School of Business students and faculty in New York City. (Photo provided)
During his senior year at Geneseo, Andrew Smith ’10/M.S.’11 visited accounting and financial firms in New York City. He and other School of Business students met with alumni who are working in the field.
“It was definitely a great, eye-opening experience,” said Smith. “The trip helped me get a sense of how people really work, different cultures of the firms and all of the different opportunities and types of positions there are.”
After graduation, Smith spent four years as an auditor for KPMG in New York, before taking his current position three years ago as an assistant controller at Rothschild & Co. Last month, he was one of several alumni who work in the world of finance who met current Geneseo students on the 2018 New York City trip, who are deciding what is next, and what is possible. Smith said he emphasizes the types of positions students can have as accounting majors, from financial planners to risk managers.
Hundreds of School of Business students have benefitted from the experience of alumni like Smith on the annual trip. They meet with representatives and alumni who work at esteemed firms, who are a great resource for career advice, said Harry Howe, professor of accounting, who has accompanied them on nearly every trip since it started in 2001.
This trip was led by Howe, Dean Mary Ellen Zuckerman and Bob Boyd, lecturer in business. They visited KPMG, Dog Data, Neuberger Berman, JPMorgan Chase & Co., EisnerAmper, Rothschild & Co., Deloitte, Goldman Sachs, Citibank, and NASDAQ.
On the trip, Howe said, students expand their thinking for the next two or three steps in their career. “They can imagine themselves in different positions and situations, and see alumni who were in the classroom just a few years ago.”
Allison Ludlow ’19, president of Geneseo’s Accounting Society, begins a master’s in accounting at Geneseo in 2019. She said she visited four firms on the trip, including Rothschild & Co. The presentations and alumni mixers were inspiring and beneficial, as she plans to move to New York City upon her completion. A recruiter for KPMG also helped Ludlow with her resume over the phone.
“I always ask the alumni how they got to where they are,” said Ludlow. “It has been really helpful to compare the different paths and see what across the board has been a recipe for success.”
Zuckerman said “the trip affords students the opportunity to meet successful alumni working at a variety of prestigious New York City firms. Many of these alumni participated in this trips when they were students. These alumni remember the value of this trip and are happy to host the current students. The enthusiasm and desire to help which these alumni show is a testament to their loyalty to the Geneseo community and their desire to give back to our students."
Such visits also highlight the success School of Business majors have, said Howe: There are Geneseo has alumni who work at nearly every global, national and large regional accounting firm in New York City or bank.