Christina Totino
At the beginning of my college experience, I did not know exactly what my future career would look like or what my dream job was. I came to Molloy undecided and was inspired by my sister to try to get into the healthcare field. Even though hospitals terrified me and working in that environment was never something I wanted to do, I thought I would try it out. As I got older and moved forward in college I learned more about myself and what my strengths and weaknesses are. I found myself constantly feeling discouraged as if I was striving for something I did not belong in. I would talk to people I knew that were graduated from college and ask them what their major was and why they love what they do for a living. I realized I wanted to choose a major and a career path that I felt was right for me. Sitting in my classes I wanted to feel excited to be there and eager to learn more. When I had a meeting with my advisor he asked me why I chose the path of health care and I told him I wanted to help others and build relationships with people. As I moved further in the program, I realized I was being taught to steer away from building close connections with others. That is when I realized the job was not for me and that on almost any other career path I would be able to engage with others and put my people skills to use. As I got older I realized that was my largest strength and I was going to find a path where I was able to do so. It is hard to know coming into college at seventeen years old, what you want the rest of your life to look like. Thankfully I realized what was best for me with the guidance of the people around me.
I talked to many different people to get an insight into what their job entails and what they studied in college. This helped me realize that I want to work in an environment where I feel comfortable and at ease, rather than stressed and discouraged. Learning more about myself and the kind of person I am is what strongly helped me decide as well as learning from others. After a lot of evaluating and brainstorming about what I wanted my future to look like, I decided to change my major to communications. I made this decision because I evaluated what I wanted most out of a career. This included working with people and using my natural skills to work for a company. I also was excited to learn everything that comes along with the communications field, such as media, broadcasting, and journalism. After changing my major I realized how much I love writing especially when I get to choose the topic, which is often what I am assigned. I feel as though I am on the right path to a career that I know is meant for me and where I can showcase my strengths. I do not know exactly where in the world that would be and that is why I love communications, it is broad enough for me to gain experience and learn as I go.
A strategic growth assistant understands the client's business and underlying KPS and grows the current business by continuing to find ways to improve it. They process new candidates in the field of professional health and law as well as other candidates, maintain confidential legal documents, and implement business solutions to help the firm grow. I had the pleasure of interviewing Julianna Totino, a strategic growth assistant for 3 months at Manatt Phelps and Phillips LLP. Manatt is a multidisciplinary, integrated national professional services firm known for quality and an extraordinary commitment to clients. They are keenly focused on specific industry sectors, providing legal and consulting capabilities at the very highest levels to achieve our clients’ business objectives. Locations are worldwide from New York to Los Angeles and have over 450 working professionals. Beyond energizing work, they are deeply committed to diversity, public service, involvement in the communities we serve, and excellence in all, they do at Manatt. “My favorite thing about my role at Manatt is that everyone in the firm has different educational backgrounds and roles but is able to work together towards the shared goal of helping client's needs and help the business grow” stated Julianna Totino in regards to the workplace environment at Manatt and how it plays a role in her life at the firm.
Julianna shared her story with me and encouraged me to strive for a career I would be excited to do every day. I chose to interview Julianna because she showed me that the most important factor when making the decision of what I wanted to study was to choose what made me happy. I would talk to her about her experience in college and her job opportunities and felt inspired to learn more. Julianna attended Adelphi University as a Psychology major. She now does strategic growth for Manatt Phelps and Philips. For Julianna’s job, she commutes into the city Monday through Wednesday and works from home Thursdays and Fridays. When she commutes into the city she travels to time square and works from her own office, which I found extremely nice. As I learned more about Juliannas's everyday tasks I realized how nice and exciting it would be to work in the city. I've always loved going into the city for any occasion and I take every opportunity I can to do so. This position requires you to complete a lot of projects where you gather data to come up with implanting solutions/ business plans that will benefit the company. Julianna described a normal day at work as “legal recruiting where I process applications for Manatt health whether it be analyst position, consultant, attorney, manager or senior manages typically where I go through resume transcripts cover letters and put them through data entry with legal files in excel.” This job entails completing any tasks necessary to help the company and corporation. “What excited me most about my job is “the variety of different people I get to work with and the variety of different work I am assigned to do. I am constantly assigned different tasks which keep me interested in the work and I absolutely love working in New York City” stated Julianna Totino in regards to her portion at Manatt Phelps and Philips and why she loves what she does.
Deciding what you want to do for the rest of your life has been one of the most difficult decisions I’ve had to make. It is not easy to know what path is right for you and where you see yourself in four to five years, but with the right guidance and knowledge of yourself, it is not as scary as one might think. Like I said in the beginning, I always knew the health care field was not for me and I went against myself. After realizing I needed to choose a path that would make me happy and exceed all executions for myself, I became more excited about my future than ever before. Doing what makes you feel happy and comfortable is the most important lesson I’ve learned throughout my college experience.
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