MTV’s Friedman ’91: Keynote Career Advice

MTV President Stephen K. Friedman ’91 returned to campus on Feb. 25,  as the keynote speaker for a day of seminars to celebrate the grand opening of the new Career Center at 41 Wyllys Ave.

From the vantage point of 21 years out, Friedman, a COL major who had begun his post-Wesleyan days looking for a career in cultural anthropology, distilled his work experience into succinct directives: listen to your inner voice, show enthusiasm, adapt to change, be humble, choose a good boss (when possible), and embrace risk.

On that last matter, though, he concluded: “If you want to go out there and make a giant leap into the unknown and you are following your gut, it’s not a risk. When I follow my gut, it works. Follow your career direction, but do it loosely; I’ve never seen it be a linear process.” CONNECT WITH WESLEYAN

“What the economy needs is people who are nimble and broad thinkers, always willing to learn and grow, always in permanent beta. And those qualities do set Wesleyan students apart.”