The Economics Department has enhanced its offerings of professional development and career support for our majors. In addition to our one-credit course “Career Preparation for Economics Majors” taught by Michael Norwood (and infused with leadership training tips from Coach Dean Smith), this fall the Economics Department has offered economics majors several opportunities to interact with successful alumni about experiences in a variety of careers. Alumni who serve as members of our Economics Department Advisory Board participated in coaching sessions with over 50 students during our fall board meeting (October). Board member Jay Bryson ’80, ’89 (Wells Fargo & Company) also organized (and moderates) a series of informational panels featuring UNC alumni who currently serve on our Advisory Board. Each event focuses on a different industry with panelists sharing their perspectives and experiences and answering students’ questions. We kicked off the series with Alumni Perspectives on Career Opportunities for Economics Majors in the Financial Services Industry (September) with a live panel in Gardner Hall with 50 students in attendance.
The panelists included Scott Bass ’90 (Merrill Lynch), Courtney Cavatoni ’93 (JP Morgan), Kyle Clements ’91 (RBC), Jonathan Pingle ’03 (UBS), and Jason Rein ’05 (Wells Fargo Securities). Our October virtual panel for careers in the Tech Industry featured Aletha Burgess ‘88 (Wells Fargo), Jennie Ellison ’89 (Microsoft), and Amir Rubin (One Medical).
We will offer three panels in January and February of next year. Panelists discussing Careers in the Real Estate Industry include Mark Buono ’86 (Carter Real Estate Center, College of Charleston) and Andy Pike ’04 (Wells Fargo Securities). A panel for Careers in For Profit and Non-Profit general business will feature Courtney Cavaroni ‘93 (Non-profits), Scott Ogle ‘97 (TruLab), Mel Williams ’88 (TrueBridge Capital), and Brian Worrell ’92 (General Electric). Our last panel is about Careers for Students with Graduate Degrees. Claude Courbois ’88 (NASDAQ Stock Exchange), Jonathan Pingle ’03 (UBS, Blackrock, Federal Reserve), and David Robinson ’92 (Duke Econ) will be on hand to share their experiences and to answer questions.
Our Inaugural Recruiting Fair for Economics Majors (November) offered students an opportunity to speak with employers directly: to present a resume, to communicate and network, to explore internships, and/or to land a job. Students met with recruiters from several companies (Cape Fear Collective, Deloitte, Insight Economics, Northwestern Mutual, PacWest Bank, Proctor and Gamble, PwC, TruLab, and Wells Fargo.
We look forward to our next recruiting fair for economics majors in late August/early September of 2023. If any alumni are interested in participating in future events – whether it be to recruit students for internships or jobs, to share about your own employment experiences post college, or to serve as a resource for students – please do not hesitate to email the current Chair of the Economics Department, Dr. Donna Gilleskie.