Students Learn Value Of A Liberal Arts Education

The value of a liberal arts education and how to take the skills learned at Knox out into the world were the themes at the third annual Career Impact Summit held at Knox on November 19 and 20.

Seventy students—the majority seniors—stayed on campus after completing fall term finals for networking sessions, career panels, and lectures with more than a dozen alumni. Some of the topics covered included skills employers are looking for, cultural competence in your career, landing your first job after Knox, and building a career you're proud of.

Geoff Ziegler '03 was the keynote speaker. In his speech, "Life is Liberal Arts: Using Your Knox Education in the Real World," he outlined how he went from a degree in chemistry to his first job in information technology at ESPN (where he won an Emmy in 2007) to his current position as a project manager at the NCAA.

"I'm a chemistry major who's doing IT work. I didn't take a computer science class, but that doesn't mean that I couldn't do the job," said Ziegler, who found that the skills he learned at Knox—how to write, craft an argument, understand different points of view, to be empowered to find the answer—gave him a huge advantage in the workforce. "There are plenty of people who don't have these skills, who have to learn them on the job. But you're not in that position," Ziegler told students. "You're ready to hit the ground running. You have the confidence to do it because you've already done it here."

After listening to alumni, Senior Nils Leitz realized that he already has a lot of skills applicable to the job search. "I came away with a much better understanding of what I've already gotten out of certain jobs that I've had and how to frame them on my resume," says Nils. "I've gotten a lot of reassurance about my own abilities."

Senior Emily Finke, a French major with minors in German and international relations, would like to be a French translator, but after the summit now feels more comfortable with the uncertainty of her future. "I learned that it doesn't matter what you think you're going to end up being. That can change. Be flexible," she says. During the sessions, she learned how to improve her resume and picked up some interviewing tips. "The networking event with alumni was really, really helpful."

The Career Impact Summit was organized by the Knox College Bastian Family Career Center. It was sponsored by the John D. Carlin Career Development Support Fund.

Above: Keynote Speaker Geoff Ziegler '03 gives the keynote speech on using your education in the real world.