A Conversation with Sprott Alumni Chloe Severson

Since graduating in 2020, Carleton University Bachelor of Commerce graduate Chloe Severson has been balancing her work as a full-time finance administrator at the Lanark District Health Unit and as a part-time Professor at St. Lawrence College’s School of Business. 

What program did you take at Carleton University’s Sprott School of Business?

I took the Bachelor of Commerce and then I graduated in 2020, right when the pandemic started which I feel lucky about because there was a lot of people who did not graduate that year when they were supposed to.

Why did you choose to study at Sprott?

I actually started at Brock University. I did my first year there and then I transferred to Sprott at Carleton. I moved to Sprott because I really liked the campus and it was nice and close to home.

I liked a lot of teachers that I met at the really well put together orientation day. I met all the professors and other students who were taking the same program. Overall, that was a really good experience that influenced my decision to stay with Sprott.

Did Sprott help influence the path you are on now?

Yes, Sprott definitely had a big influence. I didn’t really take a concentration when I was doing my program. I did general, taking a lot of different courses in a bunch of different areas, because I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do.

Being able try so many different things lead me to a start in the finance field and at the same time be a teaching assistant. That was during my program and now,  I’m a finance administrator and a part time professor so it relates.

I can say it was Sprott’s flexible program that allowed me to try different things led me to what I am doing now career wise. I have taken that flexible mindset into my career also because I am still trying different things and am not 100 per cent set on one path right now.

What was your experience entering the work force after graduating?

It was all about trial for me when I first started working. Like I said, I am still in the mindset of trying different things. When I first started working after graduating, I worked for an electrical company and I was doing reception and administrative type of duties. Then I started working as an accounting administrator at a farm, which was different. Now I’m working at a health unit, so I’m still doing finance. I was able to make use of the different roles I took on at Sprott, like the teaching assistant program which allowed me to branch out into teaching now that I am graduated.

What subjects are you teaching part time?

In the fall semester, I was teaching business communications. And then in the winter semester, I’m teaching marketing essentials.

What would you say you find most valuable about teaching in post secondary education?

There is so much value. What I would say is most valuable it being able to pass on knowledge that I’ve learned at Carleton and at Sprott to other students. Being able to pass on all the education and knowledge that I learned other students who are just learning about business is very rewarding. They are just starting off and I get to shape how they view business, the topics I teach them, and how that all fits in their future.

What kind of advice would you give to current students who are trying to decide what they would like to do after graduating?

Try lots of different things and take lots of different courses. If you’re not sure what you want to do, take advantage of all the different options that Sprott has to offer. There are many different course subjects that you can take. If you are enjoying and excelling in one of those courses, reach out to see if you’re able to be a teaching assistant for the course. That gives you a little bit more experience. Maybe you can decide if that’s something that you want to pursue later on in your career.

I’d say mostly to do what I did! Take advantage of the different types of courses that Sprott offers. Being able to take different types of courses and not having to just take one specific major, I was able to apply to different job opportunities and try different things to see what I liked and didn’t.