Alumni Life

Career Tips

Words to live and work by from UB grads in the know

Illustration of professionals.

Jon Gutman (BFA ’03)

“Never limit yourself. Be open to any potential opportunity, because it might lead you down a path you didn’t even realize you wanted to go down in the first place.”

Judy Vredenburgh (MBA ’75)

“The one nonnegotiable is consistently strong performance. In whatever role in which you come into a company, you have to beat expectations of achievement. You have to merit being acknowledged and recognized.”

Chris Fritton (BA ’00)

“Stop thinking of your heroes as heroes, and start thinking of them as talented peers you can learn from. It will give you back that energy you lose longing to be them or just like them.”

Rachel Jackson (BA ’95)

“Do your research before a meeting. Know everything you can about the person you’re meeting with and what they’re looking for. Don’t go in there blind, because that shows them you don’t care. Information is power.”

Gale Burstein (MD ’90)

“Help others out with their goals and initiatives, and you should get payback—they’ll want to help you with your goals and initiatives. Plus, it’s so much easier to work with somebody who’s nice.”

Todd Mitgang (BS ’02)

“You can turn a passion into a career. I had a clear vision that if I followed my taste for cooking, it would lead to jobs in restaurants. I was right. Have a vision, set a goal and use lots of elbow grease to get there.”

Matt Pelkey (JD ’10, BA ’07)

“Take full advantage of networking opportunities. And I don’t just mean handing out business cards. The key is developing authentic, substantive relationships with people.”

Get on track!

Numerous opportunities exist for alumni to participate in the UB Career Community, from online advice groups, to networking events, to job shadowing experiences. Make the connection here.