I can tell you from my own experience that you learn more about a career in the first month working than you ever could sitting in a college classroom. Other recent graduates say the same thing.
Brian Gelsomino, 22, is a University of Connecticut graduate that is brand new to the business world. Fresh out of college with a bachelor of science degree in accounting, the Ellington resident took his first job at Whittlesey & Hadley P.C. in Hartford.
“It’s good so far and I’ve been in and out of the office,” Gelsomino said. “So far I’ve been swinging from job to job and helping everybody out.”
Gelsomino chose the accounting track at the end of his sophomore year, after switching from a major in finance. His time in Hartford so far has helped him pinpoint his interest to audit accounting.
“With 80 employees in the firm, it’s a close network of people,” Gelsomino said. “I work alongside the partners sometimes and I gain knowledge quicker by doing that. It’s flexible going from job to job and meeting clients.”
Gelsomino spent his four college summers doing construction with a neighbor’s business, McCurry Home Improvement. The work involved smaller jobs or “things two people could handle,” according to Gelsomino. He spent his days building garages and decks and installing windows, doors and siding.
“Working construction taught me a lot about dealing with clients,” Gelsomino said. “You see how they want things done, you learn how to go to them and ask them questions. It has helped me from an interactive standpoint in talking with people, asking for something and seeing how they want something.”
His experiences in the summer sun and the college classroom translated to his first office job. “The majority of what I’m going to be doing I learn on the job firsthand,” he said. “I’ve applied about 20 percent of what I learned in school. It’s all about the people you work with and the experience you get.”
A company of Whittlesey & Hadley’s size also provides the opportunity for Gelsomino to indulge in his favorite activities and get to know his fellow employees at the same time.
“The firm sponsored a boat for the Dragon Boat festival in Hartford, a 20-man canoe,” Gelsomino said. “We did OK rowing.”
This team-building event goes along with the baseball, basketball and football that he has always been involved in. “In college I was always keeping busy with intramurals and I’ve always played sports growing up,” Gelsomino said. “Now I play on the firm softball team and whenever I can.”
Emily Boisvert is a Hartford Business Journal staff writer.
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