Audra Gunter – Spring 2012 Graduate Lima Campus
How did your job search go? I kept in contact with many of my professors, one of whom I graded for, and it was he who referred me when a job opportunity contacted him. Do you have any tips? I would tell current students to definitely attend the job fairs that are offered to put yourself out there and meet future possible employers face to face. It’s always good to have a face to face and sell yourself and make yourself memorable to companies.
Are you currently employed? If so, please explain what you do. I am currently employed full time as a Senior Accountant at a healthcare company in the area. I started out in the A/P Department just to get a foot in the door and moved up to a staff accountant position first, and then promoted to a senior accountant after a year as a staff accountant.
What interested you in the Business Management specialization? I liked the Business Management specialization because it didn’t limit me to one aspect of the business department. It opened the door to many different possibilities in the business field.
What was your involvement on campus when you were a student? I tutored students while I was there, as well as graded for a professor while I attended the Lima campus.
Is there anything you would have done differently? I enjoyed my experience at the regional campus, I would suggest that students take advantage of extra-curricular activities if you can. I worked while I attended so I wasn’t able to do some of the fun things.
Alyssa Priddy – Spring 2017 Graduate
Which regional campus did you attend? Newark
How did your job search go? Do you have any tips? Despite all the warnings professors and mentors gave me while in college, I committed the cardinal sin of university seniors: procrastination. A serious case of senioritis trumped all logic and reason. When I finally shook myself, I realized I had three short months before graduation to find a job! Panic ensued. I applied several places, and OSU was the first to offer me an interview. I went in for my interview two weeks after graduation. I was so nervous the morning of the interview that I actually threw up. I realized that I wanted, no, NEEDED the job so much that it meant more than anything to me. I coached myself all the way there, saying over and over “I don’t need this job, but the University needs me.” Tricking myself into downplaying how much I had in the game, and forcing my perspective to change to how much I had to offer and how invaluable I was, gave me the confidence I needed in the interview. Ironically, the Enterprise Project Director came and shook my hand on the first day of my job and congratulated me on my excellent interview skills!
One additional tip I would offer to those interviewing:
There will undoubtedly be that one question that leaves you grappling for a response. Your mind will go completely blank and your pulse will skyrocket. The best thing to do is to answer the question. Even if you feel like your answer is completely inadequate, any answer is better than no answer. I found that ending my answer with the follow-up, “Does that answer your question?” was well received among my panel of interviewers. I highly recommend taking that approach for any question you feel uncertain about.
Are you currently employed? If so, please explain what you do. I am! I work at **drum roll please** The Ohio State University! I work on Columbus campus, in the Office of the Chief Information Officer. I am a Project Administrator, serving on the Enterprise Project. The Enterprise Project is the university’s largest project ever achieved. Our mission is to transition the business units within the university from separate legacy systems to a cloud-based single system- Workday. My job is to provide support to the project team in a myriad of ways:
- Onboard new team members
- Provide technical support and training for our project management software (Jira)
- Assist in maintaining the project budget and reconciling expenses
- Other duties as assigned
What interested you in the Business Management specialization? As an older (age 24) non-traditional student with financial obligations, I needed a program with a flexible course schedule. Business Management courses held at Newark were available in the evenings, and I could attend after work. Thanks to this program, I was able to work full time, and juggle a full course load, graduating in three years!
In addition to the flexibility, I was attracted to the idea of a degree that didn’t specialize in one thing, but instead, specialized in EVERYTHING- the possibilities became endless. The diverse course offerings allowed me to gain knowledge of a variety of business processes (ex. Finance, Human Resources, Marketing, Operations, Supply Chain, IT, etc.) Business is often described as a machine, with many gears. All gears must be functioning, in order for the machine to operate properly and efficiently. A challenge that is often presented in business is tunnel vision– units tend to operate as silos unto themselves, unaware of the overlapping processes and dependencies. The beauty of the Business Management program is that it allows students to get the “big picture” perspective; to see the whole machine at work. The knowledge I received has been a true life saver in my role as Project Administrator, where I provide support to multiple business units across campus. With the comprehensive understanding of how the teams work, I am able to provide the necessary support specific to each unit.
What was your involvement on campus when you were a student? I was a member of the Delta Epsilon Iota Honor Society.
Is there anything you would have done differently? I wish I could say I was a perfect student at all times, but the truth is that I often looked for shortcuts in my work. When I was neck high in homework and labs, the last thing on my mind was the future impacts of my slacking. Now, only 16 months after graduating, I have absolutely paid for the times I took shortcuts. I have since emailed professors and apologized to them, for underestimating how useful their course would be, and to thank them for what they taught me. If I could do anything differently, I would go back and give school my very best!
Adam Cotsmire – Spring 2018 Graduate
What interested you in pursuing the Business Management specialization from Fisher?
I entered the Ohio State Mansfield regional campus as undecided, in which I spent my first two years completing all of my general education courses. At this point, I was in need of a decision on what to major in. The general business administration degree stood out to me because there will always be need for business majors across all industries of work. I liked the idea of taking business administration instead of a business specialization because with this degree you get to complete classes of all business specializations and see how they work together successfully.
Is there anything you would do differently with the time you spent at Mansfield?
I wish I could have picked a major at a sooner point. This would have allowed me to take more business courses at an earlier point and have more finished by my last two years. That really lightens the load, which is pivotal in those last couple semesters.
What is the best part of the regional program? What would you like to see improved?
From my perspective, there are a lot of benefits from earning a degree at a regional OSU campus. One that was great was having the ability to work full time while taking classes. It helps to have the extra money and experience to add to your resume when you finally get your degree. I really enjoyed taking classes with the same close-knit group of people in the business program. I was very fortunate to make some great friends who were able to help each other through course questions, homework, and keeping track of deadlines. Many of the instructors and proctors are awesome to work with as well. There is room for improvement. As many classes are all online or distance learning from Columbus instructors, there’s often some disconnect between students and instructors. It can be difficult to adjust to every instructor’s way of teaching and course layout, which would be nicer if it was all uniform. You find out quickly which instructors are engaging and genuinely interested in your success as well as which ones will make for a long semester.
Josh Schwartz – Spring 2018 Graduate
What interested you in pursuing the Business Management specialization from Fisher?
I chose Management from Fisher as my specialization because of my leadership history. I have always been a leader by example and when I was working at Honda as a temp, I really started getting interested in the business side of things. Therefore, I found out the best way for me to either start my own business or climb a corporate ladder would be to get a Business Management Degree from Fisher at a reasonable price!
If you have a job lined up for after graduation, can you please tell us what you will be doing?
I am working in sales with Fastenal in Lima! I want to share my experience a little bit with you guys. How did I get this job? Easy, I went to the job fair technically. I was actually unable to attend because of my class schedule and I was coaching in the spring, so I talked to Rachel and she gave me a list of the businesses that were there with all their contact information. At the time, I was just looking for a summer internship or anything to make some money and gain experience in all aspects. Fastenal ended up providing me more than that. I reached out to them and almost immediately got a response back after they saw my resume, and started a week after school was let out. When August came around and it was time to go back, my boss worked with me so I could stay with the company! Long story short; they let me work pretty much whatever hours I needed and I gained a bunch of experience and here I am working in sales for a Fortune500 company that is growing! My advice to all of you is go to the job fair and if you can’t make it, then get the list of businesses, research them, and reach out to the ones that interest you. It really does go a long way.
What involvement did you have on your campus?
I was part of the Business Club but wasn’t very active due to my schedule. I attended the bowling sessions put on by campus every Thursday and I played basketball for the Barons and was actually a captain for them. Lima was a win win situation for me because I got to get season football tickets, live at home, work for someone with a flexible schedule, play the game I’ve loved my whole life, and most importantly get a Bachelor’s Degree for a reasonable cost.
What is the best part of the regional program? What would you like to see improved?
I loved the fact that every class I had was with the same people. From day one of me getting there to the day I graduated, there was at least two or three people I had almost every class with. The new long distance learning format still needs a lot of work, but it is getting there!
Tierra Oliver – Spring 2017 Graduate Regional BSBA Program
- What interested you in pursuing the Business Management specialization from Fisher?
I have always been interested in the field of Business and I enjoy working with numbers as well as problem solving. I initially applied to OSU as an Architecture major, but decided that Business was a better route for me. After determining Business, I nailed down a Management specialization because I wanted something versatile and something that would teach me how all of the different specializations come together to run an organization. In addition, being able to complete my degree at a regional campus was a plus for me because it allowed me to stay close to home and avoid taking out any loans. I am now planning to continue my education and this degree has prepared me for a variety of graduate school programs.
- If you have a job lined up for after graduation, can you please tell us what you will be doing?
I am working freshman orientations on my campus through the summer as well as preparing to take graduate entrance exams. I also have a fall internship lined up in the field of Logistics.
- What involvement did you have on your campus?
Lima campus Business Club President, Lima campus Black Student Union Vice President, Lima campus Advisory Board Student Representative, 2016-17 Homecoming Queen, Job and Internship Fair Volunteer, University Ambassador, and Business Office student receptionist.
- Is there anything you would do differently with the time you spent at Lima?
I would have gotten involved earlier in my college career and tried to meet more people. I would have also taken more elective classes outside of my major such as Art, History, and Spanish.
- What is the best part of the regional program? What would you like to see improved?
The best part of the regional program is the small classrooms and close-knit communities that it allows the students to form. The program could improve through the professors’ end from the Columbus campus. Some professors are amazing and go out of their way to make the connections with regional students that can be harder to make due to the distance nature of the class. Other professors seem to have a different attitude towards the regional campus students and that makes it harder to form a student to teacher relationship and learn from them.
David White – Newark Spring 2012 Graduate
Ever since I was young, I wanted to study business. One of the main reasons for this drive was my father and his success in starting several companies, growing some while merging and acquiring others, and eventually taking one large conglomerate public with a few of his business partners.
For the first 5-6 years of my life, I was in and out of his office, sitting in board meetings and being immersed in the corporate world. Somewhere around 1996, however, he decided to resign from that industry (waste hauling and environmental services) and wanted to live a slower life. We moved to a farm (close to the Newark, OH area) where he was able to follow a passion in the equine industry: a horse boarding facility and manufacturing tack trunks.
Over the next few 10 years, I remember many conversations where my dad talked about getting back into the waste industry; this sparked my interest and I had dreams of what working for/with my father could be like.
When I had just started my senior year of high school, things seemed to be moving into place as my father and a few other partners purchased a small waste hauling company in Newark, OH. My father knew my interest in working for him, so, he offered me an office job when I graduated High School to learn the business by starting in Customer Service part time. After 3 weeks, I was working 60 hours a week in both HR and Dispatch/Operations, and was completely obsessed with my job.
I was already planning on attending The Ohio State University when I graduated high school since I have a rich buckeye tradition in my family (grandfather, mother, father, brothers, and sister); since I was going to be working in Newark anyway, I decided to start out at the regional campus. I wanted to major in business, but I had no idea where to specialize since no specific major interested me. Once I learned about the BSBA/General Business (Business Management) degree that was entirely available at the Newark Campus, I was sold! I had the opportunity to keep my job that loved on a full-time basis while attending university full-time. This had a double benefit: I not only was able to immediately apply the knowledge I learned from class, but I also had 4 years of real, respectable work experience when I graduated.
The organization I worked for during university (and 3 years after) was growing rapidly, and I had the unique opportunity to not only work in Human Resources and develop that department over time, but I also could take the lead on many projects and had exposure to many areas of business including Operations, Customer Service, Analytics, IT, and Administration, and was exposed to many M&A projects where I was able to lead project teams.
After nearly 7 years with Tunnel Hill Partners, I finally decided I wanted a change of industry and began looking for new opportunities. I was fortunate enough to be hired on the North American launch team for Klarna, a Swedish financial technology company.
Now, in my 2.5 years as the North America Head of HR at Klarna, and working closely with colleagues on a global level, I’ve interviewed countless candidates and overseen the hiring of over 150 employees, managers, executives, and contractors. Over my career, I have come to understand the value a global employer places on real-world work experience; not just from my own situation, but with every role we hire ranging from software developers to compliance and customers service all around the world. I honestly don’t believe I would have been given the opportunity at Klarna if I hadn’t had the work experience that the BSBA program allowed me, combined with the world-class education it provides.
Tori Vernik – Spring 2017 Graduate
I was interested in pursuing the Business Management specialization from Fisher because it offered a well-rounded education in business and gave me the chance to live at home while getting that degree. I loved being able to say that I was attending Ohio State University, but still being able to save money by living at home and paying less in tuition costs.
For a few of my undergraduate years, I was moderately involved in the Business Club and participated in on-campus events. The best part of the regional program was having night classes and being able to work during the day. I also loved that almost everyone was in the same classes so good friendships were formed! The format is a video conference each week with the professor, which some professors do very well and make the class work that way. However, for some professors, this is not the best format and I think that the communication between professors and students could be improved.
I worked all through college to pay for tuition and thankfully graduated debt free, because of doing the Business Management specialization! At some points through college, I worked 3 jobs. It helped me learn how to manage my time wisely. Since we had night classes, I had a part-time day job, I worked on campus during my off days, and had a weekend job. Having night classes also helped me to have an internship while in school that led to that company hiring me on! This gave me experience in the field and allowed me to go to class at night.
Because of the experience I had of classes, a job in my field while in school, and time management skills, I successfully accepted a position at the Allen County Engineer’s Office within a week of graduating from The Ohio State University. The Engineer’s office was very impressed on the curriculum that we had, especially the Logistics classes, and also that I was able to finish the degree here debt free! I am very thankful for the help of the staff at the Lima campus and I still had the ability to go to career fairs and other functions at the Columbus campus. At the end of the day, we are all Ohio State Buckeyes with a degree from THE Ohio State University.