Twenty undergraduate students from Syracuse University’s School of Information Studies recently returned from a three-day, activity-packed trip to New York City. The university’s “NYC Career Trek” allowed students to meet Syracuse alumni, tour companies and network with professionals to learn about exciting careers in the information field.
“Career treks have long been a part of the iSchool student experience,” says Patti Bevans, iSchool director of Career Services. “They give students a unique opportunity to visit alumni and employers in their offices to witness first-hand the work that they do and learn more about careers, all while expanding their professional network.”
During the trip, from Oct. 8-10, students visited five companies – Synchrony, EY, MongoDB, Hightouch and Adobe. Each company gave insight about what it’s like to work there and shared internship opportunities with students.
Shane Rubenstein was one of the iSchool students on the trip and says he would recommend the experience to any student, no matter their year in school.
“The NYC Career Trek was an amazing experience that I am very glad I got to be a part of,” says Rubenstein, who is dual majoring in Applied Data Analytics and Finance and expects to graduate in May 2026.
“The most important thing I learned from the trip is that you will succeed the most if you are passionate about your work,” he added. “The companies that caught my attention the most were those where you could tell the speakers cared about what they were working toward.”
Rubenstein says he also learned how important it is to utilize as many resources as possible when looking for jobs and internships. Personal connections, especially with alumni, can be one of the best tools for finding a job.
“Events like these show that Syracuse has an amazing alumni network where every Syracuse alumni wants to help students as much as they can,” he says. “All in all, this trip was a great experience and a great way to learn.”
The iSchool’s next career trek is planned for Austin, Texas, in January 2024.
