{"id":2400,"date":"2021-10-21T12:31:08","date_gmt":"2021-10-21T16:31:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/career-center\/?p=2400"},"modified":"2021-10-21T12:31:08","modified_gmt":"2021-10-21T16:31:08","slug":"interview-with-david-fickes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.uvm.edu\/career-center\/interview-with-david-fickes\/","title":{"rendered":"Interview with David Fickes"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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David Fickes<\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

By Flavin ’22

For this month\u2019s newsletter I had the pleasure of speaking with\u202fthe UVM Career Center\u2019s very own David\u202fFickes regarding his story and advice in pursuing an artistic field and how\u202fcreative careers play a role in other career paths as well. David\u202fis currently the\u202fData and Application Support Specialist at UVM\u202fand has previously worked\u202fas a Career Services Apprentice at Juilliard.\u202fDavid\u202fspent his early life interested in technology and music simultaneously, starting in the Green Mountain Youth Symphony. As he continued his studies in music he was given the opportunity to play with the National Youth Orchestra during\u202fhis time at UVM after which he transferred to UCSB for a BA in Music Violin Performance.\u202fAfter receiving his degree he returned to Vermont to pursue teaching as well as\u202fperform with\u202fthe Vermont Philharmonic. 

Throughout my conversation with David, a major theme emerged from our discussion: connections are key. He continuously emphasized the\u202fimportance of connections and reaching out to people when pursuing something\u202fthat you\u2019re\u202fpassionate about.\u202fHe spoke passionately about taking charge of your own future though taking\u202fevery opportunity and trusting your own abilities to succeed. One of the most memorable\u202fpieces\u202fof advice he\u202fprovided\u202fwas that most people want to help you. It might seem scary to reach out to strangers and ask for favors or connections or simply insight, but he stressed over and over again how much people want to help you find your way to what you\u2019re looking for.

He spoke of the importance of developing and highlighting soft skills, such as organization, reliability, time management, and presentation,\u202fwhen marketing yourself to these opportunities. He\u202femphasized that hard skills are a lot easier to learn, but soft skills take more nuance and experience to gain and understand. Often, a willingness to learn can lead to more opportunities that one might think.\u202fI quote\u202fDavid\u202fwhen I say, \u201cunderstand you don\u2019t know everything; while you\u2019re capable you have a lot to learn\u201d when speaking about hands on experience. A willingness to learn and\u202freliability will get you pretty far. 

Lastly, in regards to the Juilliard\u202fProfessional\u202fApprentice\u202fProgram,\u202fit covers a wide range of interests. From\u202fOrchestral Studies to Community Engagement, Administration to Wigs & Makeup Technician, the apprenticeship is a great opportunity for students to gain real world experience and make valuable connections within a specific field. When we spoke about the program,\u202fDavid\u202fgave a lot of good insight into the nature of creative apprenticeships, internships, and jobs. He\u202femphasized that\u202fthe most valuable\u202faspect of these types of programs is connections. Making meaningful connections within the field is the majority of the work. He concluded our interview with some inspiration\u202fregarding the path to a creative field: start now<\/em>. He stressed the importance and value of being able to apply for an opportunity already knowing how to do it.\u202f

Your passion and excitement will shine through if you can accomplish the hard skills you need for the opportunity before you\u2019ve even applied. Feeling confident in your field allows for more focus on making those connections that will provide\u202fthe chance to utilize the skills you\u2019ve developed.\u202fOur conversation concluded with an air of excitement and passion for the arts;\u202fflexibility, reliability, and communication are\u202fthe recipe for success in a creative field. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Flavin ’22 For this month\u2019s newsletter I had the pleasure of speaking with\u202fthe UVM Career Center\u2019s very own David\u202fFickes regarding his story and advice in pursuing an artistic field and how\u202fcreative careers play a role in other career paths as well. David\u202fis currently the\u202fData and Application Support Specialist at UVM\u202fand has previously worked\u202fas a … <\/p>\n

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