Connect for Success

Massachusetts State Treasurer Timothy Cahill, a Boston University alumnus, told students on Wednesday that although the economic forecast is gloomy, there is still opportunity in the job market for open-minded graduates.

‘Don’t worry, things will not get any worse than they are now,’ he said to an audience of about 220 students and 50 alumni at the School of Management. ‘[The current economic situation] is an opportunity to do stuff that you wouldn’t have felt comfortable doing because you were going to be put in a slot.’

Connect for Success, organized by the Student Alumni Council, aimed to connect current and past BU students.

‘It is one way for alumni to come back and say ‘This is how I did it,” School of Management junior Rukshanana Karunaratne, a SAC member said.

Cahill graduated in 1981 when the economy was also troubled. He said he made mistakes on his way to becoming state treasurer, but that he learned from mistakes.

‘ ‘It’s not a straight path, but you will get more from your failures than your successes,’ Cahill said. ‘Don’t expect to get the job your first time out.’

Cahill said BU prepared him for the workforce because ‘when you get out there, there is nobody that’s going to hold your hand.’

Networking is an important part of finding success in any career, Cahill said.

‘You have to put yourself out there and not be afraid to ask people for help,’ Cahill said. ‘Be nice to everyone because you never know when you’ll be sitting across from them in an interview.’

Cahill told students it was important to find something they truly enjoyed in their careers.

‘You are going to spend a lot of your time outside of school working,’ he said. ‘If you hate it, don’t do it.’

College of Arts and Sciences senior Megan Barker said Cahill’s speech made her think about her education.

‘It gave me great perspectives on how well BU has prepared us,’ she said.

Students said they appreciated Cahill’s upbeat tone at a time when graduating students are worried about the tough job marker.

‘As far as the economy is concerned, it’s a sticky situation because everyone is in a hiring freeze,’ CAS senior Fatma Kibwana said. ‘It’s nice that they are having events like this.’

CAS senior Brittany Fisher said the speech made her feel better about the rough economy.

‘Overall, the general comments brought your hopes up,’ Fisher said.

The speech was straightforward, CAS sophomore Varun Khedekar said.

‘I was surprised by the speech because he was very honest and not trying to sugarcoat anything,’ he said.