AROUND THE QUADS
5 Minutes with … Kavita Sharma
Interview:
Rose Kernochan '82 Barnard
Kavita Sharma, dean of the Center for Career Education, received her B.S. in politics and international studies from the University of Southampton (UK) and her M.S. in politics of the world economy from the London School of Economics. She joined CCE as associate director in December 2002 and was appointed dean in January 2007. CCT caught up with her in March to find out some of her plans.
Q: Where did you grow up?
A: In London, mostly West London, but I have lived all over London.
Q: What brought you to
the United States?
A: My husband’s job. He is an economist for an economic consultancy firm, based in Oxford, U.K. They have a small sales office in Manhattan. I came over with a little child, planning a life of leisure, maybe some volunteer work, maybe taking some classes, but the visa situation changed just when I came over and it became legal for me to work.
Q: Was moving here an adjustment?
A: No. I’m a city person; I have “city” in my blood. If you can live in London, you can live in New York. If you can live in New York, you can live in London.
Q: Where did you work before Columbia?
A: At the University of London Career Service, the largest higher-ed career service in Europe.
Q: How is it different working here?
A: It was a very different campus community … Here, there’s the opportunity to really build relationships with students and alumni. The extent to which alums engage in campus life is really different. Also, students in the U.S. are far more career-savvy. They start earlier, are better presented and are more aware of the importance of networking than their British counterparts.
Q: What’s new at CCE?
A: First, the International Internships Program. In London, for example, we
will have students interning for three months during the summer in a range of profit- and not-for-profit organizations. One of these is Jubilee 2000, which does debt relief for developing countries — the Bono outfit. Throughout, the students are supported by the London Alumni Club. The alumni are mentoring, helping them adjust and organizing social events for them.
Q: What else are you working on?
A: We recently held a San Francisco employer breakfast, which attracted firms such as Charles Schwab, Barclays Global, Young and Rubicon, and Google, and we’re planning follow-ups in Boston and D.C. Given that close to 40 percent of College grads leave New York City, we need to be able to develop opportunities outside the city.
Q: How do alumni fit into your plans?
A: First, as participants. An alum could be a “recruiting captain” for his or her firm or the employer of a Columbia intern. Second, as clients working on career development issues. CCE can help them with their résumés, their job search strategies, their interview techniques. Then there’s Columbia Career Connections, which brings together students and alumni for the purpose of career networking in an online community. To ensure that students make the best use of this, we put them through a mandatory workshop — teaching them effective networking techniques, what kind of advice they can expect to get from an informational interview and how to build all this into a job or internship search strategy.
Q: What’s your favorite part of your job?
A: I really like being part of a campus community. And I enjoy the challenge of preparing young people for an ever-changing world.
Q: What’s the last movie you saw?
A: Little Children.
Q: What is your favorite place?
A: That’s very difficult. I’d say Rio de Janeiro, for the people-watching. You don’t need to do anything to feel fully occupied in Rio.
Q: Where do you live?
A: Brooklyn, and I love it! Carroll Gardens.
Q: Any pets?
A: (Laughter) No, thanks!
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