The idea for a video podcast spotlighting alumni was already floating around the Career Services office in Fulton Hall before coronavirus. Amy Donegan, assistant dean for undergraduate management advising, and Andrew Barksdale ’17, assistant director for undergraduate career engagement, envisioned successful Ïăœ¶Đă graduates from across business sectors sharing their career journeys and insights in a casual interview format.

Then campus closed. Career Services transitioned to supporting students online through virtual presentations like and the , while many seniors braced for fully remote job searches. That’s when Donegan and Barksdale decided to accelerate the timeline for the video podcast, originally slated for the summer, and refined the focus of what would become the “Fulton Career Cast.”

“Once Covid happened,” Barksdale recalls, “the idea evolved into talking with alumni who graduated around the last recession.” Pitched as “career advice in a crisis,” the series highlights alumni whose experiences are most likely to resonate with the Class of 2020: those who entered the workforce during and immediately following the 2008 financial crisis.Ìę

Barksdale, who’s been recording the interviews over Zoom from his parents’ home in Ohio with the help of Assistant Director for Undergraduate Career Advising Madeline CortĂ©s, deliberately sought out stories that were not always smooth. “It doesn’t necessarily have to be the straight path of, you know, ‘I did banking, went from this to this, and I was good,’” he said, “but instead, ‘I jumped around’ or ‘I took the opportunity that was out there.’”Ìę

The Fulton Career Cast has posted 12 interviews on theÌęÌęsince it launched in early April. Many—though not all—feature alumni who graduated between 2008 and 2011. And each offers pragmatic advice and encouragement for this year’s graduates, as they navigate a climate of unprecedented unemployment and economic uncertainty. Here’s a glimpse of a few.

Other Ways Alums Can Help

New graduates aren’t the only ones worried about how the coronavirus crisis will impact their career potential. Summer internships for many Carroll School undergraduates have also dried up. Career Services is asking Ïăœ¶Đă alumni to share opportunities for virtual short-term projects and “micro-internships,” so driven undergraduates can gain valuable work experience and skills remotely. If you or someone you knowÌęneeds help with a project and could use the help of one of our eager undergraduates, please fill outÌę. Projects can range from one week to all summer, can cover a wide range of needs, and do not need to be paid. For further details, contact Dean Donegan atÌędonegana@bc.edu.

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