Audrie Garrison | Feb. 16, 2009
 |
| Photo by Anthony LaPenna |
| Brad Wilks, B.A. '81, talked to (from left) Ambassadors Katie Wickham, Mary Reisert and Lindsay Pollack after a panel discussion Thursday in Chicago. |
Related |
About 50 students, including School of Journalism Ambassadors and Ernie Pyle Scholars, traveled to Chicago Thursday and Friday to meet with alumni and visit news organizations.
Tim Franklin, former editor of The Baltimore Sun and now Louis A. Weil Jr. Endowed Chair at the School of Journalism, moderated the talk, which was sponsored by IU Alumni Career Services, the Chicago Chapter of the IUAA, the IU Kelley School of Business, the IU School of Journalism and the IU Foundation.
Thursday’s panelists included Matt Ferguson, president and CEO of CareerBuilder.com; Marla C. Gottschalk, CEO of The Pampered Chef; Larry Richman, president and CEO of Private Bancorp; and Brad Wilks, Chicago CEO and managing director of Sard Verbinnen & Co. Overall, they encouraged their audience to find something they love and to view the undesirable economic climate as an opportunity, not a hindrance.
“Ultimately, the cycle will end, and it will improve,” Richman said.
Most of the questions pertained to entering the job market in the strained economy. Ferguson said people would probably only see a situation this bad once in their lifetimes. He said America would bounce back, but that the country will probably never be the same.
“The U.S. economy is a great athlete,” Ferguson said. “Unfortunately, over the last 20 years, I would argue, but probably at least the last six or eight, we’ve been taking steroids.”
He said that after it recovers, the U.S. no longer will “take steroids,” so economic growth will be much more moderate than what people are used to seeing.
Ferguson predicted that job losses will stabilize around May 15 – less than a week after seniors graduate – but said not to expect much job creation until after 2010.
Gottschalk urged future graduates to “look for a company that sees this economic downturn as an opportunity.” The other panelists agreed that people can find success in difficult times.
“With a crisis, there’s both danger and opportunity,” Ferguson said.
Richman told the audience to spend time volunteering if they found themselves without a job for a little while. This can even be used as a way to advance a career, he said, as it’s a good way to network.
Many students said the panelists made them feel more optimistic about finding a job after graduation. Lauren Gores, a senior focusing on broadcast journalism, said the advice was helpful, and that Ferguson’s steroid analogy helped her look at the economy in a new way.
 |
| Photo by Anthony LaPenna |
| Senior Michael Sanserino (in blue shirt) was one of the students who visited the Sun-Times while in Chicago. The Sun-Times' Laura Emerick, B.A. '79, coordinated the visit. |
Freshman Caitlin Peterkin, who is focusing on magazine journalism, said she had little knowledge of the economy’s effects on the job market before seeing the panel.
“The panel kind of opened my eyes, and I started to look ahead a little more,” Peterkin said. “And I’m a little more optimistic.”
Friday, students split into groups to visit media organizations. These included Hill & Knowlton and Golin Harris public relations firms; The Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune newspapers; Chicago Magazine; and the Big Ten Network.
More:
- Read student blogs about visits to media organizations.
Questions? Comments? Email the Web editor.
