How Facebook Helped Launch My Career

Sarah Fudin, Lehigh University alumna

Graduating from Lehigh University was an exciting time in my life. I couldn’t wait to move past the dorm rooms, final exams and group projects and begin my journey as a young professional.

By August, I was off to England to work as a teacher for youth girls lacrosse at a school outside of London. I was ecstatic to take an opportunity where I could go abroad for the first time in my life and continue to play and teach a sport that shaped a majority of my youth and college days.

My experience in England was eye opening, but when it was all said and done, I came back to the U.S. a little lost as to what to do next.

I arrived home after a flight from Heathrow to JFK and realized that now was the time to begin my job search.

I knew I didn’t want to take just any job, but one that would allow me to grow and develop. Like any diligent college graduate, I turned to Facebook.

I noticed that a friend of mine from Lehigh posted on Facebook a call for interns at a company he helped start. I reached out to him and asked about the internship opportunity. After a brief phone call, I decided I was moving to Washington, D.C., a mere 500 miles from my hometown. The company he helped start, 2U Inc, was everything I was looking for — a startup powered by smart, hardworking individuals with a passion for education. The ability to intern at 2U was a great jumping off point before taking the plunge into a full-time job that I may not have loved.

This quick Facebook interaction-turned phone conversation-turned internship (eventually turned full-time job) taught me a great lesson: the phone is an oft-underutilized but very powerful method of communication.

People can easily shirk off emails or other messages, but a phone call requires immediate action, and many people really appreciate the personal touch that a phone call brings with it. After all, you can’t really spam phone calls.

I had to break some old habits (I was one of those who felt Facebook was something for close family and friends only), but I’m glad I moved out of my comfort zone enough to reconnect and build meaningful relationships.

Sarah Fudin
Washington, D.C.

Sarah Fudin is a graduate of Lehigh University and currently works as an inbound marketing manager at 2U, Inc. At 2U Inc, Sarah manages the community relations for George Washington University’s online MPH programs. Outside of work, Sarah enjoys running, reading and all things education.