Class of 2026
October 6, 2022
In This Issue:
- Career Spotlight: Geophysicist
- Major Spotlight: History
- Social Emotional Spotlight: Healthy self-talk and HEARTplay
Interested in being a Geophysicist? Read Jay Wellik's interview as a research geophysicist, studying volcanic activity at the Cascades Volcano Observatory.
How did you prepare for your job?
As an undergraduate, I studied geology. A lot of people study mathematics or physics.
As part of my master’s program, I also worked at an Indonesian observatory while serving in the Peace Corps. That gave me an intuition about the limitations of the data because a lot of times you can’t answer questions unless you have really good data. It also forced me to work with scientists in other fields, such as geochemists. Talking to them helped me narrow down the possibilities of what might happen even if I don’t have good data.
What other skills are helpful?
Computer skills are essential. Sometimes I wonder if I’m a volcanologist or an IT specialist. I do a lot of programming and troubleshooting because different teams use different types of software, and we end up hitting a lot of snags that we have to solve.
Most of the people on my team, including me, speak a second language. Communicating well with our foreign counterparts is a very important part of the job. It’s also important to be sensitive to cultural differences, such as communication styles and expectations.
Major Spotlight: History
Check out New York Universities History program!
NYU history graduates are today working in the following positions:
- Digital Media Project Manager at HBO
- Global Marketing Project Manager at Facebook
- News Editor at CNN International
- Communications Specialist at Booz Allen Hamilton
- Technology Reporter at the Wall Street Journal
- Senior Director of Global Media at Electronic Arts
- Editor at Penguin Group USA
- Managing Director at JP Morgan Chase
- Marketer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art
- Associate Buyer at Macy’s
- Digital Product Developer at MasterCard
- Archival and Historical Consultant at the United Nations
Click the image below to learn more!