Category Archives: Student Spotlight

Senior Spotlight

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By Jason Ho (Q24)

It’s March. The white walkers have begun to melt and cool breezes blow upon us. In light of this wondrous time of the year, another phenomenon has also commenced; the rollover of this year’s graduating class of QUEST! As their names are etched into the alumni books and their cohort photos mysteriously disappear from the labs, the QUESTees of Cohort 23 & 24 pack their bags and bid their farewells. However, it is not without a few words of wisdom. In this article, we shine a light upon two budding seniors, Andrew Lee (Q23) and Michael George (Q23), as they lay upon the QUEST community their stories of how they got to where they are today and what they have to look forward to in the next chapter of their lives.

Tell us a lot about yourself.

Andrew Lee: I’m a senior Computer Science major in Cohort 23 currently TA’ing 190H. I’m originally from the Philadelphia area, but I came to UMD because of the great computer science program. After going through the STS Scholars program, I wanted to be a part of another community and applied to QUEST. I like to eat, travel, play board games, poker, tv shows, football, go to concerts, ultimate frisbee, video games, music, exercising, and golf.

Favorite food: Sushi (check out Daikaya in DC if you haven’t been)
Favorite place I’ve travelled: Taipei
Favorite board game: Catan
Favorite poker: Texas Hold ‘Em
TV show: West World *waiting on Game of Thrones to come back

Michael George: I am a senior Computer Science major in Cohort 23 and I am also a member of QUEST Recruiting and a PM on QUEST Dev. I love technology and that’s part of the reason why I decided to become a Computer Science major. Otherwise I really enjoy sports, especially football, baseball and basketball, and I’m slowly getting into soccer. I also really enjoy listening and creating music. I play a little guitar, drums and bass and I enjoy singing as well. For this last year, I’ve gotten very fond of Chance and have been listening to Coloring Book almost all of the time.

A lot of QUEST students are hungry and ambitious for the road ahead. Once before in those shoes, can you tell us now about your experience as you applied to different jobs?

Andrew Lee: Going through QUEST really opened my eyes up to all the different roles I could do outside of a typical software development job. After interning 2 summers as a software engineer, 1 summer as a project manager, and 2 QUEST capstone projects, I applied to a variety of jobs within the consulting, product management, and software engineering fields. Getting rejections really sucked at first, but after the first few, you become sort of numb to it. Gradually, a few offers started to come in, so I really had to ask myself what I really wanted to do after college. It was easy to show enthusiasm during interviews at all these different companies for different positions because I actually was interested in doing a variety of roles. During October-November, I had at least 2 interviews a week and it was almost like taking another class. In the end, I figured that even if I eventually wanted to go into consulting, management, or product management, it would be best to first hone my computer science skills at a software development position. I chose to go with the software position with IBM because it touches on 2 technologies I’m interested in going further with: AI and Cloud.

Michael George: Honestly, as a Computer Science major at Maryland, they prepare you well to be a software developer, but I remember realizing that I was not very passionate about it and that I couldn’t see myself doing that for a career. Thankfully because of QUEST and the Silicon Valley trip, I learned about Product Management and I was instantly infatuated with the idea of becoming a Product Manager. I started looking for full time positions as a Product Manager, but most companies usually promote you to that position after working as a Software Developer or proving yourself in some other area first. As I did not see that many options, I started to apply and interview for Software Engineering roles but nothing was really working out and I remember feeling discouraged. It was at that point where I received some of the best advice/encouragement that I’ve ever had and the timing of it made it impactful. A QUEST alumnus told me to never settle and not to worry because at some point it will all work out. Finally, I got an interview with Microsoft for a Program Manager position and thankfully, I was extended an offer to do something that I am very passionate about.

So now that you’ve made it, enlighten us about which lucky companies will be taking you in and what you’ll be doing there.

Andrew Lee: I’ll be working as a Cloud Software Engineer in the IBM Watson space. This means I’ll be working on developing cloud infrastructure to support Watson applications. IBM is currently focusing on really expanding their Cloud and Watson cognitive capabilities and services, so I’ll be in the middle of all that. I’ll be based out in the Astor Place office in Manhattan if anyone wants to come visit me.

Michael George: I’ll be working as a Program Manager at Microsoft, and I will determine the team that I will be on in the next few months. As a Program Manager, you oversee a specific feature or application and you are constantly working with engineering, design, and business teams to refine and improve your product for your target users.

If there is one thing about your company that made you go there, what is it?

Andrew Lee: The opportunity to build out their services, infrastructure, and applications. IBM is rapidly expanding the products they’re offering, and this is a great opportunity to be a part of creating their new flagship products. IBM is also doing some really cool things through Watson such as cancer research and sentiment analysis.

Michael George: Microsoft is at an awesome place as a company right now, with a relatively new CEO that has changed the culture of the company and new products that are revolutionizing the markets that they are in, and I am very thankful for the opportunity to be a part of that.

What advice do you have for students looking to find positions like yours?

Andrew Lee: Network, network, network. QUEST, friends, and mentors are all excellent ways to meet new people that are already in jobs that you’re potentially interested in. Just applying online has maybe a 10% response rate, but during the fall semester interview season, there were so many opportunities to network and do interviews. If possible, try and get your job search done in the fall when most of the opportunities are still open. Don’t be afraid to take as many interviews as possible and study up for appropriate interviews (whiteboard coding, case interviews, etc). For those of you interested in software development, I recommend Cracking the Code Interview and the website Leetcode. Also, try to plan your interviews around classes, and keep in touch with professors when you miss class. Definitely try any company you’re interested in. The worst they can say is no.

Michael George: Network and get involved. I can’t stress how important networking was for me during my job search. Take advantage of all the QUEST events and meet not only alumni but also students from other cohorts. There is so much talent within the QUEST program and you never know when you may need to rely on that one senior you met from cohort 23 to get you an interview at a company that you are really interested in. In addition to that, getting involved in different organizations can help you with talking points and just gaining relevant experience. With Recruiting, I learned a lot about giving a good elevator pitch and being a PM with QUEST Dev was a great talking point during my interviews. I also using Cracking the PM interview because it provides a lot of great insights for preparing for a PM interview. Most importantly, just relax!

Now that the hard part is over, let’s talk about the fun stuff. What’s the plan for when you graduate?

Andrew Lee: My start date isn’t until late August, so I’ll probably try to travel, golf poorly at the UMD golf course, and see friends until then. I’ll probably bounce between my Commons apartment and my parent’s home in Philadelphia. After that, I’ll be in New York City.

Michael George: Currently, my start date is early July so most likely June will be spent catching up with friends and family. I’ll be moving to Seattle, WA and I expect that there will be a QUEST to Seattle trip at some point (@Jessica Macklin).

QUEST Student Chandler Pierce Develops New App

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By Jacob Wilkowsky (Q19)

Chandler Pierce (Q23) was recently featured in the Diamondback for developing the app, Peer Pressure. Chandler, an accounting major in the Smith School, collaborated with his brother (coding) and a friend (illustrations) to bring the game to reality. Read more about Chandler’s app here. (Angela Jacob, Diamondback)

http://www.dbknews.com/2017/01/30/drinking-game-peer-pressure-umd/

 

Recruiting for QUEST: The Secret Sauce

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By: Jacob Wilkowsky (Cohort 19)

How come the best always make it look so easy? When President Obama recites a speech or Alex Ovechkin scores a goal, it’s difficult to perceive the effort behind the art. However, a closer inspection often reveals the truth that lies just below the surface. Just take a look at Alex Ovechkin’s crooked nose and missing teeth. Great achievements rest upon a heap of practice, composed of successes, failures, and what lies in between. At least that’s what I have to tell myself. Otherwise, those fancy speeches and nasty slap shots make me feel pretty inadequate.  

I feel a similar sensation every year watching the QUEST Recruiting team pump out cohort after cohort of first-rate QUEST students. Contributing to QUESTPress for six years now, I feel the pain pretty acutely of trying to keep a QUEST student organization operating at a high level. However, it always seems as though my friends in QUEST Recruiting are operating in slow motion, seamlessly executing well-defined, delegated tasks, which fuse into a beautifully managed HR function for the QUEST community. QUEST Recruiting staffs tables at fairs, produces information sessions, runs social media campaigns, develops and executes a complex interview process, and evaluates the 250+ number of students that apply every year. They’re infuriatingly good at what they do.

I reached out to two QUEST Recruiting members, Jason Ho (Q24) and Ryan Wong (Q25), about where they are now in the recruiting process and how YOU can participate. I’m also hoping to uncover some suffering or stress that makes these guys human.

Where are we currently in the recruiting process?

As of right now, our application is live! As we enter the spring semester, there are only a couple of weeks before the application deadline (February 4th) and we plan to wrap up the application period with one last push of information and tabling sessions to get the word out about QUEST.

Application Homepage: http://apply.questumd.com/

What type of participation options are available for students, alumni, and friends of the program?

All of those involved in QUEST from past to present are welcome to participate in events. Whether its partaking as special guests to our information sessions to helping out with application reading/interviews, we believe that the more, the merrier!

All alumni and students interested in reading applications should contact Jessica Macklin (jmacklin@rhsmith.umd.edu) by January 26th. A call for interviewers will be sent out in mid-February. 

Note– there is a brief training packet and quiz required for participation.

How has the turnout been this year as compared to prior ones?

Turnout has increased every year. With new initiatives and events that we look to attend, we’ve been able to reach more students so that QUEST can be a program that the common UMD student knows about. This year, we anticipate over 250 applicants, so application readers, be ready for the grind!

Do you realize how easy you make it look?

What can we say, QUEST has made us a team of true quality!

What do you attribute QUEST Recruiting’s success to?

Recruiting’s success definitely comes from the fact that our team has the most dedicated and friendly students out there. Each year we take on new recruiting events and missions, and we always are able to successfully complete each one because the people in QUEST Recruiting are passionate about giving back to the program and finding the future QUEST students. In order to get the best students, we have to have the best students and Recruiting is no exception to that.

Tell me the most frustrating experience that you’ve had working on the team?

It can be tough coordinating some events. As we constantly push to get the word out about QUEST to as many students as possible, it can be quite hectic trying to make it to so many different events. We often reach roadblocks given our busy schedules and it can be tough to attend every opportunity we see.

What’s the biggest obstacle you’ve all faced this year?

It would definitely be carrying the poster and materials to events! It is incredibly cumbersome and some of our trips are truly marathons! If only we could have QUEST sponsor us a QUESTRecruiting car…

Thanks guys for taking my questions!

My Freshman year, I attended an information session after one of the brighter kids from my high school harangued me about rushing a fraternity, and advised that I instead get involved in this program called QUEST. Even though we just knew each other tangentially he sat me down on the curb of Knox Road and touted the program passionately for quite some time. After attending the information session I was hooked. For students and alumni who know talented freshmen, please reach out to those students because it could change their college experience for the best. QUEST has a dedicated team of students committed to bringing in top students to the program and could use your help. Thanks again QUESTRecruiting for all of your work and making it look so easy!

QUEST Recruiting students at the First Look Fair

 

Spotlight: QUEST Corporate & Brayan Varghese

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The importance of the material we learn as QUEST students cannot be overstated. The frameworks and techniques we learn can have a great impact on the way we approach problems and vet solutions. Students who complete the QUEST curriculum leave with a very attractive set of skills, but gaining these skill is only half the battle. It’s important for the students to learn, but it’s just as important for them to be exposed to employers and given the chance to display their skills.

This is what QUEST corporate does for the QUEST community. It brings students and employers together in an environment that benefits all parties. While the students get to learn more about companies and develop more intimate connections, the companies get direct access to a pipeline of talented and driven students. The facilitation of these events is no small deal, but I was lucky enough to get the chance to ask Brayan Varghese (Q26) a couple questions regarding his role in QUEST corporate and its impact in general.

What pushed you to join QUEST Corporate?

The two main reasons that pushed me to join QUEST Corporate was to get more involved in QUEST and to take advantage of an interesting opportunity. To be a part of a group that has constant communication with different companies from different industries was something I saw that was very unique.

What is the biggest takeaway from your time in the organization?

My biggest takeaway from my time with QUEST Corporate is the need to constantly improve based off of feedback. Our programs are unique since they serve both the QUEST community and corporate sponsors; in order to continuously improve our events we need to gain feedback from both ends.

How do you think the QUEST community & corporate partners benefit from your programs?

The QUEST community benefits from our programs by expanding their networks, getting closer to obtaining jobs/internships/externships, and learning about different opportunities in a variety of industries. Corporate partners benefit by getting to know the numerous amount of talented students in QUEST and effectively marketing their company’s purpose and opportunities to the students.

In 5 words, how would you describe QUEST Corporate?

“The Classiest group in QUEST.”

Brayan Varghese (Q26)

Brayan Varghese (Q26)

Alumni on Advanced Certifications and Degrees

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By: Jacob Wilkowsky (Q19)

March 2014:

Flying Back from Spring Break in Barcelona

I knew the CPA lay abruptly ahead. Committed to work in public accounting after graduation, it seemed like there was no alternative. My future employer provided the Becker study materials. My friends in the field either had the accreditation or were well on their way to achieving it. Pursuing the CPA didn’t feel like a decision, but an inevitability. Little did I know it was a slippery slope…

January 2015:

All Smiles in my Grandmother’s Guest Bedroom

Well the CPA didn’t go as planned, but at least I was done. Seven months, hundreds of hours studying, and six attempts later I passed all four sections (FAR, REG, BEC, and AUD). However, even before the results of my final attempt came out, I was registered to take Level I of the CFA in June. This time, the reasons I enrolled weren’t so clear. For certain the ease of the CPA wasn’t a factor—it truly was a miserable experience. However, my education in finance, past experience in valuation, and yada, yada, yada—none of you care.   

Today

I’m gearing up for Level II of the CFA. Facing the deep abyss ahead, I can’t help but wonder how I got here. In the approximately three years since graduation, I’ve lived in five apartments (including my grandmother’s guest bedroom), worked at two firms, and gone on one additional international journey. However, the singular constant has been the unyielding pressure of studying for advanced certifications. At least I can take solace in the knowledge that my obsession with abbreviations is shared by fellow QUEST alumni seeking advanced degrees in science, medicine, law, and business.

Santiago Miret (Q18), PhD student in Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Berkeley

You’re brilliant, we get it. Why get the PhD? Could you gain the same knowledge elsewhere?

One thing that you learn while doing a PhD is how truly not-brilliant you are, but I think that is the case for any challenging work that you do because you get exposed to how much more there is to do and learn. The PhD is very conducive for challenging learning because it is set up for you to explore topics that have never been explored and create new knowledge to share with the world. It may be possible to acquire similar knowledge somewhere else, but it is very difficult to acquire depth outside the environment of the PhD.

Tony Trinh (Q21), medical student at the University of Maryland School of Medicine

Since graduating it seems like my friends in Med School have had it the worst in terms of up front investment in their career (grueling workload, financial cost, longest-term payoff). Why do you think there are so many people lining up for the opportunity?

I think what it comes down to is that people in medical school are content to play the long game (and I mean L-O-N-G game). Although both the financial and even psychological costs of medical school are astronomically high, I don’t know a single person in my class who isn’t passionate about medicine. It might sound a bit romantic but I genuinely believe that everyone here has an earnest desire to help their fellow man and are willing to go through what can sometimes seem like hell to do so. Of course there is a financial driving force tied in there but anyone who’s looking for ONLY a quick pay out wouldn’t last a day in medical school. From my perspective of my class and my school, the job comes first and paycheck comes later (much later) but we’re okay with that and wouldn’t you rather have a doctor who looks at you like a patient rather than a source of income?

Matt Sarna (Q19), law student at the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law

People say that law school teaches you how to think like a lawyer. Did anything in QUEST help prepare you for this transformation?

Plenty of my peers questioned why a business school QUEST student would be interested in pursuing a law degree. My answer has always been that QUEST does not prepare you to go into a specific field, it prepares you to take a client’s opportunity head-on and develop a synthesized solution that addresses each facet of the issue. That is the foundation of a successful lawyer. Law school teaches you how to take black letter law, ambiguous regulations, and ever-changing political landscapes and massage a client’s needs to fit. It teaches you to keep asking, “What if…” and “Why.”

Richard (Ricky) Wilson (Q6), M.B.A at the University of Chicago – Booth School of Business

[Ricky also has a Masters in Electrical Engineering and Six Sigma Greenbelt]

Based on my friend’s Snapchat, business school is alternating sprints between the library and bar. How true is this interpretation and what was the best lesson you learned as an MBA?

That was not my business school experience, but it can be the experience of some.  It may likely depend upon your background prior to entering business school.  I never spent much time in the library.  Business school was really a lesson on time management, an opportunity for personal and professional development, and an immersion into diversity. The coursework is generally not very challenging for people with analytical backgrounds, but it can be time consuming.  There is a lot of reading and a lot of group assignments.  Besides homework there is recruiting, student groups, building friendships, and definitely going to bars.  It is basically always someone’s birthday, there is always a student group event, there is always a company on campus, and there is always homework to be done.  People have to learn how to manage and prioritize these demands.  The biggest benefit of business school is the relationships you develop, but that can’t be at the expense of finding a job and passing classes.

I’ve also never been in an environment with people having such diverse backgrounds across ethnicities, work experience, recreational interests, travel, country of residence, etc.  It really just exposes you to various opportunities and inspires you to accomplish great things.  It is a chance to try new things and to re-examine what you once considered your boundaries or limitations.

The biggest thing I walked away with was self-awareness.  I learned a lot about how I am perceived, how I behave in various situations, how I can influence those situations, and where I can develop.  Beyond that, I think business school really teaches you to identify an unmet need (sometimes an unknown need) and how to successfully address that opportunity.  It provides tools, resources, and relationships that provide advantages.

Jason Graub (Q17), CPA and Co-founder and CFO at Gameplan

How much thought did you put into getting the CPA? What’s it worth to you now?

In terms of time put into CPA, once I made the decision to go the accounting route ( which I wavered on a few times throughout college) I knew I had to get the CPA in order for it to be worth it. Especially when KPMG would pay for Becker and the tests and I’d get the bonus when I passed.

What’s it worth to me now: Now it’s a nice fall back and provides some credibility on my resume. But I don’t view as something crucial to my long-term success. I’m debating whether to let my active license expire (I’ll probably renew next year through 2019, but since I’m not practicing and don’t see accounting in my long-term future there isn’t much incentive to keep up with the CPE’s, which are a pain).

Bryan Towns (Q7), Six Sigma Blackbelt and Director of Program Management at Abbott

[Bryan is also has a Masters in Product Development Engineering, MBA, and PMP]

The Six Sigma Blackbelt seems like the certification most aligned with QUEST’s core teaching curriculum. Can you talk to the value it’s added to your career?

While applying the Six Sigma methodology in my career, I have realized that it is a natural extension of the QUEST experience.  Systems thinking, an emphasis on data-based decision making, continuous improvement, and even techniques for effective team management are threads that are shared between the QUEST experience and in all variants of the Six Sigma methodology.  Therefore, it is difficult for me to isolate either the Six Sigma certification or QUEST experience as the sole contributor, as they are so intertwined.  As an example, I remember describing the use of a Pugh Matrix, which I had learned in QUEST, in a panel interview to land my first job out of UMD, before even realizing that it was part of the Six Sigma tool kit.  As an engineer, I relied on Designs of Experiments to build robust designs into the products that I developed, and as a Program Manager, I rely on Voice of the Customer techniques to ensure that my teams are aligned with our customers’ unmet needs.   In that sense, both QUEST and Six Sigma have provided me with tools that I have used to solve problems as I have grown in my career.

Ningwei Li (Q20), Investment fellow at T. Rowe Price, CFA level III Candidate

What is the CFA charter?

CFA, chartered financial analyst, is a designation for professionals interested in the field of investment research and portfolio management. Essentially the process requires passing three exams, each requiring about 100 hours or more of preparation, and four years of working experience in the investment industry. Many firms see the CFA designation as a way of showing commitment in the industry as well as a person’s ability to learn. I personally think the CFA exposes a candidate to so much of finance that learning alone is worthwhile. Luckily, I’m currently sponsored by my firm to take the CFA exams. To me, it’s a no brainer that I should pursue the designation.

What question should QUEST students ask themselves when planning to pursue an advanced certification or degree?

Richard (Ricky) Wilson (Q6)

The biggest question to ask is ‘do the benefits outweigh the costs?’  The cost is not just financial, but also the opportunity cost.  What else could you be doing with your time, does this provide you with the most utility, and what will you be able to accomplish that you could not without it (or at a faster pace than without it)?  The financial benefits will be related to supply and demand as well.  People should try to spend some time estimating the future demand, evaluating the future supply, and risk factors that could affect both and thus change the economic value of the decision.

Bryan Towns (Q7)

Be careful to pursue only those certifications that will be the most impactful within your field.  I have had a number of colleagues who had an “alphabet soup” of certifications in their email signature lines, but were not exceptionally strong within any one of their apparent areas of expertise.  Choosing a couple of accreditations that will better help you to serve your organization, customers, and clients is much more valuable than sheer quantity.

Santiago Miret (Q18)

I would suggest to conduct your own research as to what each degree or certification means. Many degrees showcase to the broader audience that you have certain skill sets or certain knowledge, yet there may be other ways to show that you have that skill set or knowledge. Degrees and certifications are often just a tool to help you get somewhere you are striving towards. That being said, it is also important to remain humble and acknowledge how much you truly know so that you don’t overestimate or underestimate yourself.

Jason Graub (Q17)

Students should be asking what are they truly interested in and what will provide them with the most value long-term. For me, I do appreciate the CPA and I think it’s good to have, but if I’d done it again, I would’ve gone a different direction most likely and not gotten it. Especially since it required 150 credits which is a lot to ask for a certification, if you’re not going to be a practicing CPA.  

Tony Trinh (Q21)

How much are you willing to sacrifice to get what you want?

Ningwei Li (Q20)

How will the certification help you reach your goal? I think as a student as well as a young professional, you can learn so much more through your work than pursuing an advanced certification that doesn’t help you reach your goal.

Conclusion:

Thank you guys for participating!

As a student you can often find yourself obsessing over your life after college– I certainly did. However, in all the simulations I ran in my head, I never predicted how dedicated I’d be to advanced degrees in my first two years out of College Park. Whether or not you want to be a doctor, lawyer, business executive, scientist, etc., it is important to do some research and investigate the opportunities for advanced certifications or degrees that may align with your interests. Thanks again to my interviewees for taking the time to share their insight!

 

QUESTDev Leads the Way to a New Kind of Website

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By: Jacob King (Q27)

QUESTDev is a brand new student committee, spearheading the effort to create the program’s first internal website. The team, led by alumnus Danny Laurence (Q19) and current student Genny Allen (Q23), is comprised of students from all cohorts who specialize in website and technological development.

QUESTDev aims to develop and maintain the technological entities of QUEST in order to enhance the QUEST experience and streamline its recruiting and marketing processes. This venture began three years ago when Danny Laurence began the process of creating a webpage just for QUEST students. It has since grown in scope to the point where it involves current students, alumni, faculty and staff.

I had the chance to interview the lead advisor on the project, Kylie King, QUEST’s Program Director. Kylie is very passionate about the potential for the site. At this point, QUESTDev is focusing on three projects: 1) a comprehensive resume book for all current and past students to be continuously updated for corporate partners, 2) a new alumni directory that is easily searchable, and 3) a calendar of all QUEST events. In the future, QUESTDev also hopes to create a working compilation of all QUEST 190H, 390H and 490H projects and presentations.

Kylie put a very strong emphasis on the priority of the resume book. This resume book has more applications than just a contact sheet; it has the ability to connect corporate partners to alumni and current students. Additionally, when current students need academic or career advice, they can search in the resume book to find a fellow student or alumni to connect with. Finally, it can be a way for alumni and corporate partners to connect current students with internship and job opportunities simply by filtering through resume criteria. This resume book will further the feeling of community that QUEST already gives to its members, and by prioritizing it now, QUESTDev can streamline the process for future teams so that they simply have to maintain the current system.

The goal of a future QUESTDev project is for QUEST students to show off the projects that were major milestones in their QUEST curriculum. These milestones are some of the most memorable moments of a student’s QUEST career, and the faculty would like to be able to archive these for future reference.

Another intrinsic goal that Kylie stressed was the idea that this website will be a place for QUEST to keep evolving and diversifying itself. The program began as a quality management program funded by IBM in the 1990’s and has pivoted many times over the years to improve its courses and activities based on student feedback. In the spirit of continuous improvement, the program has added courses in which students travel to Silicon Valley and Asia and has sponsored projects in which students work with students and firms in Europe and Australia. It has also moved from simply connecting business and engineering students to admitting other students ranging from computer science to biochemistry to the neurosciences.

The hope is that this website is not just a page for storing information, but instead a medium for the QUEST community to further its influence. From marketing and recruiting of QUEST prospective students to the recruiting of QUEST students for full-time careers, the sense of connectivity and professionalism is meant to emanate from this website. Through QUESTDev and their tireless efforts, the QUEST community will be able to better connect, brand and display their journey through this prestigious Honors program and encourage the next wave of QUEST students to do the same.

Student Spotlight: Andres Arbelaez (Q28)

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By: Brian Hornak (Q28)

One of QUEST’s newest members, Andres Arbelaez is a robust and entrepreneurial go-getter who wants to bring people together. I recently had the opportunity to ask Andres some questions about his background, aspirations, and his thoughts on QUEST.

Andres Arbelaez

Andres Arbelaez

1) Could you provide us with a background on yourself?

I started my studies at UMD as a bioengineering major, but switched to computer science last semester. I am interested in mobile app development and how it relates to social-cultural patterns, and I’m currently working on a social media app with another Q28 student, Didac Hormiga, and his friend Zach Joyner. The app is called Pinr, and we are hoping to launch it at the end of winter break. Apart from programming, I am really into rock climbing, and I was part of the Club Rock Climbing team last semester.

2) I know you had an internship with Facebook this past summer. Could you tell me a little bit about what you did there, and how you enjoyed it?

My internship with Facebook this past summer was called FBU (Facebook University) for Engineers, and it focused on iOS development. During the first three weeks, we were taught the Swift programming language by an external contractor. During the last five weeks of the internship, two other interns and I designed and created our own iOS app called Capsule. We were managed by an iOS Engineer at Facebook. I had an amazing time during my internship, not only because I learned so much, but also because I was exposed to the incredible Silicon Valley environment, and I made great connections in Menlo Park, California.

3) Wow, it sounds like you had a great experience with Facebook. Do you plan to go back next summer?

Yes, I do intend to go back next summer! At the end of my internship in August, I received a return offer to come back next summer. Last month, I signed the offer letter, so I will be going back to Facebook HQ in Menlo Park for a 12-week software engineering internship, where I will work to improve an actual Facebook product. Right now, I am hoping to be placed on the Facebook Messenger or News Feed team.

4) Do you feel that your classes/time at UMD (specifically the CS-related courses) contributed to either finding the internship with Facebook and/or succeeding in the position?

My CS classes definitely gave me a good foundation to succeed in the internship. The tight-knit computer science community here at UMD also allowed me to talk to other Facebook interns and get some good feedback about how to succeed (shoutout to Elton Tian). However, I think that the most important thing for me was the learning outside of the classroom. A lot of CS majors generally have the same coursework, and as such, it’s really important to set yourself apart. I believe that self-teaching is one of the best ways to do that. I actually recently wrote an article for LinkedIn that further discusses this notion.

5) Awesome, that’s really inspiring. As a final question, how has this experience influenced what you want to do later in life?

My internship with Facebook definitely influenced my career decisions, as it reaffirmed my desire to work in the technology sector. Ultimately, I want to graduate with a degree in computer science, but I don’t want to be a software engineer for my career. With the technical background of CS, I want to go into product management, which basically consists of handling an interdisciplinary team of software engineers, designers, marketers and more to roll out a product. I want to be involved in projects that provide some sort of social value, like improving the way that people connect. The world is more global today thanks to social media, but a lot needs to be done in order to improve the quality and authenticity of these connections. I also want to be able to advocate for diversity in the realm of technology.

 

Hacking the Career Search Process for Students

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By: Jacob Wilkowsky (Q19)

Introduction

October introduces a new chapter for students re-settling into College Park. Presented with a proverbial clean slate, the list of individual goals for Fall Semester 2016 is surely piling up. Aspirations may include a robust social life, stellar academic performance, and personal best athletic achievements. However, the objective for QUEST undergrads is often the same—to secure full-time employment.

The career search process is different for everyone. Students face an infinite set of opportunities depending on their seniority (e.g. Junior, Senior), background (e.g. major, experiences), intended industry (e.g. financial services, healthcare), and desired functional role (e.g. researcher, entrepreneur). The variety of opportunities is often mind-boggling and can leave one struggling to identify a clear path. Resumes, cover letters, applications, career fairs, cold calls, and interviews can inject anxiety into an otherwise amazing time.

I’ll be forthright. I received a B in BMGT367: Career Search Strategies in Business four years ago. I’m no career coach. However, after successfully acquiring a job as a Big 4 auditor and just recently joining FTI Consulting’s Forensic and Litigation Consulting Practice in New York, I have a certain baseline level of confidence in my ability to articulate experiences that could be useful for undergrads. More importantly, I know a pretty impressive group of alumni a year or two out of college willing to provide their insight as well. I hope, by sharing the insights of alumni not too far removed from where you stand today, I leave you feeling more empowered than overwhelmed in your career search process.

Alumni Insights

Q: As a sophomore how clear was your vision of your first one/two years out of college? How close to reality did that vision turn out?

Max Cooper [Q19, Civil Engineering, Unilever—Management Trainee]

About as clear as mud and I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way. I didn’t even know if I wanted to pursue a career within my civil engineering major or something completely different, let alone the typical categories like large vs. small organizations, public vs. private sector, or strategy vs. operations. Luckily, QUEST taught me the benefit of iterative design. I applied this trial and error approach to narrowing down my career interests and gaining access to the opportunities that inspired me most.

By no means did I do it alone. The mentoring program and QUEST-specific electives, like scoping (BMGT/ENES 491), were essential to honing in on my final career path. Ultimately, I pursued supply chain rotational development programs, relying heavily on QUEST corporate partner events to get my foot in the door. After scoping out a 490H project with Unilever and then directly working on that project, I set my sights on the firm for full-time employment due to my interest in their ambitious mission, positive culture, and emphasis on talent development. Since then I have co-oped there, joined their leadership program and am now entering my second rotation, continually having my expectations exceeded with each opportunity.

Following three internships and a co-op at four different companies across many industries, my career vision continued to evolve as I focused in on my true passions with each work experience, as I still do today.

Q: What decisive action/decision did you make/take as a junior that most positively impacted your career?

Praneet Puppala (Q21, Computer Science/Finance, APT—Software Engineer)

Something I did junior year that turned out to be very rewarding was actively explore companies outside those present at career fairs. I searched for UMD alumni at interesting companies around the country, cold called them and tried to not leave any stone unturned. As with most cold calls, I wasn’t expecting many positive responses, but the alumni were very helpful and most of them were willing to at least hop on a call for a quick chat. This, in turn, led to learning about many new exciting opportunities and led to at least a few interviews and a few new contacts!

Alex Wilson (Q22, Finance, Point72—Associate Analyst)

Networking is the most important thing I did my junior year. As college students, we think we can get an idea of our career interests from reading or talking to professors or peers, but those are all secondary sources. I would find people on LinkedIn whose roles I was interested in, contact them and then have conversations about their career. That enabled me to know exactly what I wanted to do for my junior summer internship and for my full-time job afterwards. The information from career fairs and recruiters is more marketing material than anything. Being aggressive and taking control of your career search process is vital to being happy with your career path well after you’ve left college.

Q: What was the career search process like for you your senior year?

Cat Ashley (Q19, Chemical Engineering, Gore—Process Engineer)

My career search entailed ‘putting my eggs in multiple baskets’, as one can derive from the idiom. During my undergrad summers, I completed internships in research-oriented and industrial fields to determine where my interests were post-graduation. I decided to pursue a job rather than continue my studies in graduate school because I enjoyed the engaging, hands-on, application driven nature of working in industry. While my internship experience at W.L. Gore set me up for a full-time job offer, I also submitted applications and attended career fairs/workshops for multiple other companies. This gave me practice interacting with industry representatives, polishing my resume, presenting myself as a viable candidate, and learn more about what the industries are working on. I applied to all sorts of job postings in consulting, engineering, research, project management, etc. in order to see what came back. Following through with the interview process and offer negotiations gave me valuable experience in weighing career options, gaining communication skills (through interviews, emails, phone conversations with reps), and thinking consciously about what the next formative years of my life would entail. As an engineer, I also contemplated the pros and cons of working in consulting or industry, as others had shared that it may be challenging to go back to engineering after working as in consulting for many years. At the end of it all, I received a few serious job offers, and my interests in technical problem-solving combined with my existing network led to me accepting the offer at W.L. Gore. It’s been a little over two years since I started my career here, and it’s been a transformative, challenging, and empowering two years for sure.

Danny (Q19, Computer Science, Booze Allen Hamilton – Senior Consultant)

It was pretty crazy, honestly. I:

  1. Interviewed at ~5 companies
  2. Had to turn down the offer I got from my internship
  3. Was turned down by 3 of them
  4. Wound up going to Dante, which was a connection I made because I was in QUEST. I met the HR manager at a student leaders dinner where I was representing QUEST the year before and when I applied, she remembered me and the process was the easiest.

Q: What was the most difficult moment of your career search as an undergrad?

Max Cooper– Undoubtedly deciding to take a semester off from school in favor of a co-op with Unilever.  At the time, I was very concerned about delaying graduation, altering my course plans, and missing out on a semester with my friends. Not to mention this was a 6 month commitment to a supply chain field that I had never even studied.

When I looked at the larger picture, I realized the immense benefit of having 6 months (which was extended to 9 months) of experience for a company I already knew I identified with through the 490H experience. In retrospect, the co-op reinforced my interest in the company, dynamically challenged me in ways that no class or internship ever had, and unlocked career opportunities that I could not have imagined possible otherwise.

Even if an opportunity remotely interests you during undergrad, I would recommend taking a leap of faith because tenaciously pursuing that interest can lead to discovering your passion like this experience did for me.

Praneet Puppala– Your final job search as an undergrad during your senior year can be daunting. It’s a big transition, and it sounds like such a monumental feat: signing an offer for your first full time job. It seems like you’re signing your life away and you have to go off of such little information, but at the same time, making sure you explore all of your options, do your research and don’t compromise on what you want will help ease some of the concerns and make it an exciting moment!

Cat Ashley– The most challenging part of my career search was determining where my time and energy was best spent (to help me get a job, keep up with school work, and stay). To manage my time, I treated the job application process like a 4-credit class that required my time, effort, and attention for success. I had some security from my internship that I would receive a full-time offer at W.L. Gore after graduation. While I could have simply accepted the offer and eliminated the need for further job searching, I wanted to explore my options and see what other industries, companies, and teams had to offer. With many viable options (and not knowing exactly what companies or job descriptions would pique my interest), I started submitting resumes and cover letters to a whole host of jobs. From that point, I began receiving emails, phone calls, and schedule requests to follow up and continue the process with over five offers at once. This started taking up more of my time than I anticipated and was distracting me from my goal of finding a job that was right for my interests and skills. After this first round and feeling slightly overwhelmed, I learned to be more selective and thorough in applications rather than overly broad and all-encompassing. This also helped me formulate and communicate my interests, skills, and career needs in a more clear and concise manner.

Danny Laurence– The hardest moment was turning down my internship offer. I had to do it pretty early on in the process, which made it extra hard (turning down a sure thing for a hypothetical). It was an okay offer, but I wanted to see what was out there, and also I wasn’t sold on the company I interned with.

Alex Wilson– The most difficult moment of my career search process was during my sophomore year. For my field of interest, there were no great internship opportunities that were a) available to sophomores b) available to UMD students or c) paid. So it was tough to watch peers take paid internships with large companies and have the patience to intern at firms where the perks were non-existent but the learning opportunity had greater alignment with my career path. That deferral ended up working out well for me so it was worth it.

Hacks

In the answers of alumni above you may find undertones reflective of your current emotional state. Hopefully you feel more confident hearing from those on the other side of the journey to full-time employment. While these answers are from a 500 foot view, I want to also hit the “X’s and O’s,” the techniques sure to help you improve your chances of gainful employment in a desired position.

There are a few key steps you can take in your career search process, which I enumerated below:

  1. Get Organized

Create an Excel workbook, buy a binder, or use the backside of a napkin. You need some way to track all the companies, deadlines, and contacts out there. By staying organized, you can pursue many more leads.

  1. Your Resume: It Will Never Be Good Enough

“Make sure your resume is in tip top shape” is probably the most generic advice given to undergrads. However, it’s still true. You can schedule an appointment with the UMD Career Center or attend one of the many employer sponsored workshops.

Pro-tip: Find that one friend in the business fraternity who spent 100 hours on his/her resume as part of pledging. Ask them to help you out.

  1. Build Your Network, Build it Early

In your organizer you should make a list of companies you’re interested in working for and identify positions you’re qualified for. Search LinkedIn, the QUEST Directory, talk to family, and search company websites for individuals you think could be a resource. Send as many emails as possible asking to set up an informational interview and attach your resume. Be ready to be rejected, but make sure to utilize your organizer and know exactly where you are with each contact. Respond quickly when responded to and invest the time (including researching the company and position) to convince these individuals that you’re the awesome QUEST student I know you are. It can take a long time to build trust, so start early!

Pro-tip: I know a QUEST student who sent over 1,000 emails when pursuing a job in finance. He calculated a response rate of 1% after the fact. He now works at Goldman Sachs, so it worked out. Take rejection with class and try not to harass alumni if they aren’t responsive—they’re busy.

Conclusion

Hopefully this article helped quell some of your nerves surrounding the career search process. Your future is uncertain, but that shouldn’t ruin the amazing experience of an undergraduate education. By taking steps to refine your resume, expand your network, and organize your career search process you’ll be a more confident candidate and therefore more likely to find a great job. A big thanks to Max, Praneet, Cat, and Danny for sharing their insights!

Looking Ahead at the QUEST Development Series

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Throughout the core QUEST courses, students are encouraged by their professors to go after their ideas and designs that they create within the classroom. For many, they will shrug this off and not follow through with their ideas. Every once in a while, some students find inspiration to continue with their projects, seeing the immense potential their ideas have in making a true change. For Amy Liang of Q24, she was one of those few. Now, she leads the new student organization, the QUEST Development Series (or QDeS, for short), which is making way for the potential to help revamp core aspects of the QUEST Honors Program, both in and out of the classroom.

As something that started as a mentor’s project by David Dorsey (Q23), Yash Mehta (Q22) and Chris Yeager (Q22), the initiative behind QDeS is to teach students in QUEST skills and knowledge that might not be known to everyone in QUEST. Being a multidisciplinary program, students come from all sorts of backgrounds and have an eclectic array of skill sets, many of which can be useful for other students to learn. This past academic year, QDeS started out as a series of workshops and lectures on a wide variety of topics, from how to properly manage personal finances to using CAD programs.

A QDeS Lecture held last Spring on CAD

A QDeS Lecture held last Spring on CAD

This upcoming spring 2017, QDeS is set on implementing another model that will allows professors from QUEST, as well as professors from the business, engineering, and science schools, to have these students hold guest lectures in their respective classes. This will be an opportunity for not only QUEST students to share their insights on a topic, but also allow the professors a chance to have these students come in and give a lecture on a topic in a different, fresh way. For example, if a professor’s class heavily revolves around a presentation, but the professor doesn’t have the ability to give a lecture on presentation etiquette, they will be able to reach out to QDeS to have a student teach the class one day on presentation skills in a fresh, interactive manner.

In the end, QDeS has the potential to provide students not only the opportunity to better learn from their peers, but also allow students to give a lecture on a topic they know well. In addition, professors from across these colleges will have an additional resource to pull from for their classes. Overall, QDeS has incredible potential to become an influential student group within the QUEST Honors Program.

Why I Joined QUESTPress

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Written by Jacob King (Q27)

Coming to the University of Maryland, most students come with high aspirations of getting a 4.0, joining a club team, and just living college like in the movies. For most of us, around our sophomore year is when we receive a rude awakening to the reality that is college and life in general. For me, it came with my deeper involvement within the R. H. Smith School of Business, by joining a business fraternity, and from becoming the President of a club on campus. By elevating myself to a new level, I gained a new perspective of those who were in leadership roles on campus. It was in this moment when I truly realized the accomplishments of others around me, and it was frightening and awe-inspiring at the same time. I wanted to get there. I wanted to be able to look back and think that I left everything I could in the moment. This sparked the change in how I treated college and life as a whole.

From here, I found other endeavors to pursue. The biggest was joining QUEST this past semester. While being late in the process for applying, I met my cohort and was taken aback one more time. Here were students who were a year younger than me but all as accomplished in their own ways. This time, there weren’t any emotions of being frightened or awe-inspired. Instead, there were those of satisfaction. Reflecting on the strides I had made in the past year, I felt immense pride when looking around at the peers by my side.

Naturally, I tried to think about the next challenge for my personal development. I had to look back to my sophomore year and one particular instance, when my club hosted Maya Pope Chappell, an editor from LinkedIn. After she spoke at the couple of sessions we had organized for her, we talked one-on-one for about 15 minutes about the benefits of writing one’s thoughts and publishing them. In the general sessions, she explained what it was like to be a campus editor for LinkedIn, but this was different, it was deeper. We discussed the personal satisfaction involved in writing and how it can lead to meeting those who are like-minded, making valuable connections that last for years to come. My biggest hesitation was that I know one of my biggest weaknesses is my writing ability, or lack there of. I was aware of this weakness but never strove to fix or improve it.

Fast forward to today when I recently joined one of the best honors programs at the University of Maryland for developing innovative thinkers; I just couldn’t let this opportunity pass me by. The opportunity to work with great minds to help curate analytical articles on topics that would be read not only by my peers, but also by potential employers. The opportunity to have my opinions on real world topics be put into words and open for feedback and criticism. The opportunity to join another circle of motivated peers who I can help elevate in the same way that they will elevate me.

I hope that I can leave an impact on QUESTPress, and I look forward to my writing assignments in the future.