On Friday Sep. 12, UNC Asheville Alumnus Jason Perry spoke to students in the Blue Ridge room of the Sherrill Center about how to find and navigate a career after they graduate. Perry said he wanted to hold the session after recently reconnecting with a former instructor of his, mass communication Department Chair Sonya DiPalma.
“I remember when I was a student, I definitely was obsessed with wanting to be successful, it would keep me up at night. I don’t know if I would say I’m successful or not now, but I’m doing a job I love and I’m really happy,” Perry said.
Perry is a video producer for Pathful, a company whose goal is educating students about different careers. He makes short videos which highlight different career paths for students to learn about.
“I think having an alumni visit is a great opportunity that can help shed some light on what’s to come. While I was obviously aware that there’s life beyond graduation, I hadn’t thought about it in detail,” said Harley Owens, a junior new media student at UNCA.
Owens said having the hard work being put into perspective from Perry’s talk makes him feel he’s able to prepare for life after graduation better.
“The more we can bring alumni to campus, the more students can see themselves in future roles, and also alumni see themselves here and relive some of their time here,” said David Earnhardt, associate director for employer relations in the career center at UNCA.
According to Earnhardt, alumni connecting to students is important because it helps students potentially find a path forward, and allows alumni to engage and give back to their communities.
“I think sometimes students feel a little limited in Asheville because they don’t see where they can be and where they can go. Having alumni come back who are in really cool jobs and doing cool things is really exciting,” Earnhardt said.
According to Perry, UNCA prepared him well for the professional world. He said journalism and public relations were the most important classes for him after graduation.
“Journalism teaches you how to tell a concise, appropriate story which is relevant for any job. Storytelling is hard to learn,” Perry said.
Owens said the subject of artificial intelligence in the workplace also came up during Perry’s talk to the students. Despite his concerns, he said Perry described the use of AI as a tool to assist creativity rather than replace it.
“He described his company, Pathful, as being pro-AI, particularly concerning how AI can be used as a tool to lighten the employee’s workloads. Although, as an artist, my knee-jerk reaction was to dislike the idea,” Owens said.
According to Perry, AI is almost unavoidable in the workplace. He said many tech companies support AI and may not hire someone who is strictly against it.
“I have to understand that AI integration in the workplace has become unavoidable. While I’m not fully comfortable with the idea, I understand that this is the current climate and I feel that it was a necessary truth to hear,” Owens said.
According to UNCA senior and mass comm. student Ben Chachula, it shouldn’t be an obligation for alumni to come back to give a talk after several years in the field, but those that do share their insight are appreciated.
“I think it’s an important experience for students to have, as it can sometimes feel like formal education is just what life is like forever. But hearing more about different careers and the paths one can take to get there is certainly an insightful experience,” Chachula said.
Earnhardt said networking is also an important factor when it comes to finding jobs after graduation. He said the more comfortable a student is with meeting people and taking risks, the better prepared they are for the future.
“Something I always encourage students to do is to try something new, get out of your comfort zone and try something you’ve never done before,” Earnhardt said.
According to Earnhardt, he wants to hold more events like this in the future and give UNCA alumni the chance to connect and network more with the current student body.
“I really like seeing what happens to a student after they graduate. We have a limited connection with our alumni which I would love to have more of. To be able to see students come back and share their experiences is really important,” Earnhardt said.
Owens said he wants to meet more alumni and learn about their experiences and careers. The junior mass comm student said events like this are an extremely helpful and insightful opportunity for current students.
“Employers in video production or any type of media want to see your portfolio, it’s the most important thing. It’s more important than your degree, you learn a lot with your degree but if you just have a degree, they’re not going to hire you,” Perry said.
According to Earnhardt, a career and internship fair will take place at Highsmith in the Blueridge room on Sep. 25 at 11:30 a.m., he encourages any and all students to see what opportunities they can find.
“Get internships, get working experience, don’t be afraid to go for it. Do everything you can to try and get yourself into the working world,” Perry said.
