Throngs of pantsuit and blazer-clad students bustled through the arteries of the Bryan Center Saturday, their eager voices echoing through the building and the heels of their well-polished oxford shoes tapping the floor rapid-fire style.
After filing through the requisite lines to receive their complimentary continental breakfasts and the "Making Connections" registration handbook, the future leaders of the world took one last look at their neon blue schedules and dashed off, briskly and professionally, to their respective panel locations, ranging from Perkins' Breedlove room to Von Canon Room B.
With this seemingly smooth and hiccup-free morning, the first annual Career Week Conference Day had officially begun--and for four of the 1,560 registered students, the day was about discovering possibilities for the future.
Down two flights of stairs from the registration booths and inside the Multicultural Center sat sophomore Annick Charlot, who decided to attend the Career Week panels for the common reason of receiving more guidance and direction for a career--which for her, a tutor and volunteer at a local community center, is the education field. After sitting through the 10 a.m. meeting of the K-12 Teaching & Administration session, she felt she had received information that she sought.
"These panels make me more confident in my final decision [of a career choice]. I'm not exactly sure what I want to do, [but] it's reassuring to hear others who have gone through that same thing and still succeeded," she said.
Indeed the alumni present gave attendees much food for thought, as every stripe and color of the educator's world was represented. The panelists shared the different career journeys they have taken, spanning teaching inner-city youth in the United States to teaching English to Mexican nationals in Mexico.
"Listening to the panelists was inspiring. It's such an education to hear them talk about their different paths to teaching. It really motivates me to make my own path in my life," said Charlot, who also attended the Non-profits and Social Responsibility and People People panels.
At the same time, she echoes the sentiment of many Duke students when she said she is trying to balance several conflicting desires.
"The largest one is being happy with what I'm doing and then, of course, financial security comes into play," she said. "The helpful thing about the panels was at the end, they gave me something more concrete to think about."
In addition to advice regarding job and life stability, the educators also gave out practical advice about how to land the jobs--including surprising resume elements.
"[Boarding schools] look for camp experience, the fact that you've been engaged in such an intense experience," revealed alum Jack Bonner, Trinity '80 and the Associate Head of the Asheville School in North Carolina. Bonner was one of the 200 alumni panelists and moderators who participated in Career Week.
Career preparation was also an integral part of the 11:30 a.m. Performing Arts panel. Alumni sharing their experiences included former child actor Daniel Karslake, Trinity '87, and a partner in the production company the Atticus Group, as well as Daniel Klein, Trinity '96, who worked on the television show "The Simpsons" before becoming the CEO of hip-hop-for-kids company, MeeWee Entertainment.
The future goals of student attendees ranged from being a television host, playing in a professional band, to combining music and the literature of Garcia-Marquez into a performance. For junior Ashley Carlson, who is a singer, dancer and actress, her intent for attending the panel was to meet these former Duke students who materialized their dreams.
"It's just so great to see these people doing what they love and I just wanted to see how I could get into it, to do what I love," she said. "[However,] I'm still trying to balance the notions of what I want to do, what I should do and what my parents want me to do."
The issue of dealing with career input from parents also surfaced for sophomore Danielle Reifsnyder, but she said the experiences of the alumni at the International Work session provided reassurance and encouragement.
"I felt the career panels took away the pressure to have a nearly-set career goal. It motivates you to be involved in things and seek out opportunities for yourself.... One of the panelists said, 'Both good and bad experiences add to your career toolbox,'" she said. "The thing that was covered for me was that, especially, at this point, it's a great time to start thinking about summer opportunities.'"
Reifsnyder, a Russian and chemistry double-major, was also surprised at the helpfulness of those involved when she asked about possible international work in Russia during the panel session.
"They offered me journal entries from a past student in Russia and they talked about the different opportunities available for abroad study and work," she said.
The different international programs represented included the Peace Corps, the Japanese Exchange and Teaching program for prospective English teachers, and the military.
When the long day of panel-attending, alumni-networking and smiling and handshaking finally came to an end, pre-med senior Heidi Schumacher felt that the sessions she attended--Non-profit and Social Responsibility, as well as Medicine--were worth her while.
"I went in just being a little skeptical because [panels like this] end up being only slightly helpful because often times, people are telling you stuff you already know. But I didn't feel that this was like that, because people were more helpful in giving me the connections I needed than I expected," she said. "It was good to meet people who are physicians and have that insight and [also] people in the same field who aren't [physicians] and have different perspectives."
Schumacher believed, however, that the best part of the day was in actuality not limited to any one panel, but rather it was hearing alumni repeatedly advise, "Do whatever you want to do."
And, indeed, that was what the day was all about.
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