Alumni Professionals Advise Students at Career Discernment Workshop

On Sunday the College’s Office of Career Advisement hosted a Career Discernment Workshop in the student coffee shop. Leading the discussion were two graduates of the College who — having worked for some of the country’s most prominent corporations — were able to share their wisdom about how best to apply the benefits of a Catholic liberal education in the marketplace.

The first speaker was the College’s Director of Student Services, Mark Kretschmer (’99), who previously worked at Kinko’s Inc. After starting at an entry-level position, he was quickly promoted three times in his first six months, and at 23 years of age became the youngest branch manager in the Los Angeles market. As the branch manager for Kinko’s Granada Hills he was responsible for $1.5 million in annual sales.

In his presentation, Mr. Kretschmer shared lessons learned from his own entry into the workplace, stressing the importance of thoughtful preparation. “The discernment process is the hardest part of the whole job search, and it’s also the most important part,” he began. “The College has 1,976 graduates, and many of them are very successful in a wide variety of fields. Choosing the right field for you requires breaking the process down into steps and working through them.” He outlined what he defined as the four key steps of career discernment: self-assessment, exploring options, matching up one’s abilities and opportunities, and taking action.

The second speaker was a classmate of Mr. Kretchmer, Nathan Haggard (’99). A systems engineer at Apple Inc., Mr. Haggard manages the technical relationship with some of Apple’s largest enter­prise customers such as Disney, Amgen, and Toy­ota. Before Apple, Mr. Haggard ran a digital-vid­eo consulting and production company for four years and taught video-editing classes at UCLA Exten­sion.

“In my job I sit around a table and talk with executives about their technological needs, their business needs, and what we have to offer,” Mr. Haggard noted. “Sitting around a boardroom table and discussing a complex subject feels exactly the same to me as what you do at Thomas Aquinas College. And it’s not like you do it every once in a while; you do it day after day for four years. So you are already way ahead of a lot of other people out there.”

Both professionals took questions from the students, offering their assistance and networking help as needed. “In the real world you get these complex ideas and these conflicting priorities, and you have to think about them critically, communicate with others, bring people to understanding, and work your way slowly toward a goal,” said Mr. Haggard. “I think this kind of education gives you a huge advantage.”

The Career Discernment Workshop was one of several such events that the Office of Career Advisement has planned for the academic year, following on September’s talk for students interested in pursuing careers in mental health.