Ball State University alumni strive to solve problems and make a positive impact in ways that help people and strengthen communities. When they’re not problem solvers, Ball State alumni are often found helping problem solvers succeed as mentors, guides, and coaches.
The Jacob Smith MS ’22 is a shining example of the latter. When he was finishing work for his master’s degree in graduate school, Information and Communication ScienceSmith served as the technical coach for a team of five students who participated this summer. pitch competition. This experiential opportunity for college-level technical students will help you develop entrepreneur-focused business and/or technical skills while tackling real-world inspired problems within your assigned topic. Helpful.Tournament sponsored by company tech point As part of the Summer Internship and Externship Program.
More than 15 Ball State University students, faculty, and staff attended The Pitch this summer.two College of Communication, Information, and Media (CCIM) Students were on two of the three winning teams. Coached by Smith, the Tiger Tech team was made up of students from DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana.
Team Tiger Tech Tackles Tech Jobs in Indiana
Tiger Tech won this year’s competition on its assigned topic “Tech Jobs in Indiana”. Tiger Tech’s successful solution was the development of a computer app that directly connects college students with potential tech employers and mentors based on the information contained in their app-completed profiles. The app is free for students to use. Mentors and potential employers are vetted to verify legitimacy and eligibility.
Smith quickly saw the benefits of the app.
“A lot of students are introverted. They have a hard time talking to people and going out to network. It’s a challenge for them,” Smith said. “As designed by students, the app offers a safer, less risky environment to do this networking, as there is no face-to-face interaction at first and the event does not have such an overwhelming number of people. For those who find it difficult to socialize or talk to people, it’s a safe way to get networking and relationship opportunities in your field.”
Smith was one of three coaches who participated in this year’s pitch competition and was a graduate student. Most of the other coaches were already established experts in their fields, he said. But when Smith was asked to become a coach, he said he fully accepted the challenge.
“It was a good experience for us [coaches still in grad school at the time] “We were working with coaches who had more experience in our industry,” he added. Regardless, they valued what we had to offer and our perspective.”
create opportunities for students
Smith knows something about networking, direct hiring, and professional relationship building opportunities. These opportunities are Ball State Information and Communication Science Center (CICS) Program – Part of the University’s College of Communication, Information and Media, from which I earned my Master’s degree.
“The CICS program I just graduated from has Indiana technology companies like Accenture, Salesforce, BC Forward and many more partnerships hiring directly from the CICS program,” Smith said. “It’s a big deal that employers are reaching out directly to school students, and colleges are arranging opportunities for these students and employers to meet.”
Developing and leveraging partnerships with industry leaders and employers, and establishing this connection among students, professionals and hiring managers, will help Ball State meet Indiana’s challenges of growing and retaining a skilled workforce. is one way to help address the This is no different than the topic assigned to the team Mr. Smith coached on the pitch.
In addition to having these partnerships within the university’s colleges, Ball State University is just that Indiana Connection Lounge— Located on campus, employers and organizations across the state can meet students considering jobs and careers in their respective industries. The Indiana Connection Lounge’s goal is to help students earn the social capital they need to take advantage of the socioeconomic ladders that higher education offers. The lounge environment provides a specially tailored and meticulously curated environment for events to foster connections between organizations and students and to assist employers with new and efficient recruitment methods. . Indiana Connection Lounge is located at Ball State University. career centerlocated on the University’s Muncie campus.
“If a student can network with industry professionals and potential employers in a discreet, no-pressure environment and have the potential to be immediately hired for a job in college, graduate school, or anywhere else, they will.” I think it’s going to be more likely. Stay in this state,” Smith said. “Students will feel more valuable because they will be able to build these connections that help them grow professionally, be recruited, launch careers, and solve problems in the workplace and community.”
