As college students, we can’t help but feel some uncertainty about how our lives will be after we graduate. The economy is constantly changing and jobs are always requiring more experience than what we are able to provide straight out of school. With all these obstacles to face, college graduate Miguel Lobo still kept at it and was able to obtain a job straight out of school.
Lobo and his family came from Honduras in 2003 when he was five years old in hopes of furthering his education. He did exactly that by graduating from the University of North Georgia with a Finance BBA and an associates in Business Administration. When it was getting close to his graduation date, Lobo was uncertain about what his future would look like since he knew that he did not have any experience in his field. His only work experience was in customer service and a short internship that he got three months before graduating. Lobo graduated this past summer and found a job at Morgan Stanley, an international investment bank.
“I work within their Wealth Management group assisting their Corporate Solutions team as a Client Service Associate while I gain my certifications to trade on accounts,” Lobo said. His salary started off at $56k a year without bonuses or other incentives that could be added to his pay. When he started the application process he knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but Lobo has always been an optimistic person.
“I sent out a lot of applications and I had a lot of interviews, some which I felt very confident about and others where I knew I didn’t do so well. Funny story. When I did the interview with my current employer, we would sometimes have two-minute awkward silence but somehow I got the job,” he said.
When Lobo started his classes freshman year he was certain that his career pathway was going to be a biology major. However, a couple of semesters in he realized that wasn’t the case. He switched his major to finance and has never looked back. He is grateful for this decision because had he stayed, he would have graduated in the middle of the pandemic.
“Imagine if I had graduated last year during the pandemic? That would’ve been so hard to try and find a job when no one was hiring,” Lobo said.
“Do it in your own time, if you can’t graduate in four years IT’S OKAY! The world isn’t going to end.”-Miguel Lobo
Lobos’ office is at home so he has been able to pick up on some hobbies such as baking.
“I have some time on my hands now since my job doesn’t require me to be on my computer 24/7 so when waiting for email replies, I take advantage of my time and learn how to make new things,” Lobo said.
The recipes that he is most confident about right now are his brownies and pumpkin cupcakes. He also enjoys mountain biking, fishing, kayaking, golfing with friends from time to time, off-roading in his truck, eating, and traveling. After his day is over at work, he has made it a priority to get some exercise by riding his bike whether it be with his sister or alone.
“I like to ride the Chicopee Woods trails, the UNG trails, and sometimes at the Cool Springs Park. I try to be on my bike by 5:30 p.m. so that I can get enough sunlight,” he said.
Lobo is still adjusting to adult life but he is very grateful for everything UNG did to prepare him for the next chapter in his life.
“College was never easy for me. I had to really study and work hard to graduate. Everyone struggles in college, but it is your own journey,” Lobo said.
He will soon start a hybrid schedule that will allow him to be in the office for two or three days a week which will be a nice change of environment for him. Lobo’s last words of wisdom to college students is to “Just remember it’s about you and your time, don’t worry about anyone else around you.”
