When I sat down for my first day at work at my "real job," I wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel. I didn't feel any different. Was it because I still had one MBA summer course left? Was it because I really wasn't nervous or intimidated? Who knows.

My first day was full of meeting new faces, learning new programs, and learning how to not get lost in the building. While many things were unfamiliar, I found that the company relied heavily on Excel, which I had just studied in a graduate course. In fact, I believe my company was initially interested in my skills particularly because of my experience in Excel.

After interviewing at a few companies and going through the job search in general, I realized how applicable my MBA had become. Recruiters were truly interested in specific abilities, as opposed to other attributes one may assume the recruiter is looking for. As I have been sinking my feet into my new job over the last three weeks, I find myself a little more grateful everyday that I was able to stay at QU for my MBA. My graduate courses have given me the knowledge to be helpful in the office and the confidence to participate in conversations where "newbies" usually don't partake.

-Julia Notar-Francesco

Julia graduated in 2010 from Quinnipiac University with an undergraduate degree in Marketing. Subscribe to our feed for more posts from Julia!