Students do find jobs. Students do get into grad school.
Still doubt it? Here are three success stories from BYU students from the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences who just graduated with their Bachelor’s degree last year. Find out what type of jobs they found, how they got them, or what research they are doing.
Lorraine (Hilton) Alexander
Lorraine Alexander, who graduated in mathematics, runs statistical reports for Domo, Inc., a Utah-based company that specializes in business intelligence tools and data visualization.
She met recruiters from Domo at the STEM Fair in February 2015.
“My brother was like, ‘It’s super hard to get a job at Domo, so don’t feel bad if they don’t hire you,’” Alexander said.
The Domo recruiters called her two days after the STEM Fair to set up an interview. She said her resume and interview impressed them, even though she majored in math and not computer science. Domo hired her for the six-month internship and taught her a new programming language. She said she picked it up quickly, and the company gave her a full-time position after she graduated in June 2015.
“I really love Domo. I’ll probably be here for a long time, and then I’d love someday to work in the bay area for Apple. That’d be my dream job,” Alexander said.
Nils Otterstrom
Nils Otterstrom graduated in physics from BYU in 2015 and now attends Yale University where he works on his graduate degree and researches integrated photonics.
BYU’s experimental and theoretical approach to science helped him build an impressive resume and qualify for an Ivy League school. Otterstrom said he learned hands-on skills that taught him how to work in a lab. His advisor and professors discussed strategies on how to get accepted into grad school. He attended a Physics GRE boot camp on Saturdays to get a good score on the Physics GRE test, which he had to take in addition to the general GRE test.
Otterstrom researched atomic molecular and optical physics as an undergrad at BYU. He changed to non-linear optics when he came to Yale and now studies integrated photonics.
“I really enjoyed working with lasers and light in my undergrad, but I was also interested in the intersection of computer chips and light,” he said.
He lives in Connecticut with his wife and they are expecting their first child.
Vinnie Brazelton
Vinnie Brazelton, who studied statistics at BYU, works as a text analytics developer for InMoment, a Utah-based organization that helps companies improve their business. He began researching jobs eight months before graduating April, 2015. He saw an InMoment job posting on BYU Bridge and decided to apply.
“I looked over [InMoment’s] website, saw job description things, noticed a lot of skills they were looking for was stuff I learned as a statistics major,” Brazelton said.
Brazelton got the job and started working there in March 2015. He said doing internships and projects on campus helped prepare to work for InMoment. He worked as a Research Consultant for BYU College of Family, Home and Social Sciences for five months where he learned software and programming skills.
He also helped design a sample for the 2014 election exit poll at BYU because he had considered political analyst as a career. This experience, along with attending career fairs regularly, helped him revise his career goals. He met InMoment at one of the career fairs and decided that was a better fit for him.
“That’s one of the best things you can do,” Brazelton said about career fairs. “Just dress up, go, have a good resume and just talk to the people.”