“This has been a once in a lifetime event that would only have been possible as a GW student,” said Mijail Vera who spent part of his winter break (January 9-13) on the GW Career Quest program in San Francisco.
Vera, a student in the Integrated Information, Science and Technology (IIST) program, who expects to graduate in May, said the program gave him many new insights, which will significantly impact his future career path decisions.
The program, sponsored by the GW Center for Career Services, with generous support from Board of Trustees member Mark R. Shenkman, MBA ‘67, and his wife Rosalind, is designed to give GW students intense career exploration opportunities, including honing interviewing and networking skills, learning about job and internship opportunities, hearing from employers and GW alumni about their career paths, and exploring regional cultures.
During the recent trip to the San Francisco area, Vera and a group of GW students visited two to three companies per day including Facebook, Palantir, Google, KIVA, POPSUGAR, Pandora, PG&E, Thumbtack, Golden State Warriors and Cloudera. They gained valuable information about the companies through presentations and tours but as Vera observed, “The real inspiration from this trip was to hear from our hosts about their career paths -- their adventures, opinions and advice about Silicon Valley. It is definitely better to hear it from a person that works in the industry than reading it from an online article.”
GW Students During Career Quest Trip to San Francisco
While he gained in-depth knowledge about ten companies, and had unparalleled networking opportunities with company hosts, fellow GW group mates and with GW alumni, he was also immersed in Silicon Valley’s unique culture. Vera described the environment as relaxed, featuring open work environments with very few walls dividing one employee from another. He also appreciated the local cuisine and scenic views. He realized that the region’s culture, as well as the company’s culture, plays an important role in whether or not it is a good fit for an employee.
“One major lesson I learned during this Career Quest program is to always keep in mind the organization’s mission statement and find a career where you are going to feel happy, as well as honor the work you do,” said Vera.