In celebration of Career Month, UWinnipeg alum Andrew Jennissen and Marissa Zurba will share their career story on Instagram Live, today at 11:30 am.
The pair met while working toward their business degrees and both graduated in 2005. He is now product manager at Creative Applications for Sustainable Technology (CAST) and she is director of finance at Frontiers North Adventure.
Cross-disciplinary could very much be the definition of my professional career, and a big part of that, and the figurative toolkit I bring to work each and every day, came from my time at UWinnipeg.
Andrew Jennissen
We asked the couple how their UWinnipeg experienced influenced their career path.
Zurba says the advice her professors gave her was a big influence.
“I think back to Dr. Singh telling us students that if we want to be a manager, that we must look and act like a manager,” she said.
Those words stuck with her as she searched for, and ultimately found, her dream job.
“Your dream job might not be what you think it is,” she said. “Try to look for positions and organizations that share your purpose and goals.”
Jennissen, who holds a Bachelor of Science in Applied Computer Science in addition to his business degree, says that UWinnipeg gave him a unique combination of skills to build his career around.
“Cross-disciplinary could very much be the definition of my professional career, and a big part of that, and the figurative toolkit I bring to work each and every day, came from my time at UWinnipeg.”
His advice to students and recent grads is to be open to changing direction when it feels right.
“Your dream job at graduation and your dream job 10, 15, 20 years later may look very, very different. And that’s okay,” he said. “You don’t need anyone’s permission to grow in your own life, and in your own career.”
Tune into the University of Winnipeg’s Instagram account Tuesday, November 9 at 11:30 am to hear Jennissen and Zurba’s inspiring story as well as tips for students seeking employment. View more upcoming events hosted by UWinnipeg Academic and Career Services.
