A career in insurance wasn't on his mind when Max Roberts pursued a political science degree at the University of Cincinnati, but that is where he landed.
"I originally thought I'd pursue law or public policy," said Roberts. "Political science gave me a strong foundation in critical analysis and communication, skills that turned out to be surprisingly relevant in the insurance world."
"Coming from a serving job at a brewery, I knew nothing about what life is like in the corporate world or how to be a professional," said Roberts. "The co-op experience was absolutely invaluable to shaping how I pictured professional life."
UC is the founder of co-operative education, having invented it more than 100 years ago. Today, UC's commitment to experience-based learning is embedded through the Bearcat Promise, which delivers real-world experience and career-readiness, with both a degree and a future plan in place.
Roberts is among many students transitioning from university to the corporate world.
How is a student with a full-time course load supposed to know what to expect from a corporate environment when they haven't had the chance, or the time, to be in one?
"I wholeheartedly believe that through learning by doing students are more engaged versus learning about concepts without hands on experience," said Lee.
For Roberts, someone who had trouble pinning down a specific career fit for him, a co-op was the perfect opportunity. And luckily, he had someone in his inner circle convincing him of the value of the program.
"My mom was a student in DAAP at UC, and she landed her first job through a co-op she took through UC. So, for me when I got my acceptance letter I knew where I wanted to go," said Roberts.
The co-op program was established at UC for students facing this exact dilemma.
"Learning by doing, or as others call it, experiential learning or work integrated learning, is a key tenant of UC since Dean Herman Schneider established the co-op program in the early 1900's," said Lee.
And it was from experimenting that Roberts was introduced to the pros of having a background consisting of a different area of study.
