The Vanderbilt on Madison Avenue trip was one of the most exciting experiences I’ve had through school so far. I am grateful for the many opportunities we had to connect with alumni at various amazing companies and for all the knowledge I’ve gained about what life would be like working in the entertainment industry. Of all the incredible places we toured, Viacom was by far my favorite. I really appreciated that three out of the four people who spoke to us were Vanderbilt alumni; it made their jobs seem much more attainable. I loved the fun, hard-working, social, and intelligent atmosphere of the company, and overall, it really felt like a similar environment to Vanderbilt. Here, just like every other company we visited, I learned a really important thing that I hadn’t yet heard: getting a job in the entertainment industry is much different than getting one in any other industry. Jobs are generally not confirmed or guaranteed until after a person graduates and is able to immediately start working. As difficult and scary as that is for someone who always likes to plan one step ahead, it was a necessary realization to come to.
Other than that, I really loved that Jim Balbirer, a senior VP at Viacom, spoke to us about what made Vanderbilt students stand out among other candidates. It was wonderful to hear that being social and understanding how to develop connections is a skill that Vanderbilt students automatically learn just by being students at our incredible university. It was also inspiring to hear how much of an impact Vanderbilt has made on his life.
The photo from above is from our visit to the Facebook headquarters in New York City. I chose this photo because it really depicts how I see NYC: grand, colorful, busy, and vibrant. It was my first time in New York, and so in addition to really experiencing the entertainment industry first-hand, VMA also allowed me to explore a place that I’d always wanted to visit. New York lived up to all my expectations and more. It was just as exciting, big-city-feeling as I’d hoped, and I truly could imagine myself living there one day. All in all, VMA was the best spring break trip I could have hoped for!
-Siri Yelamanchili