Career Chatter is a podcast from the Queens College School of Business that serves to address one of the most persistent challenges for undergraduates: bridging the gap between academic life and professional readiness. It is hosted by Gerry Marotta and Liz O’Connell.
The Career Chatter was launched in Fall 2024, establishing itself as an essential resource for students navigating the career exploration. It is available on QC’s School of Business website.
Gerry Marotta is a Career Coach at the CUNY School of Business and Liz O’Connell is an Associate Director of Career Education at QC’s Center for Career Engagement and Internships.
To learn more about the resource, The Knight News received comment from Gerry Marotta, who offered insight into the podcast’s creation and its role in career preparedness at Queens College:
“Career Chatter was designed to bring awareness that there is a gap between academic courses, career learnings and skills. Students may struggle finding jobs if they just have a degree and no marketable skills… The Career Chatter podcast is to bring awareness of the Career Design Lab as a resource where students can learn what they need to do to bridge that gap.”
Furthermore, they receive actionable knowledge, including networking tactics, interview preparation and guidance on finding mentors. As a Queens College alum herself, Marotta attributes her own career to her QC education. “If students put in the work to become career aware and career ready, the possibilities will be endless for them.”
The career chatter is produced through a content-based guest selection strategy. Marotta says, “I generally book guests that will deliver career value and help students understand what they need to do to get the help in finding the jobs they want. Guests are designed to teach and open students’ minds to the art of what is possible by sharing their career journeys.”
The visibility of the podcast is a challenge that the Career Chatter has addressed. They have made it a long term goal of theirs to continue creating the podcast providing career tips, guidance and interviews to reach out to students. They would like to incorporate more interactive elements like weekly call-ins to boost engagement, and reach a larger audience.
In episode two of the podcast, Marotta mentions the various opportunities that have opened up for students who worked to become career ready. She guides students through a variety of concepts that provide the skills needed to succeed in their career. The Career Chatter serves as a resource for students seeking guidance.
“Finding your career path can be a scary time for many students. They are faced with information overload, uncertainty about what they want to do or even can do, said Marotta.
She finishes, “A podcast was another extension of the hope that we can reach students to get them the guidance they need with their careers.”
