Beyond the Bubble: Navigating Professional Life After College
74 episodes - English - Latest episode: 3 days ago - ★★★★★ - 23 ratingsNavigating the professional world as a recent graduate is a daunting task. Beyond the Bubble interviews have helped thousands of young alumni and current college students gain the skills they need to succeed "beyond the bubble" of undergraduate life. Listen now to get insider resume and interview tips, localized career advice, and "day in the life" stories across a variety of professions.
Beyond the Bubble is a production by Hillsdale College Career Services.
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Episodes
Making an Impact in the World of Politics
April 17, 2024 04:00 - 19 minutes - 17.9 MBBen Murrey ('12) Director of Policy at the Common Sense Institute Making an Impact in the World of Politics Ben Murrey (‘12) is the Director of Policy at the Common Sense Institute, a role he recently started. At Hillsdale, Murrey majored in Politics and promised never to work in politics, but after graduation took a job working on Ted Cruz’s Senate campaign. He shares his experience starting as a campaign volunteer and continuing in his career working at multiple levels and realms of state...
Applying Lessons From the Politics Classroom in Public Office
April 03, 2024 19:48 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBAdam Stockford ('15) Mayor of Hillsdale, Michigan Applying Lessons from the Politics Classroom in Public Office Adam Stockford (‘15) is the current Mayor of Hillsdale. Stockford majored in Politics and reflects fondly on his relationship with the Hillsdale College Politics department. Mayor Stockford shares his understanding of the duty to serve your community, the most important realms of local politics, his responsibilities as Mayor of Hillsdale, and his current campaign for State Repres...
The Havoc-Filled Life of a Headmaster
December 06, 2023 05:00 - 17 minutes - 16.5 MBTrent Kramer ('13) Headmaster at Ascent Classical Academies The Havoc-Filled Life of a Headmaster Trent Kramer (‘13) is the Headmaster at Ascent Classical Academy. He discusses the diversity of work as a Headmaster, which includes strategic planning, teaching, relationship building, and sometimes cleaning up bloody noses! Mr. Kramer shares the beauty of preparing kids for life rather than just college and vocation, building strong character rather than perfecting standardized exams, and te...
How to Become a Presidential Speechwriter
November 22, 2023 05:00 - 16 minutes - 15.6 MBBrittany Baldwin ('12) Founder and Owner, Illuminate Consulting, LLC How to Become a Presidential Speechwriter Brittany Baldwin (‘12) is the former speech writer to President Donald Trump and Senator Ted Cruz. Ms. Baldwin speaks to her experience making a career out of writing, working her way from the front desk of Senator Cruz’s office to a role as the sole speech writer on his campaign, and her role in the White House. She advises students to proactively search for jobs, prioritize faith...
Adapting in the Ever-Changing World of Public Relations
November 08, 2023 05:00 - 15 minutes - 14 MBLauren Carl ('14) Vice President of Digital Operations & Integration at Pinkston Adapting in the Ever-Changing World of Public Relations Lauren Carl (‘14) is Vice President at Pinkston, a strategic communications firm. Her role at Pinkston focuses on operations and working with clients on the design and creation of PR materials such as digital marketing and web design. After graduating with an economics major, Lauren began her career as an economic research assistant, transitioning over ti...
How To Make an Impact In Government Relations
October 25, 2023 04:00 - 19 minutes - 18.3 MBFrank Maisano (‘89) Government Relations Senior Principal At Bracewell Law Firm How To Make an Impact In Government Relations Frank Maisano (‘89) began his career on the Hill and has spent the past 20 years as a non-attorney working in the Government Relations section of Bracewell Law Firm. The Government Relations section is a specialized practice that takes on clients facing regulatory and legislative challenges, which often play out in the press. Mr. Maisano shares his experience workin...
Writing Speeches for the Vice President
October 11, 2023 14:09 - 18 minutes - 17 MBStephen Ford (‘10) Owner of West Exec Writing Writing Speeches for the Vice President Would you rather serve pizza or write speeches for Mike Pence? Mr. Stephen Ford (‘10) joins Beyond the Bubble to share his experiences navigating life post-grad in Washington D.C. with a Politics degree, where he built a full-time writing career and served as Head Speech Writer to former Vice President Mike Pence during the Trump administration. He shares stories about finding humor in ordinary life in the...
A Career in the CPG Industry
May 24, 2023 04:05 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBCarley Ross (‘14) National Account Manager at Ferrero A Career in the CPG Industry On this week’s episode of Beyond the Bubble, Carley Ross (‘14) shares about her experiences working in the CPG industry. As a national account manager at Ferrero, she manages value customer accounts like Aldi and Big Lots. Her responsibilities include planning, executing, and managing the customer plan. On a daily basis she manages supply forecasts, uses data and insights to validate new item performance, and...
From the U.S. Navy to Education
May 10, 2023 04:05 - 15 minutes - 14.5 MBDavid Stanton (‘98) Headmaster at Oakdale Classical School From the U.S. Navy to Education David Stanton (‘98) shares his experience as the Headmaster at Oakdale Academy and from a career of teaching History and Religion. His career in education is intertwined with a career in the U.S. Navy Reserve, where Stanton developed leadership skills and experience. Stanton imparts advice for students interested in teaching or administration and encourages students to embrace the liberal arts in or...
Insights into a Career in Business Intelligence
April 26, 2023 04:05 - 14 minutes - 13.5 MBKevin Roberts (‘05) Director of Industry Insights and Analytics at CarGurus Insights into a Career in Business Intelligence As the Director of Industry Insights and Analytics at CarGurus, Kevin Roberts (‘05) analyzes economic and macro trends in the automotive industry to create impactful insights for his company. He shares the importance of developing critical thinking skills and learning how to share dense information in an understandable way. He explains the core skills students pursuin...
A Career in Gaming
April 12, 2023 12:40 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBCandace Corrales (‘16) Lead Program Manager, Apex Legends Esports at Electronic Arts (EA) In this episode of Beyond the Bubble, Candace Corrales (‘16) shares how her passion for video games scored her a career in the gaming industry. She talks about her early experiences in the industry and explains how she utilized diligent networking to land a job at Electronic Arts working on a program management team at Apex Legends Esports. Listen now to hear her advice! See omnystudio.com/listener f...
Applying Math to Defense Technology
February 15, 2023 04:50 - 14 minutes - 13.2 MBCaleb Bowers (‘15) Mission Software Engineer at Andruil Industries Applying Math to Defense Technology As a software engineer at Andruil Industries, Caleb Bowers (‘15) works on coding backend software and creating customized solutions for clients. Join Beyond the Bubble this week as he describes how he went from a computational and applied mathematics degree at Hillsdale to working in defense technology. He explains the importance of research, Hillsdale’s core curriculum, and his transitio...
The Philosophy of a Career in Law
January 31, 2023 04:50 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBGarrett West (‘15) Associate Attorney at Paul Weiss Law Firm The Philosophy of a Career in Law On this week’s episode of Beyond the Bubble, Garrett West (‘15) shares about his experiences working for Paul Weiss within their appellate group. On a daily basis, he works on drafting briefs, conducting research, and helping prepare for argument. He talks about his transition from Hillsdale to law school and how Hillsdale’s rigor helped prepare him for work as a lawyer. See omnystudio.com/list...
Coaching Teachers through a Classical Education
December 02, 2022 17:29 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBAs a Classical Education Instructional Coach, Trinity Wright’s (‘17) primary job is to observe teachers and help them improve their ability to teach classical curriculums. She also uses her knowledge of classical education to upgrade curriculum and teach additional classes. Listen now to hear Trinity explain the importance of gaining exposure to teaching as an undergraduate and the value of minoring in Classical Education if pursuing a career in teaching. See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...
Driving Positive Change through Nonprofit Marketing
November 11, 2022 17:44 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MBAs an Account Coordinator at Altus Marketing, Gracyn Hawkins (‘22) serves an integral role in managing events, fundraising, and communications for nonprofits helping youths facing homelessness. Listen now to hear how Gracyn combined her prior experience as a Court Appointed Special Advocate with her skills in marketing to continue driving positive, impactful change on a daily basis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Combining Criminal Investigation and Education as a Career
November 04, 2022 15:47 - 14 minutes - 13.7 MBOn this week’s episode of Beyond the Bubble, Hank Prim (‘17) shares how he blended his interest in teaching with his passion for law enforcement as a Supervisory Special Agent & Training Administrator. In his daily work, he functions like a teacher as well as a police officer through his responsibility for the education and training of South Dakota law enforcement officers. Hank also talks through the process of becoming further involved in law enforcement and the requirements for becoming a ...
Soft Skills in Financial Planning
October 07, 2022 16:50 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBAs a Certified Financial Planner, Jimmie Plaskey (‘12) loves the variety that he gets in his daily work. Join Beyond the Bubble this week as Jimmie talks about the ways to break into financial planning, the importance of soft skills like personability, and the excitement of helping other people achieve their financial goals. He also shares tips on how to stand out as an applicant in finance. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Pursuing a Career in Law and Politics
September 30, 2022 15:43 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBBeyond the Bubble is back for the semester! On this week’s episode, join State Representative Andrew Fink (‘06) as he describes his journey from Hillsdale College to the Michigan Legislature. He walks through a day in the life of a legislator, shares how his experiences as a Judge Advocate for the Marine Corps helped shape his passion for politics, and offers insightful advice for students looking to pursue a legal or political career. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From Investment Club to Investment Banking
May 01, 2022 22:10 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBOn this week’s episode of Beyond the Bubble, listen to Ryan Goff (‘21) share about the variety of work he does as an M&A Analyst at a middle market investment bank. He also explains the value he found from participating in extracurriculars like The Collegian, Investment Club, and the ACG Cup as well as how useful strong writing skills are in the workforce. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Fundamentals of Working as a Crude Oil Trader
April 25, 2022 20:33 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBBen Thompson (‘09) spends his day hunting down the best barrels of oil and negotiating the price as a Crude Oil Trader at Shell Trading. He explains how companies make money through trading and talks about the basics of the industry, entry options, and how he utilized his finance degree in a highly technical field. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Investing in the Skills for a Career in Finance
April 22, 2022 20:44 - 18 minutes - 17.4 MBAs a Director at Spell Capital Mezzanine, Stephen Hann (‘08) works to manage investment portfolios, source and underwrite deals, and build relationships across a wide range of industries. He talks about the importance of developing soft skills in the communication and articulation of complex concepts as well as the necessity of practicing math, excel, and modeling skills for success in an exciting career where each day is a little different from the last. See omnystudio.com/listener for priva...
From Learning Chemistry to Changing an Industry: A Career in Solving Problems
April 14, 2022 20:39 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBScott Keenan (‘07) innovates on a daily basis as the head of growth strategy for a startup merging real estate with hospitality. Scott shares how his different interests and love for problem solving led him from a chemistry major at Hillsdale to environmental consulting and finally to driving growth for a company restructuring the traditional approach to hospitality. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Running into a Career at New Balance
April 08, 2022 19:58 - 13 minutes - 12 MBAlly Eads (‘19) took her passion for running and turned it into a career at New Balance. Ally describes how she utilizes the communication skills she learned as a team captain for Hillsdale’s Track and Field team and shares how speaking with alumni helped her pursue her interests as a career. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Pursuing Truth and Defending Liberty as an Attorney
April 04, 2022 20:29 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBAs a legal counsel for Alliance Defending Freedom, Christy Hirsch (‘16) serves on the Church & Ministry Alliance team advising clients on religious freedoms and preparing clients to defend religious liberty lawsuits. She shares how she utilizes the skills and values she learned at Hillsdale in her work on a daily basis. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Criminal Investigation, Export Controls, and a Career at the Department of Commerce
March 11, 2022 21:00 - 17 minutes - 16 MBAs a Criminal Investigator for the U.S. Department of Commerce, Caitlin Watson (‘07) uses the skills she learned at Hillsdale College on a daily basis to prevent export violations. She speaks about what a job in national security looks like, shares tips for pursuing a similar career, and explains how Hillsdale’s classes helped her develop the critical thinking capabilities she needs for her job. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
A Day in the Life of an Art Director
February 25, 2022 20:42 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBLauren Peacock (‘14) shares her experiences working as an Art Director for AHC Hospitality. She explains the importance of finding objective opinions for reviewing creative work as well as learning how to communicate with clients and work as part of a design team. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From Drafting Papers to Drafting Players: A Career in the NFL
February 11, 2022 21:36 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBThrough her job working with the Hillsdale Football team, Lix Laux (‘19) turned her enthusiasm for football into a career. She shares about the importance of internships and networking to build genuine relationships as she explains her biggest takeaways from working in professional sports. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Breaking into Reporting
February 04, 2022 21:35 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MBScott McCallen (‘18) shares how his experiences at the Collegian helped him move from financial analysis at Pepsi to reporting breaking news on Michigan and Minnesota fiscal policy. He explains the importance of writing consistently and pursuing real-world feedback for aspiring journalists. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Director of Student Activities to Directing Television Marketing
December 03, 2021 20:27 - 20 minutes - 18.4 MBAlexandra Whitford (‘17) explains how her passion for media marketing and nonprofits led her from directing Hillsdale student activities to managing TV “spots” for Direct Donor TV. Listen to hear why she thinks identifying passions and developing relational skills early on is critical to success in marketing. She also shares tips and tricks for aspiring social media marketers. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From Point A to Point Z: The Logistics of Flexibility in Careers
November 19, 2021 21:15 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBBob Boyle (‘03) talks about his unique professional experiences that led him across the country, and across careers. Listen as he shares how he went from working as a baseball Umpire to a VP of Logistics. He discusses the impact of flexibility, a work-life balance, and how his History degree helped him develop the critical thinking skills he needed to thrive in the corporate world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From User to Marketer: Selling Products with a Personal Connection
November 12, 2021 21:30 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBGreg Rybka ('17) shares about how he has gone from studying marketing at Hillsdale to working in sales with prosthetics and how his personal experiences led him to this job. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Non-Linear Career Trajectory & Project Management
November 05, 2021 20:47 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MBPeggyDee Fleck shares her experiences figuring out the right profession. The 2012 biology graduate works in the administrative side of medicine; however, that wasn't always the plan. She talks about her career path from Hillsdale to administrative work, food service management, and now project management in the medical field. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Path to Being a Pastor
October 29, 2021 22:09 - 19 minutes - 18.3 MBLucas Miller ('01) shares about his path to determining whether ministry was his calling and his subsequent work through seminary and as a pastor. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Journalism WORLD
October 15, 2021 19:51 - 16 minutes - 15.2 MBThis week, Leah Savas talks about working as a reporter for WORLD News Group. She began her post-graduation career in marketing and then shifted to journalism. She shares about that process and what her day-to-day work looks like. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Football Player to Chiropractor
October 08, 2021 20:18 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBInterested in what life is like as a chiropractor and how to get there? Dr. Brian Vear '15 shares about how his experiences as a football player led him to go to chiropractic school and practice. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Up the Hill to Capitol Hill: Working in DC
October 01, 2021 19:33 - 17 minutes - 16.4 MBWhen moving to DC, many young people dream of working with an elected official to assist them in serving constituents. Katelyn Pay ('11) was no different when she came to DC after graduating from Hillsdale. She currently serves as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Rep. Cliff Bentz (R-OR) and shares about life on Capitol Hill, her career from DC to Oregon and back, and how her time at Hillsdale prepared her for her career. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Lifelong Learning, Logistics, and Data
September 24, 2021 15:30 - 16 minutes - 15 MBWork isn’t always a clear trajectory. Joshua Cameon (‘17) found this out as he has worked in positions neither he, nor his company, envisioned him in at first. He shares how he has been able to find ways to create value for his company beyond the expected and how his studies in the liberal arts at Hillsdale prepared him for his various positions at Automated Logistics Systems. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Applying Physics in Military Research
September 10, 2021 20:42 - 16 minutes - 14.9 MBPhysics is much more than measuring the acceleration of a dropped ball. Jamin Rager (‘13) works as a Senior Research Physicist working on quantum computing as a military contractor. After studying Physics and Math at Hillsdale, he has gone on to graduate school and shares about how he has had a successful career. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From Son of an Accountant to CPA
April 23, 2021 13:44 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBMatthew Kidd (‘13) shares his story and advice on becoming an accountant and taking the CPA exam. Hear how communication skills may be even more important than math when going into the world of accounting. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Diving Deep Into Language: PhD Studies and Commentary Writing
April 16, 2021 13:32 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MBHillsdale requires all Bachelor of Arts students to reach at least the intermediate-level proficiency in a foreign language. Josh Shaw (‘17) has gone much deeper and studied Greek and Latin beyond Hillsdale, receiving his Masters degree from Bryn Mayr. In this episode, he shares about his current PhD studies at the University of Tübingen in Germany and his experience writing and publishing articles and commentaries. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Using Language From Every Angle: Studying, Teaching, and Writing with Language
April 09, 2021 13:48 - 20 minutes - 19 MBKatherine Helmick (‘15) shares about her studies at the University of Oxford in literature. Hear how her experiences teaching abroad in South Africa with the Peace Corps and starting her own magazine, Salt and Iron, helped lead her to this path. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Adventures in Marketing
March 19, 2021 18:17 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBAdrianna Yancho ('13) - Program Lead for the Partner Summit at Cisco See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Manufacturing a STEM Career
March 12, 2021 16:00 - 17 minutes - 16.1 MBKate Wiley (‘09) shares her experiences working in chemical manufacturing from engineering to quality control. As a physics major now working in chemistry, she shares how lifelong learning is key and gives advice to people interested in working in STEM fields. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
The Business of Relationships: From Sales and Networking
March 05, 2021 14:23 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MBPete Smith is an 08 grad of Hillsdale College. In this episode, he shares his career path from Whirlpool to TTI Floor Care, Maryland to Texas to Georgia, and getting his MBA at Lamar University while working. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
From History Major to Silicon Valley
February 26, 2021 15:05 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBWilliam Clayton (‘10) was a history major at Hillsdale but wanted to go into business and the tech world. He shares how he did it, and what it looks like to apply the liberal arts and the skill of lifelong learning in the business world. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Finding a Ministry Calling in DC
February 19, 2021 14:31 - 20 minutes - 18.4 MBRobert Hasler is a 2015 grad of Hillsdale. He worked in the Kirby Center for a while and now has turned to ministry. He is working on his MDiv at Covenant Theological Seminary and working as the Communications Director for Ministry to State, a mission-based organization reaching political professionals in DC. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Accounting for Your Future
February 12, 2021 15:11 - 17 minutes - 16 MBIt’s great to study what you love. For Amira Swenson (‘11), that was accounting. Listen to her share her journey from Hillsdale to Dallas and DC and explain how her time at Hillsdale prepared her for life beyond the bubble. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Rhetoric in Action: Using Principles of Communication in Politics
February 05, 2021 16:02 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MBEarly internship experience just might be the key to your future job. Listen this week to Taylor Gage (‘10) recounts his story about going from an internship at a state political party after his sophomore year at Hillsdale to working full-time for the Nebraska Governor’s Office. Gage also shares about what communications looks like in the age of COVID-19 and the importance of diversifying platforms and having consistency in messaging. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Gap Year: Lessons Learned
December 02, 2020 01:00 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MBMost people are familiar with the trend of graduates taking off a year after college - a gap year. Our guest this week, Brian Painter, waited a little longer. See why Brian waited 8 years to take his gap year this week, on Beyond the Bubble. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Planning for the Worst Case Scenario
November 24, 2020 15:48 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBForecasting the future is a difficult task. Our guest this week is Russell TerBeek, a nuclear physicist at Sandia Labs. Russell makes his living forecasting the likelihood of some of the most catastrophic events known to man. Tune in this week to learn more. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.