The call for change figured prominently in last year’s presidential campaign. Inspiring hope and the prospect of transformation; change was something many were beckoning. Now, change seems to have taken on a different connotation. Since the financial services meltdown, in the fall of 2008, not a day has gone by without significant change to the employment landscape. To be a graduate business student in these times means managing staggering uncertainty and a near constant evaluation of career goals.

However, in the midst of such adversity there is opportunity for growth and reinvention. That’s just what these two Zicklin graduate students had in mind upon accepting offers in the government sector. Working for the government has not traditionally been a sought after career path for graduate business students. Realizing that the market may take time to turn around, students are beginning to cast a wider net in hopes of focusing on positions that will enable them to build upon their skill sets.

Having earned a BA with a concentration in writing and English from Canisius College, Matt Zogby, a first year Full-Time Honors MBA student came to Zicklin with the intention of pursuing a career in Finance. Matt spent several months networking and conducting informational interviews, when he discovered an opportunity with The New York City Department of Small Business Services posted on GCMC’s Zicklin CareerLink. He was intrigued by the position, “It satisfied a lot of my interests and it seemed like it would give me a good chance to apply what I had learned in school in a cross-functional environment”. The New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Graduate Internship Program offers an opportunity for students to gain exposure to the public sector. Interns are selected to join a team of SBS employees working on specific economic development initiatives. While working to assist the city’s more than 200,000 small businesses, they will be introduced to the unique demands of local government in one of the world’s largest cities.

While the SBS wasn’t on the list of companies Matt was targeting, he was drawn to the job description, so he attended an on-campus information session. “After I was invited to attend the info session I had decided that the culture of the SBS fit with me and that it would be a good place to spend my summer. Right now I am hoping to be able to work on a meaningful project that I will be able to use as an example of my quantitative problem solving abilities in order to leverage into a job after school. Also, I hope to make some good contacts through the organization”.

Mark Gray came to Zicklin with a BA in political science from Montclair State University to pursue his MBA in Finance and Management. He was recently accepted into the 2009 Presidential Management Fellows program. The purpose of the program is to attract to federal service students who have a clear interest in, and commitment to the leadership and management of public policies and programs. Mark learned of the program in Professor Banai’s International Comparative Management course and thought it would be a great fit given his interests and skill set. The application process began in October of 2008 and ended recently with a 4 hour test akin to the LSAT. Mark is among graduate students from schools all over the country including Harvard, Columbia and Yale, and one of two CUNY graduate students accepted. He will attend an upcoming career fair of sorts where he will get to know the different agencies where he might spend the next two years. His focus is on personnel management.