Panel gives talk on corporate life

Three recent Penn alumni traveled from the corporate world to the University Wednesday to prove that life outside Penn actually does exist -- it just takes some getting used to. PPG Industries Staff Accountant Thomas Krol; Deliotte and Touche Consultant Rachael Cade; and Proctor and Gamble Marketing Representative Sulynn Amhrein spoke about the transition from Penn to corporate life during the panel discussion entitled "Class of '97 Speaks: What I Wish I Had Known." Rebecca Ross, the Wharton undergraduate career counselor, moderated the interactive panel in Houston Hall. She also helped to organize the presentation. "I hope that students will get from this panel a good understanding of what it takes to be a good professional," Ross said. Topics of conversation included the mistakes people make in their professional jobs as well as the adjustments from college life to the workplace. Cade noted that it is important to be open and direct with people of all levels of authority. People hate condescension, she said. The panelists warned the 30 students who attended not to carelessly mix one's professional and social life, explaining that that trust was hard to come by in corporate America. Another mistake the panelist mentioned was working too hard at the start of a job, since this creates expectations which are hard to maintain. In terms of adjusting from college life to the workplace, the panelists also all admitted that they experienced problems the first few weeks of their jobs. "It was very hard getting up at 6 a.m., especially since at Penn I had planned all my classes in the afternoon," Krol said. "Working on Fridays was also hard to get used to." In addition to the long hours, panelists also stated that more responsibilities are attached to a regular job. They all advised that taking some time off between graduation and the start of a job was a wise decision to prevent burn out. One final topic of discussion included pay deductions from income tax, especially on bonuses. Bonuses are usually taxed extra, warned the panelists, possibly at a rate as high as 40 percent. "Let me put it this way, you work at least one-third of your time for the government." Krol said. Student reaction was very positive to the panel. College junior Josh Lerner stressed that the information was very relevant to his current job search. "I think these sessions were more informal and unbiased since Penn alumni themselves were talking about their professions," Lerner said. "Corporate recruiters will often try to sell their businesses to students. The Penn alumni describe how their jobs actually are," he added.