Rachel De Young
Staff Writer ‘16
The O’Brien Center for Student Success’ real world initiative allows Merrimack students to experience a workplace for a day. Launched over Winter Break last year, the “Day in the Life” site visits give students the opportunity to see the inner workings of a successful organization focusing in their field of interest. According to Amanda Brian, Employer Relations Specialist, so far over 125 students have taken advantage of site visits and their positive feedback has allowed the O’Brien Center to expand their offerings.
Students have visited Moody, Famiglietti & Andronico, Lahey Health Behavioral Services, Pfizer, Putnam, Dyn, and LaBelle Winery this year. Past sites include Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Liberty Mutual, iRobot, and CDM Smith.
Students who sign up are provided transportation to the organization by O’Brien Center staff. While there, they get the opportunity to learn from employees and sometimes Merrimack alumni about the company, industry, and tips for career success. “This hands-on experience allows the students to picture themselves in the workforce and gain valuable knowledge about their future careers,” said Amanda Brian.
Senior Kristin MacLellan attended the Liberty Mutual “Day in the Life” site visit last year in Boston.
“Getting the opportunity to see inside a Fortune 100 company was eye-opening. Being a senior, it was definitely beneficial to travel into Boston and see a place I could see myself working at,”.
“Not only did we get to tour the office, we got to listen to presentations regarding what recruiters look for in potential candidates. Hearing directly from these recruiters opened my eyes to the qualities that would make me stand apart from the others.”
While the O’Brien Center does offer longer programs such as internships and externships, this short-term opportunity leaves lasting effects on the students who attend. Samantha Medina, Student Success Manager at the O’Brien Center encourages students of all classes to take advantage of “Day in the Life” site visits, but “the earlier the better.”
“Day in the Life” site visits have expanded our student’s opportunities for a glance into the workplace,” Medina said. “We’ve seen students realize the career they envisioned was a bit different in real life.”
There are upcoming “Day in the Life” site visits taking place during Spring Break at Hubspot on March 22 and ARC Technology Solutions on March 23.
To sign up for this opportunity or to get more information, contact the O’Brien Center at careerservices@merrimack.edu. You can also stop in for Career Lab, Monday – Thursday 1:00-3:00pm to have any other questions answered.
