"See Yourself At ___" A Recap of the 2023 Spring Break Site Visit Program

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Participating students braved wintry weather on the first day of the program to reach the iconic Frank Lloyd Wright building that houses the internationally renowned Guggenheim Museum. A robust panel of museum staff — spanning departments from art management and fabrication to digital media and accessibility — offered a look into their respective work at the institution and spoke to the highly collaborative nature of the art world. Before embarking on a guided tour of the vibrant Nick Cave: Forothermore exhibition, they encouraged students to apply for their Summer Internship Program, which has been running for 50 years and offers students a chance to explore the different career paths in a museum setting.

Employer Insights: 

“If you are an artist yourself or if art handling interests you, it’s one of those fields that’s very fluid and flexible and you’re able to do it along with your own practice potentially.” — Eliza Stoner, Registrar Director at Guggenheim Museum

 

“Sometimes what you want to do at the start of your career evolves later in your career. That happens, and it’s ok to change paths along the way.” — Peter Brayshaw, Fabrication Director

Student Insights:

“Hearing from representatives from different departments not only about their current work but also previous career trajectories was helpful and gave me some new possibilities of pathways to consider.”

“I enjoyed learning about the work that goes into making a museum run behind the scenes.”

“It was everything I could have ever wanted in a workplace. The staff was friendly and insightful, the presentation was organized, and my questions were answered.”

“The panel was excellent! I got to know the behind-the-scenes operation of the Guggenheim and a potential career I may pursue, even as a Mechanical Engineer, which is something I didn’t expect.”

 

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Students interested in the world of hedge fund management ventured to the office of Glenview Capital Management. Co-President John Rodin, CC’97, sat down with students to explain what they do and how the many teams and departments make a firm like Glenview work. Catherine Curley, Partner and Head of HR, also offered a first-hand look into the hiring  and interview processes, sharing what their firm expects from candidates including thorough resume reviews, completing an external two-year internship program and how to tackle cases during an interview.

Employer Insights: 

On students preparing for careers in Hedge Fund Management,

“Grades matter. Study hard. Have fun and build relationships.” — John Rodin, CC’97, Co-President at Glenview Capital

“Finance is a very small word. Reputation matters. Be kind, likable, don’t be cocky, and always say thank you.” — David Seidman, CC’06

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The first day wrapped up with a visit to the historic Public Theater, where students enjoyed a behind-the-scenes look at one of the nation’s first non-profit theaters and “a civic institution engaging, both on-stage and off, with some of the most important ideas and social issues of today.” Major Gifts Officer Elizabeth Kipp-Giusti, CC’12, led participants on an engaging tour of The Public which included the stage that the Tony-, Grammy-, and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Hamilton called home before making the move to Broadway. She was joined by a panel of colleagues from across The Public who spoke about their career paths and offered industry insights about the world of theater. Resources mentioned included their Emerging Writers Group (a two-year fellowship that supports the creative growth of young professionals in the field) and the BIPOC Critics Lab (designed to train emerging BIPOC theater journalists).

Employer Insights: 

“Meeting other people who are interested in working in your field can be a very important way to build a foothold in an industry.” — Elizabeth Kipp-Giusti, CC’12, Major Gifts Officer, Development Department

“Work hard and have integrity.” Freedome Bradley-Ballentine, Associate Artistic Director/Director of Artistic Programs

“What you have right now is already enough to get you to the next place.” — Elizabeth Kipp-Giusti, CC’12, Major Gifts Officer, Development Department

Student Insights:

“I found the site visit to be eye-opening in terms of learning how theater productions were run from inception to opening night, and hearing different insights from the various employees was extremely interesting.”

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Students looking to explore the worlds of finance and asset management participated in the tour of KPMG on the second day. Before touring the offices, they met with Columbia alumni working in Advisory & Consulting Services and Tax Overview who shared their professional journeys and offered insights into working at KPMG, including work-life balance, internal resources to help employees identify an industry of focus for their career, and how employee resource groups (ERGs) can help you build community and meet colleagues from across the company. 

Employer Insights: 

“You make a lot of connections while you work on projects because their work is interdisciplinary. You get to work with different teams across the company.” — Max Taffel, CC ’08

“We value who you are” — Andrew Adler, GS, JTS ’19

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Employees at BlackRock offered a unique opportunity for computer science and engineering students to learn more about their work and the demand for tech talent, despite being grounded by asset management. They held a panel featuring both seasoned and early professionals working in a variety of departments, which offered a range of insights regarding how to get into the field. There was a deep dive into their Rotational Program, which enables new hires to experience working across several departments in the firm.

Employer Insights: 

On having a non-finance background in the finance world,

“Although I’m an engineer here, I get that exposure to the business… It opened a new world for me. You learn how to manage your own personal [and financial] life working here.” — Columbia Alum

Student Insights:

“I liked that the alumni were all recent grads. I think it was easier to connect with them. Since I am interested in [Computer Science], it also helped that they were all CS majors working on the programming side of BlackRock.” 

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High above One World Trade, students were invited into the bright, airy office of McKinsey & Company for an introduction to the world of consulting and networking with alumni. Employees representing a range of roles in operations, marketing & sales, and strategy offered industry insights and advice to small groups over lunch. 

An important theme across the conversations was to prioritize “soft” skills like conceptual problem solving, analytical ability, and communication over technical ones with alumni assuring students that they would be able to learn skills on the job. Staff reinforced that they have a tremendous workload but that you can craft your own experience through flexible schedules and encouraged students to consider startups and entrepreneurship as “a great way to learn how to balance a workload.” They also talked about opportunities for staff to discover their niche as a generalist consultant by trying out different areas, similar to career exploration in your first and second years as a student. 

After lunch, they encouraged students to sign up for Connect with McKinsey to stay updated and gain access to upcoming recruiting events as Columbia students.

Employer Insights: 

On what makes a new employee successful in their role,

“Ask good questions, be very open minded, be ready to learn, and learn quickly.” — Columbia Alum

“No one is expecting you to know how to do everything when you get here.” — Columbia Alum

Student Insights:

“Because it was a much more intimate group, we were able to connect with McKinsey professionals at a much more personal and deeper level. This helped inform me of the work culture that exists at the firm, making me feel more confident in reaching out to other individuals and in approaching the application process and interview preparations.”

“The opportunity to visit the Mckinsey & Company headquarters was incredible. The Columbia alumni were incredibly supportive and helpful to guide us students about the recruiting process at McKinsey.”

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Students made it to Google’s Chelsea headquarters on the sunny third day — ready to learn about the company, gain insights from Columbia alumni, and hear about potential opportunities to join the team! Google People Operations Team Alana Weiss, CC ‘07, TC ‘13, provided a comprehensive look at the past, present, and future of the company, its values and voice. 

Her presentation was followed by a panel, moderated by student staff Valentina Zarins Martinez, GS’24, featuring several Columbia University alums who talked about their work at Google, as well as some of the academic experiences that they felt contributed to the current professional path. They spoke about industry trends towards improving privacy, regulations around competition, government regulations, accessibility, and Google’s commitment to sustainability, as well as shared tips for technical interviews (including making an appointment with a CCE career counselor to practice) and discussed their Software Engineering (SWE) Internships that open in September (filled on a rolling basis). They added that there are opportunities available for students from all disciplines too.

After the panel, several Columbia alumni from across the company joined the group for an open networking opportunity for students to ask questions and learn more about their work before breaking out into a much anticipated tour of Google HQ that took students through Lego-themed rooms, dining rooms, and a rooftop walk overlooking the neighborhood of Chelsea.

Employer Insights: 

“Hiring is the most important thing you can do: the people that work at the company create the values & culture of the organization… Googlers lead with REAL interest and that passion translates to other parts of their work” — Alana Weiss, CC ‘07, TC ‘13 Google People Operations Team

“There is a real sense of support as a software engineer, but it’s constantly challenging. I’m never bored.” — Delia Bullock, SEAS ‘18

“There’s a role out there for you, no matter your background” — Carl Yin, CC ‘17

Student Insights:

“Amazing visit, great hospitality, ample time to network and meet with alumni/employees. Great Q&A panel and the employees were extremely welcoming and friendly.”

“Being able to talk to the alumni one-on-one gave me a significantly better idea of how one could end up working at Google or a similar company.”

“It was especially helpful to hear about the different job opportunities and how you don’t have to just work in computer science to work there. It made me want to work at Google!”

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Video advertising company VidMob invited students into their office to learn about the inner workings of the startup, which seeks to bridge the gap between consumers, advertising companies, and major social media platforms. Following a tour of the office, students were treated to a panel by VidMob staff, whose professional backgrounds included working at Meta, Axion, Apple, and Google, about the peaks and valleys of working in a space that does not necessarily reflect traditional work expectations.

Employer Insights: 

“We’re a startup so everything has to be invented from scratch — and that’s exciting! You really feel like you’re building something.” — VidMob Team Member

Finally, check out a 20-second sneak peek of the program below and stay tuned for news about our next Site Visit Program!

 

 

 

 

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