The CUNY Career Innovation Summit: Tech and Finance

Graphic from CUNY Career Initiatives

Career Initiatives

On Friday morning, ­­March 29, 2019, the CUNY Career Innovation Summit convened at the Microsoft Times Square location. Three groups of panelists shared their experiences in their respective fields of technology, marketing, and finance.  The panels provided advice to the standing-room-only audience of students. The audience was diverse with students from all levels of higher ed, both undergraduate and graduate. The panelists showed competence and mastery of their subjects. The panelists spoke about the importance of a career goal which should include an affinity for the job. The theme for the day centered around the importance of data analytics.

Mastering Tech for Career Advancement

This is the technology era. Technology is integral to daily lives: from analyzing banking data online to ordering breakfast. Applications work for almost every function. In the seminar, the question was asked: “Who has a smartphone in the room?” All hands were raised. With smartphones’ applications, large amounts of data are completely portable. Since the technology defines so many functions in the working world­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­, it is essential to keep up with technology and use it wisely. The panelists did encourage the attendees to connect with various other professionals involved in the symposium. The professionals on the panels demonstrated the self-confidence, determination, and opportunities created within a network. At the break and at the end of the meeting, the participants met each other for the purpose of expanding their network.

Opportunities Offered

The last seminar section, finance, was developed by the last five panelists who shared their experiences and their progress in the field. These professionals shared stories on how they have evolved in their respective sectors. Panelists provided solid information on wealth management and financial services and social impact practices. All the advisors emphasized the importance of developing investment strategies for career advancement. Since finance has a far-reaching and direct impact, aspiring professionals should be mindful in matters of financial choice. These options should be specifically tailored to individual circumstances.

Job opportunities were offered on 2020census.gov and USAjobs.gov to interested attendees. This special opportunity illustrated how seminars and conferences can also enhance networking.

LinkedIn Coaching

At the end of the day, there was a coaching and orientation session on the use of LinkedIn, a social media platform for professionals. This breakout was intended to help some participants to optimize their professional opportunities through technology. Facilitators assisted those who wanted to become familiar with LinkedIn, an important tool for professional networking. Since network connections might be aware of job openings, the LinkedIn advisors stressed showcasing skills and qualifications in profiles.

For information on future CUNY Career Initiative Summits, follow the organizers on Twitter.