Maggie Erlich was the guest for the Employment class on the morning of Wednesday, June 10, 2020. Maggie serves as the Business Liaison for the College Experience but has been with the program for a very long time. Maggie was one of the first teachers ​when a position for the Academic Coordinator opened up shortly after the program was founded in 2005. This allowed her to take the College Experience from a part-time program to more of the full-time model that people see today. In 2013 Maggie began working on internships with Bill Lynch and more things related to finding employment opportunities for the students in their various internships. The flexibility of this new role allowed Maggie to be an active part of the College Experience while still allowing her to raise her two children.

Maggie’s advice is that “finding and making contacts is thinking about who you already know. Who your friends are…who your neighbors are…friends you have made at past employment. What are your interests and passions as you try to make a connection with them and find out more.”

Maggie also made it clear that rejection can be inevitable and she has definitely heard the word, “no” plenty of times. Most people say it nicely, however. But sometimes the word “no” can turn into “yes” over time. For example, Maggie spoke of an experience in which someone in a government agency within the City of Albany was ​not responding to her calls and emails. Maggie was explaining her struggle to connect with this agency to someone she was having a conversation with at a social gathering. By coincidence, this person worked for that particular agency! An interview was arranged for one of the students within about a day’s time.

She added that connections are made more easily if you know what to ask. “You have to practice what you want to say. You also want to talk a little bit about what you are interested in and what you are passionate about. It is important to practice with your family…practice in the mirror. Try to make a connection with ​the person. If you feel comfortable and they feel comfortable (Jesse, I’m confused by this sentence since it’s not complete, even though I apparently said it? Maybe best to remove this sentence?). And if you are comfortable with that person they are more likely to remember you.”

We thank Maggie Erlich for always going above and beyond the line of duty as far as arranging employment opportunities for our students at the College Experience. Here is a screenshot of the class giving Maggie a virtual round of applause. (Maggie is in the fourth row down second to the left).