Professional Development
Throughout my time as an MIS student in the Fox School of Business, I have been able to attend events and take advantage of opportunities to help advance my professional development. These are some of the PRO activities I have taken part in:
IBIT Small Group Meeting with Industry Executive
In the spring of 2017, I was given the opportunity to partake in a small group meeting with several other students to ask Michael Bradshaw, CIO of NBCUniversal, about his career and discuss the different opportunities he saw for students in MIS. Being able to discuss these sorts of things with an industry executive was invaluable because we were able to gain insights from someone who had a variety of knowledge in IT and a wide amount of expertise to offer as a leader. At this point in time I had just declared my major as MIS, so I found that this meeting enabled me to ask questions about how to successfully narrow down my career path to something that will interest me, and also provide me with the opportunity to expand my career and advance later on. This was also an opportunity for me to realize that once I graduate and am working, interacting with executives and senior leaders shouldn’t be seen as intimidating. They are simply people who have worked throughout their careers to gain knowledge and experience, and because of their ability to effectively communicate with others and bring success to the workplace, have earned top level positions.
Fox IT Career Fair
In September of 2017, I attended the Fox IT Career Fair. This event was for students affiliated with the Fox School’s MIS department, and provided a great opportunity for students to network and speak with companies offering jobs and internships. Because I knew that the companies in attendance were there specifically for students in MIS, I was especially excited to attend and speak with recruiters to demonstrate why I would be a good candidate for their internship. Being able to talk with several different companies about internships they were offering in IT allowed me to gain more perspective on the sorts of opportunities I will have access to as an MIS major, and the skills and abilities needed to be successful in these roles. From this event, I gained experience networking with industry professionals, and learned the importance of having confidence in yourself and your abilities, researching companies before/preparing ahead, and how following up afterwards can lead to more possibilities.
Active AIS Member
As members of AIS, students are included in many different activities and events, from social and community service events, to speaker series and professional development workshops. Speaker series involve someone coming in from a company in the IT industry to speak about different topics. Speakers have come in and offered insights on topics such as innovative technologies, valuable lessons from their experiences, different career paths, technologies utilized by their organizations, and more. At professional development workshops, we have learned about things like effective communication and presentations, tips on finding internships, and different paths for students with an MIS degree. Being in this club is important for students in the major because it allows us to attend a variety of events, meet tons of new people, and stay proactive in the MIS community.