Astronomy 100 to Management 580

Mike Madarasz

There are a handful of classes I have taken in my college career that I would consider vital moving forward into the professional world.  The Excel classes I have taken have no doubt made me proficient in a very important program. 

However, realistically, in my case a good percentage of the things that I have learned in college are not going to be overly relevant when I get my first job, whenever that may be.  Any kind of elective I’ve ever taken automatically falls under that category.  Nothing against astronomy but unless there is a company camping trip it’s very unlikely that it will be pertinent to a job in marketing.  This could even be said for some material in SOM classes that I have taken (professors, notice the emphasis on some).  For example, case studies and class discussions can be very valuable in obtaining an understanding of a subject.  However, I don’t see myself pulling out the “Four P’s” of marketing very often in a real business setting. 

That being said, college, and especially grad school, have provided me with skills that are much more important than much of the concrete knowledge I will come away with.  For example, I would say I have done upwards of thirty presentations in my life.  Public speaking is one of the most desirable traits for an employee and college has gone a long way in helping me perfect this skill. 

I can’t say enough about the communication skills that I will leave school with.  In grad school especially, group work is constantly required.  It forces you to be in constant communication with your group and make sure everyone is on the same page.  Not only that, in a competitive school such as Binghamton you are constantly working with very intelligent people and there is something to be said for that as well. 

Finally, if nothing else, college has taught me to be organized and on top of things.  Especially as a grad student with a 19 credit schedule, you need to manage your time in order to be successful.  You always have to be aware of what’s going on and have a plan for everything.

I may be graduating after five years with a significant amount of student loans to pay back but I think I can justify them pretty easily.