The Career and Professional Development Center was thrilled to host the annual From Senior in College to Freshman in Life with over 80 students in attendance. Jared Maymon ‘20 and Kaitlyn Baron ’19 & ’20 returned to The Hill to share what their experiences after graduating have been like and offered advice for how to make that transition a successful one.
Kaitlyn Baron was a double major in Accounting and Finance and had a lot of campus involvement. After earning her Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in 2019, she continued into the 4+1 program and earned her Master of Science in Accounting from Nichols College. While Kaitlyn was a student, she interned with Marcum LLP in 2018 and 2019, which eventually lead to a full-time job offer, where she still works today. While sharing about her personal finances, Kaitlyn emphasized that everyone’s financial situation is going to be different, especially right out of college. She shared what she does each month with her incomes is 20% goes into a savings account, 10% towards Roth 401k contributions, 50% to bills, and 20% to miscellaneous/fun expenses.
Jared Maymon majored in Corporate Finance and Investments with a minor in Economics. He was also very involved as a student at Nichols and emphasized the importance of being engaged in the campus community because it can be a great resume builder. Jared knew from a young age that he wanted to work on Wall Street. He began investing when he was only 12 years old! After graduation, he set off for New York because he wanted to move to where the industry was prominent. In 2020, he started working at Berenberg Capital Markets as an Analyst and moved up to Senior Analyst in 2022. Recently, Jared has accepted a new position as Vice President and Global Head of Investor Relations at Kornit Digital and has since moved back to his home state, Rhode Island.
A very important topic that Jared and Kaitlyn spoke on was mental health. Leaving college can be a rough transition and some people experience Post College Depression, which can be met with feelings of loneliness, sadness, anxiety. Reaching out for help can be scary but it is worth it, whether it be talking to a therapist, finding a mentor, using online resources like Talkspace, BetterHelp, Calmerry, or partaking in stress relief activities. Find what works best for you and stick with it!
Jared and Kaitlyn both had some very insightful advice for students.
- “Constantly work on setting yourself up for success, not disappointment”
- “Understand that your career is a marathon, not a sprint.”
- “Surround yourself with motivated people.”
- “Give up some things today to be happy tomorrow.”
- “Don’t just think about the check, think about the work-life balance.”
- Lifestyle adjustments: Be aware of the “lifestyle creep”. Just because you may eventually start earning more money, doesn’t mean that you should increase your spending. Live within your means so you are better off in the long term.
The CPDC loves to welcome alumni back to the Hill, special thanks for Jared and Kaitlyn for sharing their story! If you would like to be involved in future CPDC events as an alum, please reach out to us!
