jared janeway student spotlight

Michael Mercier | UAH

Our first summer spotlight is Jared Janeway, a Senior at UAH studying Economics.

 

1. What made you choose your major?

During high school, I took AP Macroeconomics and really enjoyed the class. I decided I would start college with this major and change if I didn't like it. Turns out that I really love economics, and I'm excited to pursue a career utilizing the skills that I've developed with my degree.

 

2. What made you choose UAH?

I did a lot of research in high school about what college I wanted to attend. A lot of schools in Tennessee didn't offer the credentials I was looking for. UAH offers great scholarship and academic prestige, so I thought it would be a fantastic university to attend.

 

3. What was one of the biggest lessons you learned from your internship at MITRE?

I learned a lot from my internship with MITRE, but the most important lesson I learned was the importance of a college degree to employers. A degree isn't there to teach you every skill you need for the workplace. It likely won't. However, employers seek students with a college education because they know these employees have learned how to learn. Many times in the workforce, you won't encounter a job with simple tasks. College helps train critical problem solving skills which are vital in the rapidly evolving work environment we're in.

 

4. What surprised you about working at MITRE?

What surprised me most was that I didn't use hardly anything related to my degree. My work involved analytics to an extent, but the majority of what I did revolved around web development.

 

5. What is one thing you would tell someone interested in obtaining an internship or co-op?

I would tell them to start looking now. Co-ops and internships are highly competitive. Apply locally first- companies like to hire locally to promote themselves to the community. Don't be afraid to apply to every position you find that's related to your degree as well. At the end of the day, any experiential learning is going to look great on a resume.

 

6. What is one lesson you had to learn the hard way?

You have to learn things you're not passionate about to be successful in the workforce. Learning skills in web development was an absolute struggle. I had no interest in those sets of skills, but they related to the work I was doing. Now, I'm familiar with more programming languages which only reinforces my resume.

 

7. How did your internship with MITRE prepare you for future career opportunities?

Since I developed great relationships at the MITRE Corporation, my employers have been more than happy to endorse me for other working positions. Not only did the internship give me a taste of the working world, but I also got the opportunity to work for a firm that treats its employees in a progressive way.

 

8. Who have been some of your biggest supporters in your pursuit of a professional career?

The entire Office of Career Services has been wonderful! I’ve worked there since I was a sophomore. Without their guidance, I’m not sure I would realize how many routes to finding internships there are. Additionally, I’ve been afforded wonderful networking opportunities in my fraternity.

 

9. What is one of your favorite things to do in the Huntsville area?

The coffee scene in Huntsville is really nice. The community is still growing a lot, but the Camp is a great staple for the MidCity plaza that’s up and coming. Monte Sano has a lot of great hiking trails as well.