Building Future Talent: Ryan Clark’s Journey with Education at Work and Fidelity

Building Future Talent: Ryan Clark’s Journey with Education at Work and Fidelity E@W Alumni Spotlight Education at Work (E@W) is dedicated to bridging talent gaps through real-world, work-based learning that benefits students and employers. Ryan Clark’s journey from student to Senior Software Engineer highlights the powerful impact of E@W’s partnerships with leading companies like Fidelity, offering a glimpse into how early talent pipeline solutions create career-ready graduates. Ryan, a graduate of the University of Cincinnati with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, joined E@W’s program with Fidelity while still a student. Starting as a support admin, he gained hands-on experience in Salesforce, eventually transitioning into a developer role. Through E@W’s guidance and Fidelity’s support, Ryan became Salesforce-certified and advanced in his skills. Within eight months, he moved from support admin to developer—a significant progression that reflects E@W’s commitment to helping students build the expertise and confidence needed to excel professionally. Today, as a Senior Software Engineer, Ryan leads a team of developers, a role he achieved in just five years—a faster trajectory than most. He attributes this to the blend of learning and professional growth he experienced through E@W. Reflecting on his time at E@W, Ryan recalls feeling calm and confident at graduation, unlike many of his peers who faced uncertainty. “Education at Work completely transformed my career. I felt a sense of calm knowing I had a quality job lined up, thanks to E@W,” Ryan shares. “The experience, training, and support launched my career and helped me discover my passion in the Salesforce ecosystem.” Ryan’s story illustrates how E@W’s model equips students with more than just work experience; it provides a launchpad for successful careers and helps companies like Fidelity build a robust and skilled talent pipeline. Ryan’s gratitude and belief in E@W’s mission underline the program’s value in shaping well-prepared, confident professionals poised to contribute meaningfully to their fields. Linkedin Facebook Instagram Youtube

Building Durable Skills for Career Success

Building Durable Skills for Career Success How Education at Work Prepares You for the Future Education at Work student jobs offer much more than temporary income; they’re practical training grounds for cultivating “durable” skills like problem-solving, adaptability, and teamwork—skills essential for the future workforce.  College is more than a time for academics; it’s a launchpad for building a career. Through Education at Work, students will develop lasting skills that prepare them for success after graduation. This blog highlights how an Education at Work student job can be more than just a college gig; it can be the gateway to a high-quality post-graduate job.  Building Durable Skills Developing “durable skills”—relevant and adaptable skills across roles and industries—is one of the most impactful ways a student job can contribute to your career. Unlike technical skills, which may become outdated, durable skills like communication, problem-solving, and adaptability are always in demand. The World Economic Forum (WEF) projects that by 2025, more than 50% of all employees will need reskilling due to shifts in the skills required for their jobs. This reskilling need highlights the value of durable skills, a foundation professionals can build on throughout their careers. Why Durable Skills Matter The demand for durable skills has increased, with employers prioritizing attributes like creativity, collaboration, and resilience over specific technical knowledge. The top 5 durable skills were requested 3.8x more than the top 5 hard skills. According to a LinkedIn report, 89% of recruiters say that when a new hire doesn’t work out, it’s usually due to a lack of soft skills rather than technical skills. This means that students who excel in developing durable skills are more likely to succeed in securing and retaining high-quality job roles, regardless of their field. How Education at Work Student Jobs Foster Durable Skills Education at Work student jobs require you to juggle responsibilities, collaborate with coworkers, and often handle challenges on the fly. Here’s how our  student jobs can help you cultivate some of the most essential and durable skills: Problem-Solving: In almost any student role, from customer service to project coordination, challenges will arise that require quick thinking and creative solutions. Use these moments as opportunities to hone your problem-solving abilities—an essential skill in any industry. Adaptability: The ability to adjust to new processes, technologies, or shifts in responsibilities is invaluable. By embracing changes in your student job, you build flexibility and adaptability, which are crucial in today’s dynamic job market. Communication: Clear, professional communication is central to nearly every role, and Education at Work’s student jobs provide frequent practice, whether you’re interacting with customers, coworkers, or supervisors. These interactions help you learn how to convey ideas, listen actively, and adjust your communication style based on your audience.   Practical Tips for Developing Durable Skills at Education at Work Seek Out Challenges: Don’t settle for routine tasks. Ask your supervisor for additional responsibilities that push you out of your comfort zone. For example, volunteering to lead a small project can develop leadership and project management skills. Set Skill Development Goals: Identify critical skills—such as teamwork, organization, or conflict resolution—that you want to focus on in your role. Track your progress and reflect on how your job tasks contribute to your growth in these areas. Request Feedback: Regular feedback from supervisors or colleagues can provide valuable insights into your strengths and areas for improvement. Embracing constructive criticism is a skill and a powerful way to keep growing.   By actively developing durable skills in your Education at Work student job, you’ll perform better and build a skill set that will carry you through various career opportunities. Employers in all sectors seek candidates who can adapt, communicate, and tackle challenges effectively—qualities that start with intentional growth in entry-level roles. Ready to take advantage of a valuable platform for building durable skills that last far beyond graduation? Check out our current student job listings to see how Education at Work can help you become a professional who can thrive in any environment!

Education at Work Partners with Intuit

Education at Work Partners with Intuit Education at Work is excited to announce the new partnership with Intuit, a global financial technology platform which provides tax and financial planning services.   Intuit is a global financial technology platform that provides tax and financial planning services to over 100 million customers. Intuit announced its partnership with Education at Work, a nonprofit organization that connects college students to top employers. The Intuit partnership will help students gain valuable experience and knowledge in tax, accounting, and financial services. These students will be able to earn money to offset their college expenses. Intuit will benefit from this partnership by proactively offsetting the talent shortage within the industry by cultivating a talent pipeline of knowledgeable, hard-working students.  The Intuit program will launch within the fall 2024 academic semester for undergraduate students at Arizona State University. Students can earn up to $5,250 in tuition assistance while working in the program. Up to 60 students will work with Intuit’s TurboTax business in flexible, part-time roles. This setup allows students to pursue a degree, receive tuition assistance, and gain resume-worthy experience working alongside a major company. The Intuit program is recruiting Arizona State University students to work as Intuit Product Experts. Product Experts will concentrate on delivering exceptional customer service by demonstrating effective communication in a business-environment, proactive problem solving, dependability and a strong work ethic, adaptability, flexibility, and teamwork. Jane Swift, president of E@W, states her awareness of the difficulty of working while in school. She states that “for too many college students, work is more of a burden than it is a benefit. We’re transforming this outdated model by offering students career opportunities that are not only financially lucrative but also professionally impactful.” E@W strives to develop successful talent pipelines for clients such as Intuit. Based on job performance, E@W students can transition into Intuit’s Expert Network, connecting tax experts with consumers and small businesses.   Recent trends have shown an industry-wide critical shortage of tax and accounting professionals. Senior Vice President of Intuit’s Expert Network, David Graham, states that the new program will help Intuit strengthen its talent pipeline by enabling tax and accounting jobs to be more attractive and accessible for a diverse group of students. Recent economic trends show growth within the talent gap as industry professionals retire and exit the workforce. With a new, younger population entering the workforce, the demand for early-career accountants, tax preparers, and advisors is growing. Education at Work emphasizes work-based learning, early talent development, and creating a successful talent pipeline. With this shortage observation, E@W has partnered with Intuit to acknowledge and strengthen the talent pipeline by creating pathways to careers in tax and accounting.  Working with Intuit will provide college students with skill-building and networking capabilities in the tax industry. As students earn tuition assistance, they receive valuable experiences that set them up for future success. Upon entering the workforce, specifically in the tax industry, students are prepared to embark on a career pathway that can potentially move them toward becoming a Tax Expert. In the interim, Glassdoor reports Intuit’s total salary range for their Tax Specialists, a position option potentially obtained prior to Tax Expert. Intuit Tax Specialists can earn between $45K – $71K per year, with a median yearly salary of $56K. With advanced experience in the tax industry comes the opportunity to become a Credentialed Tax Expert. According to Glassdoor, this position reports an hourly pay range between $38-$60 per hour, or a $47 per hour median pay. The reported median pay of $47 per hour matches a yearly salary of approximately $90K. Comparatively, the Arizona State University Provost reports a median undergraduate full-time wage of $55K per year, which falls just under the median pay for Tax Specialists. Overall, the Intuit program enables ASU students to excel in a competitive, well-paying industry by gaining experience early as a student. The Intuit program will not only provide students with tuition assistance and hourly pay. Product Specialists will receive a “head start” in the tax industry as they build skills, gain experience, and receive networking opportunities as undergraduate students.  This program builds on over a decade of collaborations with E@W and public universities. Since its creation in 2012, Education at Work has partnered with schools such as Arizona State University and the University of Texas at El Paso. Additionally, E@W has proudly awarded nearly 8,000 students over $107 million in tuition assistance and wages combined. Participating students are 25% more likely to graduate from their institution and to do so with 40% less student debt compared to their institutional peers. 75% of the participating students identify as students of color, and 50% are first-generation college graduates.      Sources:   Education at Work. (n.d.). Intuit product expert. Lever. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://lever.co  Expert careers. (n.d.). TurboTax Live business | Tax preparers. Intuit. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://intuit.com  Graduation and employment. (n.d.). Office of the University Provost | ASU. Arizona State University. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://asu.edu  Intuit tax specialist salaries. (2023). Glassdoor. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://glassdoor.com  11 tax-related careers (with salaries and duties). (2023). Indeed.com. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://indeed.com  Tax associate salary in 2024. (2024). PayScale. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://payscale.com  U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. (n.d.). Accountants and auditors. Occupational Outlook Handbook. Retrieved September 19, 2024, from https://www.bls.gov/ooh/business-and-financial/accountants-and- auditors.htm#tab-6    Learn More

E@W Awarded Grant from Salesforce Foundation

E@W Awarded Grant from Salesforce Foundation to Expand Work-based Learning Program Boosting Student Employability and Cutting College Costs With backing from the Salesforce Foundation, Education at Work expands virtual student employment program; sets plans for a new work-based learning hub at Salesforce Tower in Indianapolis Education at Work is excited to announce a new $500,000 grant from the Salesforce Foundation that will fund the development of a hybrid student “learn and earn” program that will help students throughout the United States earn money to pay for college, gain new skills, and access part-time employment opportunities with Fortune 500 companies. The grant will also fund a new brick-and-mortar hub in Indianapolis that will enable Education at Work to serve an additional 200 area students by 2025, connecting them with work-based learning opportunities with major companies.  “Empowering our students to become the workforce of tomorrow isn’t just about imparting knowledge – it’s also about increasing financial access to education and fostering opportunities for professional growth and connection,” said Becky Ferguson, CEO of the Salesforce Foundation and SVP of Philanthropy at Salesforce.  “The Salesforce Foundation is proud to support Education at Work as they work to expand these pathways for student success.” Once the Indianapolis hub is fully operational and serving 200 students, it will lead to $1.39 million in annual wages for students across the Indianapolis region, along with an additional $660,000 in tuition assistance. Recruitment and hiring of local students will kick off during the final months of 2023 and the buildout of the new Indianapolis hub will be completed by March 2024. Next spring, Education at Work will also announce the selection of its first Indianapolis-based corporate partner and additional details about colleges and universities that plan to participate. In addition to the Indianapolis expansion, Education at Work will utilize funding from the Salesforce Foundation grant to design, build, and launch a technology platform that will enable companies to remotely hire and manage students anywhere in the country. The platform will make it possible for companies to tap the skill sets of tech-savvy students throughout the U.S. to support their internal business functions and operations and give students nationwide access to part-time work opportunities on a flexible schedule. “The traditional way that students earn money to pay for college is broken. We’ve found a way to flip the script by bringing employers to the table, helping to dramatically boost student earnings and significantly reduce financial barriers to college completion,” said Jane Swift, president of Education at Work and former Governor of Massachusetts. “This generous grant will accelerate our impact and help more students access flexible work experiences and earn money to offset the total cost of college attendance—all while developing transferable skill sets that will help them succeed in the workplace long after graduation.” The nationwide expansion of the program builds on more than a decade of Education at Work’s campus-based partnerships with public universities that include Arizona State University, Northern Kentucky University, and the University of Utah.

Jane Swift is New E@W Leader

Jane Swift the Former Massachusetts Governor is New E@W Leader The former Massachusetts Governor begins her first day as Education at Work’s President leading this unique nonprofit that connects companies with tomorrow’s talent and college students with valuable real-world work experience. After nearly two decades as an executive, advisor and company builder working at the intersection of learning and economic opportunity, Jane Swift takes on her new role. She most recently  served as an operating partner at the private investment firm Vistria Group, and as the president of LearnLaunch, a national nonprofit education accelerator focused on improving collaboration between policymakers, practitioners, and the technology sector. Swift previously served as CEO of Middlebury Interactive Languages, an education startup launched in partnership with Middlebury College. Swift takes the helm of Education at Work, an organization that over the past decade has built a series of effective campus-based partnerships with multiple major public flagship universities—including Arizona State University, Northern Kentucky University, the University of Texas, El Paso and the University of Utah. “As a former Pell Grant recipient and work-study student, I know firsthand what it’s like to have to earn your way through college. But I also know that our educational system was never designed to make college and work compatible,” said Swift. “I’m on a mission to show business leaders that college students represent not just tomorrow’s talent, but skills and expertise that matter today. This is about creating real, meaningful work experiences that not only help to make college more affordable but offer a springboard to graduates as they launch their careers.” Nationally, an estimated 600,000 college students participate in the Federal Work Study program, often in on-campus jobs. By partnering with both colleges and Fortune 500 companies,  including Discover Financial Services and Fidelity, Education at Work enables college students to gain valuable, real-world experience while earning significant hourly wages and up to $5,250 in tuition assistance annually to offset the cost of college. Since its inception in 2012, Education at Work has awarded over $100 million in combined wages and tuition assistance to nearly 8,100 students nationwide. Participating students are 25% more likely to graduate from their institution and to do so with 40% less student debt in comparison to their institutional peers. 75% of the participating students identify as students of color and 50% are first generation college graduates. Education at Work graduates reported salaries that were, on average, more than 10 percent higher than the average annual salary for adults with only a high school diploma —and also significantly higher than similar college graduates that did not participate in the program. A longtime advocate for excellence in education, Swift was recently appointed by U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona as a member of the National Assessment Governing Board (NAGB), which oversees the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP), otherwise known as the “Nation’s Report Card.” She has also lectured and held fellowships at a variety of universities, including Boston College School of Law and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and served as the co-chair of the selection committee for the 2023 Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence. “From her time in public service to her dynamic corporate career, Jane has earned a well-deserved reputation for a common-sense—and effective—brand of leadership,” said Tom Dawson, president of Strada Collaborative, a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that is the corporate parent of Education at Work. “Jane is uniquely well-matched for the needs of this work—and will bring the leadership, vision and industry expertise needed to lead the organization through this critical phase of growth, ” Dawson says.

E@W Celebrates Grand Opening in ASU’s Memorial Union

E@W Celebrates Grand Opening in ASU’s Memorial Union Education at Work and Arizona State University celebrated together as they participated in a ceremonial ribbon cutting at the grand opening of Education at Work’s satellite office in Memorial Union. Now in the heart of where ASU students gather, Education at Work student success and recruitment team can meet students where they are and help them balance their academic commitments, training, and work responsibilities. How exciting! Education at Work has expanded its presence in Tempe, Arizona by opening a satellite location in the heart of ASU’s campus – Memorial Student Union. Both Education at Work and ASU leadership, staff, and students gathered for a ceremonial ribbon cutting to officially open the new space that will be home to Education at Work’s student success team, recruitment, training, and a place for student employees to take their shift or do homework. Leaders, staff, and students gathered as Dr. Sharon Smith, Vice President of Outreach, Arizona State University and Eliana Valenzuela, an ASU student and Education at Work student success coordinator took the ceremonial scissors and cut the ribbon to symbolize the opening of the new space. Eliana Valenzuela, ASU Student and Education at Work Student Success Coordinator and Dr. Sharon Smith, Vice President of Outreach, ASU cut the ceremonial ribbon. “We have such a tremendous partnership with Education at Work, not only helping students with work and tuition assistance, but with leadership development, said Dr. Sharon Smith, Vice President of Outreach, Arizona State University. “I’m really looking forward to our continued growth here in Memorial Union where EAW is now in the heart of ASU’s students, and another successful year of partnership.” https://vimeo.com/880266065 Education at Work connects college students to flexible, career-building jobs at major employers and Fortune 500 companies to gain valuable, real-world experience while earning up to $5,250 in tuition assistance annually to offset the cost of college. Education at Work has awarded over $100 million in combined wages and tuition assistance to nearly 8,000 students nationwide. Seventy-five percent of the participating students identify as students of color and 50% are first generation college graduates. On average, graduates finished college with about $15,000 less student debt (60% less) in comparison to their institutional peers. Eighty-six percent of graduates are employed full-time within 90 days post-graduation in comparison to a national sample of college graduates (69%).

Bringing the Promise of Higher Education in Reach for More Americans

Bringing the Promise of Higher Education in Reach for More Americans Education at Work is Making College More Affordable Though the Biden Administration’s $9 billion debt forgiveness is nice for students with exiting loans, the question remains on what to do about making education affordable for future students. Education at Work has a unique and proven work-based learning model that offers a viable solution. President Biden announced this week that an additional 125,000 Americans have been approved for $9 billion in debt relief through fixes his Administration has made to income-driven repayment (IDR) and Public Service Loan Forgiveness, and by cancelling debt for borrowers with total and permanent disabilities. This announcement brings the total approved debt cancellation by the Biden-Harris Administration to $127 billion for nearly 3.6 million Americans. Though this forgiveness is nice for students with exiting loans, the question that needs to be addressed is what is being done to make education affordable for future students? If college costs cannot come down, then what are options that future students can explore to make college more affordable and bring the promise of higher education in reach for more Americans? Education at Work Education at Work is a non-for-profit, U.S.-based provider of staffing solutions, whose mission is to help high-achieving college students gain the career-ready skills and financial stability needed to succeed after graduation. An innovative twist on the traditional work study model, Education at Work enables college students to gain valuable, real-world experience at major employers and Fortune 500 companies. In addition to acquiring skills and earning hourly wages, students also earn up to $5,250 per year of employer-paid tuition assistance for their performance inside Education at Work and their college classrooms to help significantly offset the cost of their education and in most cases affording students to graduate debt free. This proven work-based learning model delivers job and economic mobility for college students while supporting employer business objectives. Education at Work’s diverse collegiate workforce is the only work-based learning solution that generates career outcomes for students, provides employers a skilled workforce to address an early talent need, and delivers higher ed institutions a sustainable affordability and student success model.     Since its inception in 2012, Education at Work has awarded over $100 million in combined wages and tuition assistance to nearly 8,100 students nationwide. Seventy-five percent of the participating students identify as students of color and 50% are first generation college graduates. On average, graduates finished college with about $15,000 less student debt (60% less) in comparison to their institutional peers. Eighty-six percent of graduates are employed full-time within 90 days post-graduation in comparison to a national sample of college graduates (69%).

Bridging Talent Identification, Skills Gap, and Succession Planning with Education at Work

Bridging Talent Identification, Skills Gap, and Succession Planning with Education at Work Navigating the challenges of talent identification, addressing skills gaps, and effective succession planning are critical to any business’s success. Companies can find themselves overwhelmed when trying to select suitable candidates from a vast pool of applicants, match evolving industry skills, and identify potential leaders. Discover Education at Work, a non-profit that provides innovative solutions to these problems, setting companies up for long-term growth and success. DEI Goals In terms of talent identification, Education at Work provides a unique solution. Leveraging an established network of university partnerships, Education at Work allows companies to tap into a highly diverse and skilled collegiate workforce. This demographic spans students of color, first-generation students, those from low-income backgrounds, and students from various geographic locations. The advantage of such a diverse pool is twofold – companies can not only meet their Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) pipeline development and hiring goals but also enjoy high conversion rates from Education at Work to their workforce. Skill Development Addressing the skills gap, particularly in the rapidly evolving technological landscape, is another critical area where Education at Work can provide significant support. Education at Work’s early talent pipeline enables employers to identify, work with, and recruit proven performers with degree-specific skills relevant to the employer’s industry. This provides a valuable resource to bridge the skills gap, leading to greater conversion and retention rates. As these students have had TA and work experience before graduation, they also create an affinity with employers, leading to cost savings of up to $6,300 per college hire without a finder’s fee. Succession Planning Another point to consider is effective succession planning that is vital for any organization’s long-term sustainability. Education at Work’s early talent programs allow businesses to identify potential leaders, equipping them with relevant skills and experience, ensuring a consistent pipeline of future leaders. Moreover, the Education at Work model, based on ongoing partnerships with universities, provides unparalleled access to a renewing US collegiate workforce. This annually refreshed workforce is perfect for meeting demand for back-office and contact center staffing, and being digital natives, these students can easily adapt to any technological advancements.

E@W Awarded Grant from Trellis Foundation

E@W Awarded Grant from Trellis Foundation Education at Work is honored to be one of the recipients of a grant from the Trellis Foundation who announced $2.5 million in total awards to 26 Texas community-based organizations. This award comes at the same time Education at Work is celebrating its successful one year partnership with UTEP and will surely provide direct impact to our mission of helping high-achieving Texas college students gain the career-ready skills and financial stability needed to succeed after graduation. Trellis Foundation is a grant-making public charitable organization focused on improving postsecondary attainment for low-income students and students of color in Texas. Their approach is highly collaborative and prioritizes catalytic investments, focused on changing or informing change to policy, practice and systems. “These grants are an acknowledgment of the innovative and essential work that community-based organizations engage in and our commitment to this important section of the postsecondary completion ecosystem,” said Trellis Foundation’s Executive Director Kristin Boyer.  “We are proud that the Foundation’s 2023 RFP supports these organizations rooted in their communities and informed by the students and families they serve.  We’re excited to learn more about their support for students to and through higher education.” At Education at Work, we believe that every student deserves the same opportunity to reach their full potential. Over the past decade, we have provided more than $100 million in salaries and tuition assistance to over 8,100 students across four states and are poised for growth. Grants like this one from Trellis Foundation will help us expand our proven model to serve many more students, employers, and universities and we couldn’t be more excited.

Student Success: Hussain Pirbhai

Student Success: Hussain Pirbhai Hussain Pirbhai, a graduate from University of Texas, Dallas (UTD) reflects on his time at Education at Work and shares how the experience has prepared him for the job he currently holds at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company and the double master’s degrees he is in pursuit of now in Information Technology Management. Hussain Pirbhai, who graduated in Spring of 2023 from the University of Texas, Dallas (UTD), with a degree in Information Technology and Systems, specializing in IT Sales Engineering, spoke with me about his time at Education at Work and how the experience helped him get to where he is today. Hussain began working at Education at Work for Fidelity Investments during his last semester of college through the middle of the summer after he graduated. As he reflects on his time at Education at Work, Hussain is most grateful for the friendships made and the invaluable knowledge gained about financial planning, investments, and overall business acumen that he will be able to take with him and apply through the rest of his life. Not to mention, all while earning enough money to afford college and graduate debt-free. What position did you hold while working at Education at Work? Hussain: I worked for Fidelity Investments as a non qual differed compensation intern – assisting the service delivery managers on the non-qual team on projects they needed help with through the quarter, such as creating reports, analysis, and cross-checking data. What would you say are the key things you learned or key takeaways being a part of Education at Work working with Fidelity? Hussain: Developing interpersonal skills, specifically communication skills. I would be in meetings with service delivery managers, which was extremely insightful. Being able to witness what was being discussed from a high-level strategic perspective. Becoming accustomed to working for a large firm like Fidelity and being able to communicate with people at different levels within a company. Improving my Excel skills – advanced concepts in Excel from creating advanced reports to sorting data and running macros. I also became familiar with Fidelity’s own proprietary software for analytics. This experience provided insight into what large companies use for gathering data and how to use it without being intimidated. Now I feel confident that no matter what company I work for in the future, I will be able to quickly adapt and learn their systems, processes, and software. What three things did you like about working at EAW as a full-time student? Hussain: The first was flexibility. It was absolutely amazing that Education at Work allowed me the opportunity to create my own schedule and work based off my own class schedule as a full-time student. This was my last semester, which was very hectic, and I had to also add on another class, but the flexibility I was provided to change my work schedule a couple of times to accommodate my changing class schedule was something I greatly appreciated. It allowed me to focus on my academics, while also earning an income working. It provided me with that multi-tasking ability. The second was working in a hybrid environment where I had the opportunity to either go into the office, work from home, or do both depending on my class schedule. My managers were very supportive in allowing me to come into the office for a shift prior to my classes, then stop to attend class and finish up my shift at home. I also loved the Fidelity campus, it was so beautiful, so I didn’t mind going into the office for my shifts. In fact, there were times I would just go to the office and get a study room to do my schoolwork or study. The third was the relationship that built with my Education at Work managers and co-workers. Everyone was so helpful, warm, and kind to me and my brother (who also worked at Education at Work). I really enjoyed working with them and made many friends. What would tell students who are looking for employment to help afford college and stay in school about Education at Work? Hussain: What I would tell students about Education at Work is it is a wonderful program if you want to make good money for part-time work and real-world experience at a major corporation. Regardless of what your major or degree is in, this opportunity is a great alternative if you find it hard to get an internship in your field of study which is many times hard to get. Education at Work allows you the opportunity to work with a fortune 500 company and have resume-worthy experience to show after graduation, allowing a great start to your career. I told all my friends and other students I know about working with Education at Work. You are provided a flexible work schedule that accommodates your classes, and for students who want to work for the summer and can’t get an internship, you have the chance to earn wages and tuition assistance along with skills and experience to put on your resume that would be applicable anywhere. This is a much better option than working a summer job at Walmart, Target, or Whole Foods. Now that you have graduated, what are your plans moving forward? Hussain: I have a position at Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company (HPE) as part of their inside sales team working in pre-sales and marketing. HP recently acquired a new cybersecurity/cloud platform, and my role is on a new task force, and it’s been amazing. It’s like I’m working for a startup while at a large company. Although I am on the sales side of things, my IT background is really helping with the job as I have been able to assist my co-workers and peers when they get stuck on topics related to technology. I am also getting a MS/MBA doing a double major, double masters, at University of Texas, Dallas (UTD) in Information Technology Management. “I cannot thank Education at Work and all the