Hey Class of 2016! About once a month we interview a young alum who shares their stories on Afterword about their first year out of UVM.

And, after an all-night brainstorming session, we decided to call it “My First Year Out.”

Your first few months can be challenging, with seemingly endless job searches, settling into a new city, or heading back home for a while – it can be overwhelming.

You still might not know what you want to do with the rest of your life, but we are here to let you know that’s okay and you are not alone! For example, my first year out was pretty tough, but I made it!

This week, Sam Jedrey ‘15, a business school graduate, would like to share his unexpected first year out. Sometimes the plans you have change, and keeping a positive attitude is critical to bouncing back.

Ryan: What was your first year out of UVM like?

Sam: I learned a lot about myself. I decided to stay in Burlington and not move back in with my parents. This forced me to always be on the hunt for work.

I graduated from UVM with a job in insurance sales and hoped that would set me down the right path towards success with my degree. Everything seemed to be working out well, but I quickly learned that was not the case.

After realizing insurance was not for me, I moved on from that position, and took some time to find a job that felt right to me, not just an attractive position to impress my friends and family.

I worked in the food industry for about five months in the Burlington area, interviewing for countless positions during my free time. Importantly, all of this helped me discover what I was looking for in a career and focus less on what the company was looking for in me.

After months of searching, in February I landed an internship with Dealer.com in Burlington which eventually led to a full-time position with Dealer in Manhattan Beach, CA. It took longer than expected but it’s all starting to work out now. What a crazy year!

R: What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

S: My biggest challenge was remaining positive. While working at restaurants, I felt that I was under-utilizing my degree. Now, I realized that all types of experience are valuable.

Time away from the business world gave me the opportunity to really take a step back and discover opportunities that would fit my needs.

You can learn so much from any position if you keep an open mind about how it benefits your life and the lives of those around you.

R: What did you learn from this experience?

S: Not only did I discover what I disliked about insurance, but, more importantly I learned what I didn’t like in regards to career culture.

For me, I was eventually able to find an environment that works well for me by working at places that didn’t feel right. Sometimes, working a job that doesn’t fit is just as valuable as finding a job that does work for you.

It’s not the easiest path, but learning from each experience will help you narrow down a career path that fits your sensibilities. Now I can look ahead to my future with these thoughts in mind.

We have another edition of My First Year Out for you today featuring one of your classmates.

Sam Jedrey, a business school graduate, would like to share the unexpected ride of his first year out. Sometimes the plans you have change, and keeping a positive attitude is critical in bouncing back.

We hope his story will inspire those of you still searching for the right job or career.

Ryan: What was your first year out of UVM like?

Sam: I learned a lot about myself. I decided to stay in Burlington and not move back in with my parents. This forced me to always be on the hunt for work.

I graduated from UVM with a job in insurance sales and hoped that would set me down the right path towards success with my degree. Everything seemed to be working out well, but I quickly learned that was not the case.

After realizing insurance was not for me, I moved on from that position, and took some time to find a job that felt right to me, not just an attractive position to impress my friends and family.

I worked in the food industry for about five months in the Burlington area, interviewing for countless positions during my free time. Importantly, all of this helped me discover what I was looking for in a career and focus less on what the company was looking for in me.

After months of searching, in February I landed an internship with Dealer.com in Burlington which eventually led to a full-time position with Dealer in Manhattan Beach, CA. It took longer than expected but it’s all starting to work out now. What a crazy year!

R: What was your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

S: My biggest challenge was remaining positive. While working at restaurants, I felt that I was under-utilizing my degree. Now, I realized that all types of experience are valuable.

Time away from the business world gave me the opportunity to really take a step back and discover opportunities that would fit my needs.

You can learn so much from any position if you keep an open mind about how it benefits your life and the lives of those around you.

R: What did you learn from this experience?

S: Not only did I discover what I disliked about insurance, but, more importantly I learned what I didn’t like in regards to career culture.

For me, I was eventually able to find an environment that works well for me by working at places that didn’t feel right. Sometimes, working a job that doesn’t fit is just as valuable as finding a job that does work for you.

It’s not the easiest path, but learning from each experience will help you narrow down a career path that fits your sensibilities. Now I can look ahead to my future with these thoughts in mind.

We have a very special edition of My First Year Out for you today. Three of your classmates are working in Admissions at UVM, Aya AL-Namee, Maggie Love and Connor Luong. We had a chance to catch up with Aya and Maggie this week. Here’s what they had to say about spending their first year out at UVM.
What do you find most rewarding about working at UVM immediately after graduating? 

Aya: Being close to staff, faculty, and friends who have helped me develop professional skills has been the most rewarding part of working at UVM. I’m constantly growing and getting feedback from people that know me well which helps me gain confidence in myself as a professional.

Maggie: The most rewarding thing about working at UVM immediately after graduating is being able to advocate for the school to prospective students and their families. It’s easy to talk about how wonderful our community and academics are and how many opportunities there are here, because I experienced it personally.

Has this given you a new perspective on UVM?

Aya: Working at UVM is very different than being a student, especially in admissions. In my job, I travel to different high schools and college fairs to speak about UVM and encourage high school students to apply. Seeing how excited they are about the idea of attending is very unique. It honestly has made me fall in love with UVM even more.

What has surprised you the most about your 1^st year out?

Aya: I was surprised as to how ready and excited I am to be in the “real world”. It’s less scary than I thought it would be. Also working at UVM has exposed me to the staff and the professional community of our campus. I must say that they have been very welcoming of me as a young professional.

Maggie: How supportive the UVM community is, regardless of whether you’re a current student or not. I notice it most when I interact with other alums, which we do often in our positions. No matter what year they graduated, they’re always willing to offer support in any way they can. My new favorite thing to share with families is that the community that’s created here at UVM is so strong that it extends beyond Burlington and stays with you after graduation. Whether you need housing, a job, or a friend, chances are there’s a UVM alum willing to help.

What do you like most about staying in the Burlington area after graduation?

Aya: I love being close to areas where I made many great memories as a student. I still go to the waterfront to watch the sunset and get creemees. Having friends in the area who are going through the same transition as me is also a benefit. We often come together to bond over challenges and celebrate successes.

Maggie: This seems like a common theme for me but the sense of the community and everything there is to do on and off campus (concerts, art, lectures, food, etc.). Burlington is such a great place to live and UVM is a wonderful campus, it’s hard to narrow it down!

We had a chance to catch up with young alumna Erica Goldberg ’12 to hear about her first year out. Check out our conversation below.

Ryan & Derrick: In a few sentences can you tell the Class of 2015 a little about yourself.

Erica: I grew up in the suburbs of Chicago and graduated from UVM in 2012 with a degree in Environmental Studies and minors in Anthropology and Women and Gender Studies. Clay has always been a passion of mine, and I lived in Living/Learning’s Pottery Program while on campus my first two years at UVM. One of my favorite parts of college was having the opportunity to study abroad in West Africa the spring semester of my junior year.

I currently work for Tetra Tech ARD, an international development consulting firm based in Burlington. I work in the Democracy and Governance sector and have had numerous travel experiences including Bogota, Colombia, Yerevan, Armenia and Monrovia, Liberia.

R&D: What was your first year out like?

Erica: My first year out of college was spent getting used to the 8:30-5:30 work day while most of my friends had more flexible and transitional part-time work schedules. It was during this first year out I realized I could no longer live in a house full of friends, and really needed some more quiet and a routine in order to keep up with work each day.

R&D: What was your biggest challenge that year and how did you overcome it?

Erica: Before I graduated from UVM I was lucky to have three post-graduation opportunities presented in front of me. I had secured an internship with Vermont Energy Investment Corporation (VEIC), I was offered room and board to continue working at the NGO in the Dominican Republic where I had conducted my senior thesis research, and I was offered a job as an Administrative Assistant at Tetra Tech ARD in Burlington.

It was difficult for me to choose which next step to take and I was nearly paralyzed with this decision making process. I had to make an initial decision, and ultimately reasoned that I was not yet ready to leave Burlington, which ruled out working in the Dominican Republic.

I knew I ultimately wanted to work in international development and wasn’t sure that the VEIC internship would turn into a secure job after the summer. The position at Tetra Tech ARD was entry level, but I had to start somewhere.

So I decided to take the opportunity to ‘get my foot in the door’ and be exposed to the world of international development. The job began as soon as I was able to start, so I actually began my first day of work right after I took my last final at UVM. While my friends were celebrating Senior Week, I was starting my first ‘real’ job.

R&D: What surprised you the most about that year?

Erica: I was surprised to realize how much I thrive on structure and routine and how comfortable I felt with the life I was living in Burlington. I also learned how important maintaining a work-life balance is, and was surprised at how difficult this could be. In order to keep my sanity I needed to continue to do the things I enjoy outside of work: pottery, running, yoga, biking, spending time with friends.

It’s easy to fill each day with work and the mundane drudgery of grocery shopping, cooking, and chores, then sleep and repeat.

But, it’s important to continue to do the things that make you happy!

R&D: Do you have any advice for the Class of 2015?

Erica: Don’t worry about your resume. Pursue opportunities that you are genuinely interested in and next steps and direction towards career opportunities will follow.

I got my foot in the door with an administrative position, worked hard and two promotions later I’m where I wanted to be. I’m a Staff Associate in the Democracy and Governance Sector at Tetra Tech doing international development work.

Feeling indecisive and overwhelmed by many paths and options is inevitable. The first step to conquering this is making an initial decision, whether it be a location you’d like to move to or a job you would like to pursue.

Sometimes the hardest part is making the first decision, but one decision leads to a domino effect of unavoidable next decisions.