Life After NU
As you narrow down your college search, we understand that one of the most important deciding factors is how your university will prepare you for life after college. At ÐÇ¿Õ´«Ã½, you can rest assured that you will be well equipped to enter your chosen field. Through our rigorous academics and broad network of internship opportunities, you will have all the tools you need to prepare yourself for your career. In addition to what NU provides, the Seattle area is home to a wide array of hugely successful companies and innovative startups (like Microsoft, Amazon, and Pushpay), many of which have hired NU grads. Below are stories of a few of those alumni.
MICHAEL BOWMAN
Company: Microsoft (Consultant)
Position: Project Manager
Major: Communication
What are your job responsibilities?
In my role, I monitor operations to identify and develop process efficiencies. This includes proactively communicating with stakeholders and actively working with event managers, leads, and full-time equivalents on new projects. I also manage and implement multifaceted projects and programs that directly impact operations.
What is your favorite part of your job?
I really enjoy interacting with an extremely diverse population. Microsoft provides the opportunity to collaborate and innovate with people from all over the world and in different walks of life. Also, I really like being on the forefront of some of the most exciting new technologies. Truly, the experience is unlike any I’ve ever had, and I am extremely grateful to be in the position I am.
How did your experience at NU help prepare you for where you are now?
NU helped foster many of the tools I require to be successful in my current role. In terms of education, NU’s communication program taught me essential principles for being an effective communicator in the workplace, as well as how to analyze complex workplace structures.
What else about NU equipped you for your current role?
During my time at NU, I was very unsure of where or who I wanted to be, but many of the relationships with my peers helped mold my future. The educators at Northwest are almost always much more than just a professor. In my experience, many were experts in their fields who held a great level of knowledge in real-world application. Sharing stories and seeking mentorship from my professors was enlightening and really helped me develop a concrete career path.
KASSI O’CONNOR
Company: Glu Mobile Inc.
Position: Outside Services Director
Major: Communication
What are your job responsibilities?
I handle any external development and localization of our game titles for all our studios worldwide. I work with numerous translators so that our games can be translated into different languages. Also, any type of game development (art, code, audio, QA) that is not done internally, I handle the process of finding the resource, contracting them, and the overall process pipeline.
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is the people and the travel. I’ve been to four different countries and numerous cities in the U.S. I recently went to Paris to give a presentation at a game convention. I’m traveling every four to six weeks and love meeting new people. I work with everyone from CEOs to artists, and each one brings a brilliant new perspective to how a game is created. Mobile gaming is a fast-paced industry and is constantly growing. Every day it seems new technology is coming out, and I love the new challenges it brings.
How did your experience at NU help prepare you for where you are now?
NU gave me the network to connect with the people who led me to my career in the game industry. It also prepped me for intercultural communication. Most importantly, it provided me with mentors and friendships that provided unending support. Without those people, I wouldn’t be where I am today.
Since your career isn’t directly related to your major, what else about NU equipped you for your current role?
I think all of the NU community taught me to see beyond my worldview. I realized there were so many different ways of achieving what I wanted out of life and my career. I was pushed outside my comfort zone and learned to look at everything beyond my own limited experience. I came to NU my freshman year thinking I knew what I wanted, but it turned out I was wrong. I’m so glad I was, because now I have a career that I love that was never part of my original plan.
CURRAN PARKER
Company: eChurch & Pushpay
Position: Senior Account Executive
Major: Business Administration
What are your job responsibilities?
My primary role is to take prospective clients and demonstrate how the technology that we provide at Pushpay can further advance their institution. Most of my role requires building relationships and rapport, which leads to the ability to talk about our solution.
What is your favorite part of your job?
Outside of the awesome coffee provided here, my favorite part of my job is the ability to serve churches with technology that has never been seen in the church space before. It’s awesome to be a part of a story in which we get to grow God’s kingdom with tools that enable people to engage with their church and honor God with their finances.
How did your experience at NU help prepare you for where you are now?
NU gave me an absolutely necessary foundation for my job here. The professors that spoke life into me didn’t just prepare me for the world of business, but also helped me to establish a compass of moral and ethical values that I carry with me to this day. Being able to decipher between right and wrong in business can be rather difficult, and without a firm grounding, it can be easy to make the wrong decision. I’m thankful for the collective wisdom that the NU College of Business poured into my life.
ANNY ILISOI
Company: Microsoft
Position: Recruiting Coordinator
Major: Management
What are your job responsibilities?
The bulk of my responsibilities are to help schedule Microsoft’s interviews with students from varying universities. I also help with events: ordering catering, setting up for tech fairs, creating marketing material, and contacting student groups to invite them to participate!
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part of my job is the culture. I was a bit wary when I first started, because it was such a huge company. I thought I would feel overlooked, but that has not been the case. It is incredible how much we work as a team. If someone is struggling to get a project done on time, there is never a shortage of people willing to help.
How did your experience at NU help prepare you for where you are now?
As part of the business program, we were required to participate in an internship. I did not realize how much it would help until I started interviewing and my internships were the bulk of the discussion. It is a practical way of getting some relevant experience without taking up all your time. Class discussions, the caring professors, and the community at NU all helped to prepare me for my time here at Microsoft.
ALEX ROSAS
Company: Pushpay
Position: Executive Market Development Representative
Major: Business Administration, minor in Marketing
What are your job responsibilities?
My main job responsibility is to start conversations with the top 100 churches in the U.S. Once the conversation has started, I work directly with our co-founder to bring him into that conversation. From there, I assist throughout the sales process in whatever fashion is needed.
What is your favorite part of your job?
The best part of my job is that I get to be part of something bigger than myself. I am helping to make a difference in the church body and the Kingdom of God as a whole by means of generosity. I’ve learned a lot about generosity and what that truly looks like. The atmosphere and community at Pushpay is really life-giving as well—reminds me a lot of NU.
How did your experience at NU help prepare you for where you are now?
NU did a great job in preparing me for where I am now. It taught me how to think critically and helped me build a solid work ethic. A lot of my experience at NU, through summer ministry teams, had me working directly with different staff at churches. Coming from NU to a faith-based company that serves the church was a natural fit for me. I also had an internship with a tech startup my senior year at NU, which was really eye-opening to what the “real world” looks like. I was nervous and worried about the transition from college to life, but I later realized how prepared I actually was. NU alumni who work at Pushpay have done really well here. So much so, that 100% of the graduates currently employed have maintained their role or been promoted. That just goes to show the high level of learning and real-world preparation that NU provides. #iheartNU
CINDY PARKER
Company: Aerotek
Position: Recruiter
Major: Management
What are your job responsibilities?
I am a full cycle recruiter. What that means is that I source (find candidates on LinkedIn, CareerBuilder, Indeed, etc.), hold phone interviews, do in-person interviews, call references, and send them to clients. I recruit non-technical roles for Amazon, Microsoft, and Starbucks Corporate.
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favorite part about my job is helping people find jobs. It’s rewarding when I help people get their foot in the door with one of their dream companies.
How did the community, the professors, your internship, or something else through NU help prepare you?
My professor Cori Hartje definitely helped me with my current role. I minored in sales, and that’s the key part about my role. Her class helped me become a better salesperson.
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