Liberal Arts Voices

Read the perspectives of our current students

EconomicsPennsylvania Hosting The Brief Case Conference

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Posted By: Career Enrichment Network

The Brief Case is a conference-style morning with a scholarship competition in the afternoon. The morning sessions are presented by various professionals in several different fields relevant to the location of the event. The afternoon continues in a case competition where the students are given a challenge and must provide a solution in front of judges and peers. The event is capped with a scholarship to the winning team and a networking event for the students.

Our first event is at Penn State April 2 for sixty students to participate. The premise of the event is to have students learn from industry professionals, be challenged to a short-suspense problem (much like the real world), and provide a viable solution in a friendly competition.

April 2, 2016
8:00a.m.-5:00p.m.
Smeal College of Business

Breakfast, lunch, and a light evening reception will be served to all participants.

RSVP http://tinyurl.com/BriefCase2016

Any questions, please contact Doug McAcy, dbm18@psu.edu.

Professional Dress Required

BP Offering Scholarships for Economics Majors

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Posted by the Career Enrichment Network

BP knows you’re the future of the energy industry. That’s why we’re looking for high-achieving candidates to join our scholarship program.

If you want to pursue a career in one of the areas below, you could be awarded a $5000 BP scholarship towards your undergraduate studies. We’ll also offer you the opportunity to visit one of our offices so you can experience at first-hand what life’s like at BP and gain a different perspective of the industry.

What are the BP Scholarship program details?

  • Applications accepted between January 15, 2016 and March 15, 2016
  • Recipients will be awarded $5,000 for the 2016-2017 academic year
  • Scholarships awarded on an annual basis with no automatic renewal.  Students are invited to reapply in subsequent years.
  • BP scholarship induction ceremony held in summer 2016 for selected recipients at BP Houston campus

Who is eligible to apply?

Applicants must meet all of the following criteria to be eligible for this scholarship:

  • Must be enrolled or accepted for enrollment as a full time student for the entire 2016-17 academic year.
  • Must be a US citizen or have the legal right to work in the United States without requiring sponsorship now or in the future.
  • Must maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher (on a 4.0 scale)
  • Must be pursuing an undergraduate degree in one of the following majors:bpscholarship

Where to apply?

Applicants can submit their application by visiting bp.com/us-scholarships and click on the Apply button.

My Summer at Octagon

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Good Bye.jpgI never thought I would be in a position where I would be supremely disappointed that I had to stop working, but the unthinkable has occurred, and with it comes ten weeks of memories and experience that I will never forget.

My devout readers are by this time well aware of my position, but for those that have come late to the party, I spent my summer as a public relations intern at Octagon.

There is certainly a long list of words that I could use to describe the position and my experience, but chief amongst them are undoubtedly amazing, fast-paced and rewarding.

If there was one thing I learned in the first week that I will carry with me for the rest of my career, it’s that the word “routine” does not exist in this industry. Some people say that “every day is different,” but in my mind, that’s a severe understatement, and I would argue that every ten minutes is different.

Working at a frantic pace, juggling multiple tasks at once, and always being able to think on my feet are things I was forced to master over my ten weeks with Octagon, and they’re skills that I know will continue to pay off in the future. Occasionally, the great Tennis interns would also lend a helping hand, and it was great to work both collaboratively and individually on projects.

Although everyday was completely different, there was a semblance of consistency in the types of projects that I completed. Naturally as a PR intern, communications oriented tasks were the most common project I found myself doing, with some miscellaneous work mixed in.

These duties ranged from drafting press releases, to making sales calls for our speakers, to assisting in communication initiatives for athletes who we knew had a big announcement coming. Needless to say, these projects were extremely varied and time consuming, both things that I embraced.

In addition to my traditional tasks, there were also two major projects that I had to complete throughout the summer. The first one was a solo project in which I was tasked with the duty of putting together a PowerPoint presentation for recruitment purposes that highlighted our athletes’ accomplishments and awards. This probably took two weeks of all-day work, as it required me to individually look up all 546 current athletes and personalities and assemble a list of their awards, accomplishments, and honors. That said, the hard work was definitely worth it; the end result was fantastic, and it’s something I can now add to my portfolio.

The second major project was a company-wide project designed for the interns called “Project X.” Luckily, the name is far more mysterious than the objective, which was to formulate a marketing plan for a specific athlete and make a 25 minute presentation to the entire company. My group consisted of three interns in my office, along with one in New York, so we were forced to meet via conference call every week with our teammates and advisors. The project was presented at the very end of the summer, and it went very well.

This truly has been a dream summer for me, and I couldn’t have asked for a better experience or company to learn from. This has undoubtedly been one of the best experiences of my life and has only further reaffirmed my intense desire to work in this industry. I learned an incredible amount in my time here, ranging from general concepts like how to balance multiple projects at a time to drafting press releases. The skills I learned I’ll take with me throughout my career, and I know they will continue to pay dividends in the future. I had a great relationship with my boss, who was an immense help and is someone I plan on staying in contact with for a long time. The industry contacts I made to go along with simply having Octagon on my resume is truly invaluable, and I could not have asked for a more rewarding and incredible experience.

Thank you to everyone that tuned into the blogging experience, and I hope in some way you got something out of it. Whether it was my charming wit or simply insight into the industry, I hope you enjoyed what you read.

Feel free to email me at stuartyacobian@gmail.com.

A Day as a Logistics Intern

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It is only fair to you, the reader, for me to begin by making you aware that the title of this entry is quite misleading.  First, it implies that my days at my summer internship with New Pig Corporation are typical or mundane.  The title also pegs me as an intern who works directly with the methods that deliver products to customers as quickly and efficiently as possible.  While both descriptions are occasionally true, they are not sufficient.  Instead, I have provided an informal look into one of numerous plausible days as an intern at New Pig:

7:15 A.M. – Drag myself to the company gym and sculpt my beach body for the ladies.

9:00 A.M. – Drive to the other end of the company campus where the warehouse and traffic office (mine) are located.  Log in, catch up on email, open MS Excel/Access in addition to internal software applications, and definitely do not quickly check Facebook and Twitter (shhh).

9:15 A.M. – Depending on the status of my project(s), either continue collecting and investigating data or check in with my supervisor to discuss my next objectives.  My long-term goal is to identify sources of profit loss in the entire order fulfillment process and develop solutions to these problems.  Thus far, I have collected a sample of data from 2011 and analyzed it to find missed profit opportunities between what New Pig representatives have charged customers for shipping and what the carriers themselves have billed New Pig.  I am currently putting the finishing touches on a numerical demand-based analysis for inventory optimization in our Reno, Nevada, warehouse.

10:00-11:30 A.M. – Either continue my assignment or attend a meeting.  Often times I am meeting with my boss to review my work and discuss what to do next.  This project is very fluid and can change directions at any moment.  I enjoy being able to have a significant say in what I think are the most valuable subsequent actions in the process.  Other days, though, I meet with colleagues from my previous internship (also with New Pig) to keep in touch and maintain important relationships within the organization.
 
12:30 P.M. – Lunch time!  I usually eat at my desk and take a few minutes to read news, listen to music, and develop my LinkedIn profile (connect with me).
 
1:00 P.M. – Resume or begin working on the most current phase of the project.  Later this week, I will begin work on a cost/benefit analysis of opening a new warehouse in the Midwest.  This particular job incorporates many of the techniques any senior economics student at Penn State would have learned up to this point (theory of the firm, cost curves, regression), so I am looking forward to getting started. *A quick side note: While it may seem like I get a heavy workload, it’s only because I ask for one.  I would encourage any intern not to be afraid to say something such as, “Here’s that report you wanted. (Briefly explain results and observations).  It seems to me like it might be worth looking into ________ next.  What would you suggest?”  Every bit of effort will only benefit you later.

3:00 P.M. – As things begin to wind down around the office, I will often grab some coffee and sit down to observe my coworkers so I can gain exposure to the nuts and bolts of logistics.  They perform vital tasks that get items to the right customers in the fastest and most cost-effective way and serve as a liaison between New Pig and transportation companies.   My supervisor emphasizes that this is learning experience as much as it is work experience.

4:00 P.M. – Finish working on data.  Make a list of objectives for the following day.

5:00 P.M. – Leave for home.

I could probably write a different one of these every day for two weeks and it would never be the same. Hopefully this puts to bed the notion that interns can’t be trusted to do valued work for a firm.  My next post will be a proven effective guide for the Career Fair.  I’ll talk to you then!

The Importance of Networking in the Sports Industry

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In my 21 years on earth, I’ve come to realize a few vital things about life. While I would love to sit here and tell you about, among other things, how I’m convinced that everything tastes better with ranch dressing, I’ll spare you and discuss the one thing that has directly led to my internship experience with Octagon this summer: networking.

As I’m sure is the case with every industry these days, I’ve come to realize that networking is a vital aspect to those hoping to break into their industries of choice and to separate themselves from the masses of people who recently crossed the stage with that diploma.

Unfortunately, for those hoping to make their living in sports, the need for networking becomes that much more vital in an industry that routinely sees hundreds, if not thousands, of applicants for one position.

The Sports industry is notoriously difficult to break into because not only is it considered “glamorous” work, but there is little turnover in what is a relatively small industry. As a result, in order to stand out from hundreds of other resumes, you often need to know someone.

To give you an example of how daunting a task this can be, a Sr. VP of the Pittsburgh Penguins spoke at one of my classes this spring, and he mentioned that when one of their entry level jobs opened up, the 5 finalists chosen out of over 1,000 all had some connection to the team.

If that doesn’t make you cringe, then I don’t know what does, but that certainly opened up my eyes to the importance of networking, networking, and of course more networking.

The interesting thing about connections in sports is that they don’t stop after you break into the industry. Like I mentioned before, sports is a relatively small field, and as a result, many people either know each other or have close connections to others across many different teams and leagues.

This sort of connection lends itself well to recommendations and the option to explore new opportunities when the time is right.

To give you one of those classic small-world stories, the first day of my internship my boss asked me what other companies I had interviewed with for internships. After discussing a certain opportunity with an NFL team, I came to realize that the person who had interviewed me was his former intern when he worked for that very team.

Stories like that are not at all uncommon in the industry, and it shows how small the industry is in comparison to some other fields.

To give you a final piece of perspective on the importance of connections, I’m going to share with you a story from a guest speaker that came and spoke to the group of interns today.

The guest speaker used to handle the marketing for some major NBA players, and his boss was considered to be one of the elite agents in the game. When his boss got an offer to join the agency that recently signed the number one picks in the NFL, MLB, and NBA drafts, he asked him to come with him. This example shows the importance of networking, which stretches far beyond merely breaking into the industry. It can make your entire career.

In two weeks I will post another blog entry discussing how I used networking to my advantage and just how valuable LinkedIn can be.

My Internship at a Sports Agency

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Mural in Octagon lobby by LAUSatPSU
Mural in Octagon lobby, a photo by LAUSatPSU on Flickr.

After sitting here for five minutes contemplating a witty way to introduce myself, I’ve sadly decided to resort to a typical introduction. Now that the ice has been broken, hello, my name is Stuart Yacobian, and I’m a rising senior majoring in economics and spending my summer interning in the sports industry. 

I’ll be here all summer chronicling my job and discussing different aspects of the industry and my position, and I look forward to sharing my experiences with everyone. 
This summer, I’m extremely fortunate to be working at a sports agency called Octagon, one of the world’s biggest sports representation and management firms. With clients ranging from Michael Phelps to Justin Tuck to Steph Curry, there’s never a shortage of things to do. 
Generally, spending a summer in an expensive city like D.C. and working an unpaid internship 40 hours a week would be taxing, but it’s a dream come true for someone like me who is determined to work in this industry.
Octagon is a unique company in that it’s a full-service sports agency. What that means is that clients have the option of using Octagon for not only representation, but also for their marketing, public relations, and financial services.
As a result, some clients end up having Octagon pay their monthly water and electricity bills, as well as managing commercial appearances and the media. 
This leads to a large company composed of multiple departments and A LOT of specialty. The company is also involved with the client management of non-athletes as well, with such people like Arsenio Hall and Piers Morgan.
In fact, Octagon has offices in 18 countries and more than 1,000 employees.
Now that I’ve had my fair share of rambling, you may be asking yourself (or not): what makes Octagon unique? Well, for the most part, agencies are limited to merely the representation aspect of the business, and they tend not to get involved in marketing and PR of an athlete. 
That’s not to say that other companies don’t do the same, (IMG comes to mind as one), but generally that is not the case.  LeBron James, for example, is represented by CAA, but  he employs Fenway Sports Management to manage his marketing. 
I’m spending my 10 weeks at Octagon working in the Public Relations department. You might be thinking that with so many clients, public relations would be an extremely busy job. If so, then you are absolutely right.
Something I’ve quickly come to realize in this industry is that the word “routine” does not exist. Not only is every day completely different, but every hour is completely different. 
I find myself doing typical PR activities, such as writing press releases when we sign a new client or booking flights for an NBA player going to make a marketing appearance.
The unpredictable and fast-paced nature of the industry has me loving every moment of my internship, and it has only further validated my desire to work in the field, whether with Octagon or another company.
Two weeks from now, I’ll be back for more blogging fun–this time discussing the difficulty of breaking into the industry and the importance of networking.
Stay classy! 

Another “Pig” Summer: An Overview

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Pigalog� Catalog cover by LAUSatPSU
Pigalog� Catalog cover,
a photo by LAUSatPSU on Flickr.

Happy summer!  My name is Luke Patterson, and I am a senior earning a B.S. in Economics as well as a proud member of our university’s Blue Band.  I am excited to tell you about my second internship at a serious, industry-leading organization with a not-so-serious name.  Here is a brief overview of my journey to working at New Pig Corporation again.

New Pig sells and manufactures a catalog of thousands of products intended to make workplaces clean, safe, and efficient in countries all over the globe.  They are world-renowned for virtually flawless order fulfillment and logistics, award-winning, innovative products, world class customer service, and marketing efforts that have drawn both accolades and criticism alike (check out our website).  You can spot the New Pig logo on boxes of absorbent wipers equipped on all CATA buses, and their large, hydrophobic booms, which absorb oil but not water, helped in the recent BP oil spill clean-up efforts. 

As most students are, I was very intimidated by my first internship search because I knew that experience would be vital when competing with business/quantitative majors in the post-graduation job market.  A relative suggested I visit with New Pig at the spring career fair held in the Bryce Jordan Center because she always heard about how much people love to work there (it’s true; here is a fun product video I got to be a part of).  Upon discovering that they were looking for a market analysis intern with essentially my exact credentials, I paid them a visit and, after about a month-long hiring process consisting of a phone interview and on-site interview, I was hired onto the Product Development team.  I proceeded to establish a company-wide pricing system for their most profitable product line (absorbents) that is still used today via competitive market research and numerical analysis.  This facilitated conversations over the past year that eventually led New Pig to hiring me again this summer, and I am using my skills with heavy data loads to identify profit losses in the logistics system and suggest improvements.

While I will be saving the greater details for future entries, I would like to point out how important my well-rounded Liberal Arts education has been to my work. My colleagues are very impressed with my ability to not only analyze and manipulate tons of data, but more so the way I can then communicate my findings effectively in a way that everyone can understand.  I credit Penn State and the CLA for my success and setting me apart from others with perhaps a more limited background.

Stay tuned for more posts about my internship at New Pig as well as my tips for success at the career fair!

 

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