The following talk was presented by Rumana Mallick, an Honors College Senior majoring in Management Information Systems, at the NJIT Career Fair March 7, 2007

Hello, my name is Rumana Mallick and I am a senior of the Albert Dorman Honors College majoring in Management Information Systems here at New Jersey Institute of Technology.

First and foremost, I would like to thank you for attending our career fair today and showing an interest in my peers.

The fact that NJIT and employers, like yourselves, join forces to create such an event encourages students not only to ponder their future but also to take the initiative to one day work at your organization.

So Mr. Gregory Mass promised me a brand new BMW if I took the time to speak to you today and I believe he can confirm that the BMW is in fact in the NJIT parking lot.

On a more serious note, I would like to take the time to share with you a little bit about my career objectives and myself in order to portray the concerns that many of my peers and I have in the graduating year.

My continuous interest in computers and technology encouraged me to attend NJIT but I quickly learned that it is not the only focus of the University.

Although we may be often looked upon as a “tech” school, many of our students have broad horizons.

I began my academic career with a focus in IS, but soon decided to integrate management into my studies in order to gain both technical and business perspectives.

I first applied this knowledge outside of the classroom, at a co-op (i.e. a Cooperative Education Program) during the end of my sophomore year at Colgate-Palmolive, where I first worked on SAP (Systems, Applications and Products), a type of business software solution. My main challenge and reward lay in a task where I was expected to propose a new project implementation to a group of prominent executives and obtain their approval.

In order to fulfill my need to be continuously challenged, I later pursued a summer internship in New York City for Grey Healthcare Group, a firm that manage all major pharmaceutical advertising. I wore a number of hats during my time at this firm since I was not only involved in testing and developing a number of internal software applications but also involved in the graphic design and conceptual thinking portrayed by major pharmaceutical advertisements.

A few months later, I became an account manager for a firm located in the Enterprise Development Center of NJIT, Telemanager Technologies. Here, I was more at the forefront of the organization; I was not only responsible for obtaining and nurturing new client relationships but also actively planning many of the marketing activities for the firm. Not only was it rewarding to achieve a level of responsibility where I was depended on at business trips and various conferences, but I also gained a great passion for the business itself and felt “a part of the family”.

Currently, I have rejoined Colgate-Palmolive as a co-op in order to further advance myself in the capabilities of SAP and apply my previous experiences to take on challenging projects.

Upon graduation, I plan to accept a full-time offer for an MIS-related position and pursue an MBA at NYU or Columbia University.

Although the decision upon graduation is either between a full-time career and graduate school, many students are trying to get the best of both worlds by attending part-time. In this way, students can embark upon a career of their choice, while receiving tuition reimbursement for an advanced degree that will help them succeed in the long run.

Furthermore, as the millennium generation, we do strive for a better career than our parents, the baby boomers, in terms of an organizational fit, environment and benefits.

The following are 4 concerns that we want to express to our future employers:

1. When students start their first internship or career, there is always a bit of hesitation or nervousness. However, corporate mentors, training programs, orientation and a welcoming social environment help students like myself overcome such tensions.
2. We want to work hard. It may not always seem so, but our generation needs to continuously be challenged in order to maintain and generate interest in their work.
3. We understand the significance of hard work and dedication in today’s competitive environment. We value time at work but we also value time outside of work. We will work 50 hours work if needed but we do not want to always sacrifice our family and other social aspects of our life for work. We have seen our parents and grandparents work 50/60 hour work weeks and with the age of technology and inventions such as, the blackberry . . many employees virtually have a 24 hour/7 day a week career. Thus, we look for employers who will share our social concerns.
4. We are tech-savvy. Growing up in the technology age, we are comfortable and eager to use new technologies and putting them to use in new ways. Our generation possesses an amount of creativity that surpasses the generations before us but we need to be provided with the resources to cultivate and utilize such creativity. 

Today, we live in society that is more competitive than any other period in time due to consumer, market and economic demands. The National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE) have reported that employers expect to hire 17.4% more college graduates than last year 1. Engineering and Computer Science degrees were the most lucrative of the list. NJIT students know that with the right skills and experience, we can shine light to our resumes and career portfolios.

I am not the only example of a student who wants to simultaneously advance their academic and professional career. As you meet many of my peers today, you will also observe their various objectives, broad horizons and how their studies at NJIT has prepared them to take on a more challenging role at your organization.

Again, I thank you for your attendance to today’s career fair and many more to come. It is due to your involvement with this University that enhances and brightens a student’s academic career.

Thank you.