AV俱乐部

Marketing Management major Noah Innes is a people person. During his time at AV俱乐部, he鈥檚 made lasting friendships and professional contacts and did the networking that helped him secure his first full-time job. 鈥淭he people I met in first year are the people I stayed friends with throughout the degree,鈥� he says. They were a huge source of support.鈥�

Noah grew up in Halifax and chose AV俱乐部 in part because his parents and sister were Dal alumni. 鈥淗alifax has grown so much, it鈥檚 turning into the kind of city I want to live in,鈥� he says. The mandatory co-op work terms in the Commerce program were also a draw. 鈥淚 like that it鈥檚 so well integrated into the program, and you still graduate in four years.鈥� 听

Noah did co-op terms with Royal Bank, a technology company called InterTalk where he did B2B marketing and Nova Scotia Works 鈥� Job Junction, where he got experience marketing directly to the public. He had a chance to run ad campaigns, develop and implement social media plans, interact with clients at trade shows, edit websites and find out how much he liked working with people.

Commerce students complete a semester of intermediate coursework affectionately referred to as Comm Summer immediately after their first work term is complete. 鈥淓verybody says this is the best semester, and I鈥檓 stuck inside, my friends are at the beach,鈥� he laughs. Looking back, some of his best memories come from that summer, like a boat cruise he took with his cohort. 鈥淚t allowed us to get closer, get to know each other better.鈥� His business law course with Graham Steele also turned out to be a highlight. 鈥淚 thought it would be dry, but it was by far my favourite course. He made it super interesting; I looked forward to every class.鈥� 听

He also has fond memories of business communication professor Linda Macdonald: 鈥渟he helped me find my way when I was starting off in the program. I鈥檝e never met a professor as committed to her students as her. We鈥檙e still in touch.鈥�

If Noah had the chance to do it over, he says 鈥淚 probably would have become more involved in extra-curricular activities. In the first few years, I was really focused on doing well in my classes.鈥� In his last year, he joined the Rowe Women in Business Association as the VP marketing. 鈥淏eing on the executive makes you feel like you have a positive impact on Dal student life. And it was a great marketing experience, I got to spearhead the communications for the annual conference and do giveaways, which was fun.鈥�

Noah has started working at IBM in Halifax as a business consultant and IT specialist in its project management practice. He鈥檚 part of a cohort that was hired into the Global Business Services Associates Program, and will spend a year training to gain specialized skills that a more experienced professional would have. For the first few months that means a lot of what he鈥檚 trained for while completing courses remotely over the past year鈥攐nline learning modules, video lectures, assessments鈥攂ut he'll be working on his first contract soon.

鈥淚t isn鈥檛 really where I saw myself after graduating. I always envisioned working at a local marketing firm,鈥� he says. But studying and working in marketing during his co-op terms helped Noah realize how important it is to him to have a job working with people. Project management means liaising with many different departments and clients, which means he鈥檒l get to know everyone. And living through COVID-19 made him rethink some of his priorities: IBM will let him stay close to home with a lot of room for career growth.听 听

In addition to looking forward to working with his first client at IBM, Noah is dreaming of being able to travel again. 鈥淐OVID has cancelled three trips on me now! I was supposed to go to New Zealand, South America and Florida.鈥� But the summer is looking bright, especially now that patios can safely open in Halifax. 鈥淭rying out new restaurants with my friends is one of my favourite things. If I get a chance to support a local restaurant, I鈥檓 there."

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