Attending one of our Winter Break Networking Events? Allow us to introduce you to some of our amazing Alumni Networkers who will be in attendance! We asked our alumni to answer a series of questions, and their responses are for you.
Ashley Gunn, attending our Boston Networking Night:
English major and class of G ‘13
Knowledge Systems Associate with The Bridgespan Group.
Tell us about your job and how you got there.
I work as knowledge systems associate at a nonprofit consulting firm. In my role I work on our learning and innovation team and manage the way we use technology to collect and track what we learn from our consulting cases. My work falls in the field of knowledge management which is the cataloging of knowledge within an organization. Keeping track of what we have learned allows us to improve the effectiveness of our consulting work and prevents us from reinventing the wheel by allowing other consulting teams to access learnings from other cases. I came in to this role with no previous experience. I worked in higher education before, but also worked as an AmeriCorps member and wanted to return to the nonprofit sector. I also really wanted to work in knowledge management which is like being a librarian for the consulting teams, as I value the use of knowledge in improving the effectiveness of an organization. I learned about this position from a coworker I met during my AmeriCorps year and I think the range of experiences I had allowed me to bring a lot of things to the table even though I didn’t have direct experience in the field.
What advice do you have for students starting in their careers?
Finding out what you want to be when you grow up is a lifelong journey! I started as an English major and had a lot of different experiences in different sectors and would have never imagined I would end up in this field but it is a perfect fit. Make connections across your field with people who inspire you and motivate you and keep in touch with them! Also be patient with yourself —if you don’t have the skills you need for a particular job, give it time! Everyone is learning all the time, and allowing yourself that space is key!
–Adler Chris, Marketing Assistant, Career Center