Take every chance to learn and don’t worry about failing. This is just one of the many wise pieces of advice shared by Zoetis experts during a student networking event hosted by the National Pork Producers Council (NPPC) and Zoetis at the World Pork Expo.
Over 80 students attended the breakfast and panel discussion moderated by Kara Collins, senior manager customer marketing for Zoetis. Students discovered the diversity of career paths they can find in the swine industry including veterinary work, consulting, sales marketing and travel opportunities regionally and internationally.
Networking is a critical skill that students need, Collins says. She was fortunate to have an internship in college that included many networking events that had a profound impact on her life.
“Those soft skills of shaking hands and introducing yourself, getting comfortable meeting new people and learning from each other is so important,” Collins says. “We want to support our future ag students to be the best that they can be and to meet them where they are going to be to help them grow.”
Jake Sterle, NPPC director of industry resource development, says the passion in the swine industry continues to grow and keep people involved and engaged.
“It’s really all about the experiences and the networking and the people that you meet along the way,” Sterle says. “I had a professor in college tell us that 50% of what you learn in college is in the classroom, the remaining 50% is learned outside of the classroom through extracurricular activities such as networking events, attending conferences and participating in internships.”
Try Everything
The panel of industry experts included Chris Ready, Zoetis vice president head of U.S. livestock marketing and marketing operations; Wesley Lack, Zoetis national sales director, U.S. pork; and David Pyburn, DVM, Zoetis managing technical services veterinarian. Their lively discussion kicked off with each panelist sharing a little about their current roles and career journey – including lessons learned along the way.
“Events like this are important to help us know what we want to look for… it’s good to hear from people in the industry and learn how they got to where they are,” says Brynn Lozinski, a graduate student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.
Some of the notable takeaways from the panelists ranged from “it’s okay to learn what you don’t want to do” to “ask every question and try everything.”
Students asked their share of thoughtful questions about how to motivate their friends to learn more about the swine industry to how to make the most out of internship experiences.
“Being someone that does not directly come from the industry, events like this give me the opportunity to make more connections and soak up knowledge,” explains Emma Brewer, a senior at Kansas State University.
Jillian Heidman, a senior at Kansas State University, agrees. For Heidman, the one-on-one interactions with professionals in the industry were incredibly helpful. Not only did they offer a sense of belonging at a global industry event, but they also helped make it easier to go up and network with the next person.
An Unquestionable Need
The need for people to pursue pork industry careers has never been greater. Sterle says leaders across all facets of the industry are in high demand.
“It’s awesome to have companies like Zoetis, investing in the youth and trying to create those opportunities and networking opportunities,” he says. “But more importantly, their leadership advice on how students can plan their future is invaluable.”
This is just one of the ways Zoetis is trying to connect with the next generation. The company recently hosted a swine workshop and in-barn training in Minnesota. Collins believes more of these events will pop up in the future because of the positive response they received.
“The industry today is not the same as it was 10 years ago,” Collins says. “Technology is changing. We have similarities, but we also have differences. We want to support students exactly where they are. We want to understand and learn from them about how best to support them.”
She also encourages veterinary students to take a look at the Student Veterinary Internship Program, a summer experience for veterinary students to get hands-on experience in cutting-edge research and opportunities to present their findings at scientific meetings and conferences.
Sterle and Collins encourage students to step out of their comfort zones and start networking to find opportunities that best fit their career interests. The opportunities to gain valuable experiences in the pork industry are abundant, they say.
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