and Alpha Chi offer students many opportunities. Students at the top of their classes have the chance to attend skill-building conferences, network with employers and entrepreneurs, and stay up to date on business trends.
One trend that business majors are watching closely is the growth of the U.S. economy. The Department of Commerce estimated Thursday that the GDP rose at a 3.5 percent annual pace in the third quarter, due to the government stimulus package.
“The economy is improving,” said Alok Jain, a master of business administration student. “The U.S. is out of recession now. By the time I get out of graduate school, I’ll be getting a good job.”
Jain said he plans to work in a small company after graduating with his master’s degree.
“I’ll get more experience,” he said.
“When you work at a small company, there are very few people, and they do all the work, so you get to know every part of the business.”
Melissa Reinert, former president of Delta Sigma Pi, earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration in May. She describes her job hunt as difficult.
“I started looking several months before I graduated but couldn’t find much I was qualified for,” she said. “Luckily, I was able to continue working at my internship part time until I found something. . . . I’m really excited about the project I am working on and look forward to going to my graduate courses.”
Like many business majors looking for work during the recession, Reinert decided to pursue graduate studies in the hope that the economy would turn around in that time.
“I wanted to get my master’s someday, but wasn’t expecting to continue right after my undergrad graduation,” she said. “It will help me find a job I really want in a year or so.”