Amanda D’Arbanville (she/her/hers) earned her bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the School of Business in December 2019. Since graduation, Amanda has secured employment with Charter Communications as a Sales & Marketing Specialist. Hear Amanda’s story and how she overcame difficulties associated with finding the right career path and transitioning to college.
How did you choose your major, program, and/or minor?
I chose my major through guidance from the Center for Career Development as well as through my studies as an Economics major prior.
How did you find out about your current position?
I found out about my current role when I interned at Charter Communications. I was able to find the internship through the UConn Innovate Stamford program. In my role as an intern, I worked for the Direct Response team (my current team) and was introduced to many of the roles and responsibilities that I currently hold.
What experiences during your time at UConn contributed to your current success?
On campus, in addition to working as a career intern at the Career Center for 3 years, I also was a part of multiple organizations. I worked as Treasurer for the Women’s Club Ice Hockey team and VP of Public Relations for my business fraternity, Pi Sigma Epsilon. I participated in programs such as case competitions and sales competitions on campus as part of my Business school curriculum as well. Additionally, I worked as a Sales Analyst Intern at Melissa and Doug, LLC., and a Marketing & Creative Strategy Intern at Charter Communications. My final internship led to a job offer in the fall of 2019.
What academic, career preparation, or job search obstacles did you need to overcome and how did you do so?
Yes, I did! When I first came to UConn I struggled with the direction of where I wanted to go in my career and how my skills could translate to life after college. As an undecided student, I struggled to find the direction of how to ultimately get into the field I was hoping to work in.
At the beginning of my college career, I had trouble with time management and general direction for post graduate life, which initially caused my academics to suffer. Through working with Career Center staff, I was able to discover resources and clubs on campus, building my resume to include co-curricular activities and programs that align with a marketing career. Fortunately, my well-rounded involvement on campus aided my admission into the UConn School of Business and my Study Abroad program, which made huge impacts on my UConn experience. Additionally, as a December graduate, the Career Center helped me with my job search so that even though I was not graduating in the primary hiring season for companies, and I was able to secure 2 job offers.
What groups, organizations, or other resources at UConn contributed to your career success?
Holding executive board positions on my Club Hockey Team and in my business fraternity, Pi Sigma Epsilon contributed to my ability to manage diverse groups of people, as well as communicate effectively both verbally and through writing. These rolls enhanced my analytical skills and problem-solving skills. These are all strong assets that I use throughout all areas of my current role and aided in my academic success at UConn.
What advice would you give to current UConn students who are looking to follow the same career path?
Take initiative and take advantage of all the resources available to you on campus. Offices on campus can help you to plan out a path for you to follow so that achieving your career goals is straightforward and possible. The earlier you take the initiative, the more opportunities will present themselves to you throughout your college career.
Since beginning your career at Charter Communications, are there any accomplishments or achievements you would like to share?
I recently received a promotion from Sales & Marketing Associate to Sales & Marketing Specialist within 10 months of working at Charter Communications.
