by Jim Toes

The Graduate is an American classic based on the novel of the same name by Charles Webb. The film tells the story of 21-year-old Benjamin Braddock, (played by Dustin Hoffman), a recent college graduate who has no idea of what to do with his life and is constantly being asked by his parents about his future plans. The film was a box-office success and the closing shot of Ben riding off with Katherine Ross, having just save her from the alter with the Sounds of Silence playing in the background, is forever etched in our memories.

Luckily for its Hollywood producers, the Graduate was released in 1967 and not 2020, as it is doubtful people would view it as its intended romantic-comedy.

This week and next, college students across the U.S. and Canada are finishing up their spring semesters, most, if not all, completely online. Seniors, who normally would be donning their caps and gowns, and gearing up for all the pomp and circumstance of graduation, have basically seen their college experience flatline. The impact to college students from the decisions made in response to COVID-19 have been nothing short of traumatic.

As parents, it is natural for us to want to protect our children from these types of situations, even when they become young adults. Unfortunately, reality only allows us to do so much; we cannot take their place. Instead we provide support and guidance with the hope that they recover stronger with the wisdom that comes from overcoming a challenging life experience. 

As an association composed of individuals who serve individuals, STA has a personal sense of what many of you are going through right now, and we are offering to help.

Recognizing that for the foreseeable future, interviews for full-or part-time jobs will be conducted almost exclusively virtually, STA has set aside time each week for 30-minute virtual conversation with ANY college senior, regardless of major.

While it goes without saying that young people are quite comfortable socially engaging with friends via Facetime, Skype or some other virtual means, a structured interview presents unique challenges and as such, the experience and feedback we are providing could be beneficial. 

Recognizing that for the foreseeable future, interviews for internships and full-time jobs will be conducted almost exclusively virtually, STA has set aside time each week for 30-minute conversations with ANY college senior, regardless of major.

Details on how your child can participate are provided below. Again, this offer is open to any college senior. If you have a graduate with non-finance degree, please make them aware that within every financial firm there are individuals performing jobs in technology, law, government policy, marketing and communications. So, their time will not be wasted.

If your student doesn’t have a polished resume, a brief paragraph describing themselves will suffice.

We realize these are strange times, to say the least. Our offer is simple and sincere, and we hope your recent college graduate takes us up on it. 

Details

• 30-minute conversations will take place over Zoom between 4:00 – 6:00 p.m. EDT every Wednesday, beginning May 13 through June 24, 2020. 

• To request a time slot, please email us at sta@securitytraders.org.

• Include your resume (or a brief description) along with dates and times that you are available. 

• Appointments will be scheduled on a first come, first serve basis. We will do our best to accommodate all requests.

We look forward to speaking with as many of you as possible!