Jamie Hartong - Contract Specialist (Wright Patterson Air Force Base)
"My goals after graduation were to obtain a job that I would love and that also allowed me to utilize my degrees. I feel that this position allows me to use my degree to the fullest and show all my potential! As a Contract Specialist, I could be purchasing items from goggles to billion dollar aircrafts for the Air Force. I will be in direct contact with Air Force personnel as well as businesses to make deals on what the Air Force needs to do their job. The other end of my job will be to ensure that these goods get to the men and women protecting our country when they need it.
I am looking forward to not only moving to a new city and meeting new people, but learning more about how our government works. I think it will make me further appreciate what our armed forces do, as well as to have a say in what our tax money goes to, and to make sure we are getting the biggest bang for our buck. The idea of putting my education to use is also a great feeling.
COBI was crucial to finding this WPAFB Contract Specialist position. Wright Patterson contacted our Business Career Programs office to do some on-campus recruiting. I found out about the position through an email notification that Carol Stamm sent out and actually interviewed on campus because Wright Patterson came to us! It made it very convenient to go through the whole process.
COBI really prepared me for this position in numerous ways. I got the opportunity to learn so much from my professors and colleagues in class. The staff members that I worked with in the Student Retention and Academic Success office allowed me to attend graduate school by providing me with a graduate assistantship, and the Business Career Programs office helped me develop my resume, cover letter, practice interviewing and provided me with this job opportunity! I couldn’t have asked for better faculty and staff to help guide me through these past few years!
My undergraduate degree was in Marketing and International Business; I always enjoyed seeing ads on TV and magazines and determining what target market they were trying to penetrate. The international business was my desire to travel; I felt that it could open doors to an international company so that I would not be stuck in an office all day! My graduate degree is in Leadership, which I thought was crucial to the success of wanting to be a leader in the business world.
The University of Toledo attracted me with its gorgeous campus and the opportunities that it could offer its students. The staff that I spoke with on my Experience Day were more than welcoming and informative. It already had felt like home. (I transferred from The University of Akron…one of my best decisions to date!) I would strongly suggest to anyone considering a business degree to enroll at UT. I believe that whether you are graduating with your MBA, PHD or BBA, you will have the skills and knowledge to be successful in your future. The faculty and staff are very student-centered and care greatly about the success of their students."