What was your major and would you recommend it to current students?
I was an English major and I would highly recommend it especially for my line of work

Could you please describe your job for us?
Right now, I work at SS&C Technology; we are a software company, we make investment management software for corporate money managers, which are companies managing anywhere from $100 million to Billion of Dollars in assets. I do public relations and investors relations for the company. When I started here about 6 and half years ago, I was more into the Advertising area. One of my primary roles now is the annual report because we are a publicly held company.

When did you know that this is what you wanted to do?
I still wonder. In college, when I was a sophomore, I decided that I wanted to go into Advertising. I started doing some internships to familiarize myself with that field.

What sort of internships did you do?
I interned at Channel 61 when it was a brand new company and not a Fox affiliate. Subsequent to my graduation, I interned at an advertising firm in Avon, CT; they ended up hiring me and I worked there for about 5 and ½ years.

Are there any major trends that affect what you do here?
A general trend that I see in the workplace is that there are not enough people. To get someone who is smart and trainable is really valuable. We need more software developers; we have a couple of positions opened here in Marketing. When I got out of college, there were more people than there were jobs, now there are more jobs than people. As long as you are smart and you are eager to learn, it’s very easy to get a job nowadays.

Do you have a typical day here?
Since I am handling public and investors relations right now, I review what’s going on in the company and track down the people-employees or clients- I need to talk to on a daily or weekly basis. I deal with the press when I want to get out a press release. I handle the drafting and approval of our prospectus. It’s kind of like a “One Stop Shopping” here, I do it all!

Describe an aspect of your job that keeps you happy with your job?
While I am not necessarily the highest step in the company, I work indirectly with all of our senior management team. I am very much part of what’s happening on the highest level. I have a personal relationship with our CFO, CEO and all of our senior vice presidents. I have access to a lot of information and I like that fact; I like being involved.

Did you take any courses or participated in any activities while you were at Trinity that you would recommend to current students?
Internships. Internships. Internships. I think that’s the thing! You learn not only how to do a job, but you also learn the nuances of how to behave in business. Of course, there is nothing like the social life of a college, the friendships and the activities, but doing an internship is very important in my opinion. Take advantage of them over the summers too. Non-profit organizations are great; they always need someone and you can get to do a lot there and learn more than you would in a regular company.

Do you have any internship available?
I am not sure what the status is right now. Our Human Resources division takes care of that. But I can find out and forward it to Career Services.

What can a Trinity student who is soon to be graduating do well to set himself apart from other college students looking for jobs?
With President Dobelle there, Trinity is kind of enjoying a renaissance in terms of what they are doing with the community. The college is gaining an incredible reputation all over the nation. Receiving that kind of education and participating in the community activities the school and neighborhood offers will be very beneficial no matter what field you decide to follow. Challenge yourself and do things that are not necessarily easy for you. You’ll gain a lot from doing so.

Do you have any last word of advice for Trinity students about to enter the work force?
Realize that it’s not like it was 20 years ago; there are many jobs available. Whatever job you might end up doing will most likely be the first of many jobs you will have. I am a rarity that I’ve only had 2 in my career. If you graduate and you don’t have a job, that’s not the end of the world. Be focused on what you want to do, but take an opportunity even if it’s not what you had on mind. Take your job seriously, but not too serious. Enjoy yourself and have fun!