An unconventional career search in NY

In New York City, a group of sophomores got a glimpse of life after Wharton.

As a part of the Sophomore Cohort Career Exploration Series, around 30 sophomores headed to the city for an optional trip to expose themselves to various possibilities for their futures.

The underlying goal was to signal to students that there's more out there for Wharton students than investment banking, said Michael Williams, Graduate School of Education student and trip coordinator.

The series involved two day trips. The first, on February 8, was to Conde Nast Publications and the National Basketball Association to learn about magazine publishing and sports management

Williams said that the trip to the NBA was meant to reflect Wharton students' recent interest in sports management, as well as the fact that some Wharton alumni are employed there.

Last Friday, students toured the New York Stock Exchange and visited Deutsche Bank.

"[The trip] was more about exposure than recruitment," said Williams.

Sophomores were targeted exclusively for the outings because they are often more open to experiencing different industries, Wharton director of Student Life Lee Kramer said.

Juniors have a good sense of where they would like to work after graduation, added Kramer, whereas sophomores may still be uncertain about their future.

"It was interesting to see how we could incorporate what we learned in class into other [less related] careers," Wharton sophomore Mariana Kvitko said.

Kvitko added that the alumni speakers at the NBA were particularly helpful because they were familiar with the Wharton curriculum.

A similar trip to the New York Stock Exchange had occured in previous years, but it was a free-standing activity open to all Wharton students. This new Cohort Career Exploration program is in its first year and looking to expand.

The goal for next year is to have at least three trips per semester for the sophomore class.

Although Penn receives an endless supply of company presentations thanks to the active on-campus recruiting culture, such "information sessions are really impersonal," said Williams.

Physically visiting the company provided greater insight into its inner workings, said Wharton sophomore Nicole Santiago.

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