Beth Karabin

About Me

Hometown: Sun Prairie, WI

Education: UW-Eau Claire – Major: Sales/Marketing, Minors: International Business, Japanese

Hobbies: knitting and crafting, reading sci-fi and history, karaoke, video games, my cats

What do you like about your Career Community: Technology, Data & Analytics? 

I do not have programming skills myself, and I’m in awe of what computer programming is capable of! One of my favorite things is to listen to others describe their Technology skills and careers. Technology is dynamic and is always changing, and it’s part of everyone’s life. Technology is also such a flexible career path. You can specialize in one language or type of program, or you can diversify your experience into leading people, designing solutions or looking for new ways to integrate technology. 

What was your best/worst student job or internship?

In college, I worked as a Study Abroad Peer Advisor and it was my favorite job! I studied abroad in Osaka, Japan and so I shared my experiences and knowledge to prepare other students for living in Japan for four months. I got to share all my tips and life-hacks about enjoying student life overseas!

I also worked a sales/marketing internship with the ITC Maurya Hotel in New Delhi, India. The Maurya is a five-star hotel that often has famous guests — Hillary Clinton ate at our restaurant while I was there! While I ended up not going into hospitality, the cultural exchange of working internationally was a truly unique experience that I love to talk about.

What was your first job?

My first job ever was as a Night Programmer for the Sun Prairie Cable Access TV. It was my job to change the VHS tapes over for evening TV broadcasts, and I also helped record shows and keep the camera equipment clean.

My first job after college was as a Management Trainee with Enterprise Rent-A-Car. It was a sales-focused job, which taught me a lot about relating to people and truly listening to their needs and concerns. It also required a lot of driving, which I learned quickly that I am not very good at!

What made you decide to work in career services?

I worked in HR and staffing for ten years before joining SuccessWorks. Through that, I discovered I sincerely enjoyed helping people understand and shape their careers. Much of the job search process is confusing and opaque – it’s my goal to share my knowledge to help others reach their goals.