Anca Bosnea is a recent UBC graduate with a Major in Sociology and Minor in Family Studies, and currently working with a tech startup, MuseFind. She credits her Sociology degree with teaching her valuable communication skills, something which she explains is critical in the startup world.
Graduation: 2017
Major/Minor: Major in Sociology, Minor in Family Studies
What are you doing now or what are you planning on doing next?
Anca Bosnea: I’m currently working at a tech startup called MuseFind. We do influencer marketing, which is becoming absolutely huge in the marketing world! I’ve been working here for 1 year now as a campaign manager. The best part of working at a startup is the support and the possibilities. My coworkers are like family. They supported me when school got busy and I needed help with the campaigns I was working on and gave me projects that allowed me to grow and learn. The possibilities in a startup are unlike those in any other job place. If I have an idea for a project I want to work on, or a change I’d like to see made, I am given the opportunity to work on it with the support I need from the rest of my team. I can say that I personally know all 15 of my coworkers very well – even the CEO. We are much more than coworkers, we are friends. We spend time together outside of the office and have very close relationships, which is what creates our strong teamwork and communication abilities in such a creative and open space. The interests I’ve found in this workplace are in project management. In this next year, I will be taking HTML/coding courses at Lighthouse Labs to better understand the developing process our tech team works on every day. I will also be looking to do my Project Management Professional certificate program soon, as I see myself as becoming a COO one day.
How has Sociology helped you get there?
AB: Sociology has helped me become a stronger communicator, which is very important when working with a small team and managing campaigns or projects. My main role as campaign manager requires a lot of emailing correspondence with brands and influencers, all while keeping my team in the loop and managing other ongoing projects. Without the group work and the writing abilities UBC has empowered me with, this job would be much more difficult. Additionally, a degree in Sociology creates empathy and understanding for others. This again helps when working with people who are new to your platform and need explaining, working with teammates, and so on. The ability to understand a situation from someone else’ perspective is priceless and endlessly useful in any job.
Were you involved in any activities outside of your studies?
AB: My lead and CEO have told me that one of the main things that distinguished me from other
applicants is my work with UBC Sororities. I held two positions – Director of Recruitment Counsellors and Vice President Recruitment. My directory position was one in which I had to train and manage 30 women. This took a lot of organization and strong communication skills, which ultimately are what distinguished me from other candidates.
Do you have any suggestions or words of wisdom?
AB: I would strongly recommend taking positions in groups and clubs at UBC, as these are the things that companies look for now, not just grades. While there are of course jobs that require certain GPAs, more and more companies want to see what kinds of skills you have that can apply to their company. I also would suggest looking at jobs in the startup world. There are so many different kinds of companies and jobs available. Many of them are small teams where you will be able to really shine and learn more about your interests and skills! These positions have so many possibilities for you to grow and evolve and will allow you to apply skills you learned at UBC, while also finding out where you want to take your education next. For me, education means learning how to code to better understand the industry I am a part of, and getting a PMP to have the educational background to achieve my new career goals.
