What are the odds of a student graduating with a master’s degree in sociology and entering the work force as a marketing analyst for an aviation company? That’s what happened to Onttu Lindeman, who graduated from Wichita State in 2007 and went to work for Cessna Aircraft in Wichita.

Although Lindeman didn’t realize it at the time, the work experience he received through WSU’s Cooperative Education and Work-Based Learning program altered his career path.

“When the position to work for Dr. Kathleen Perez came up at Wichita State, I got a chance to use most of the skills WSU had taught,” said Lindeman.

Those duties included updating lead economic indicators for the Wichita greater metro area and Kansas.

Lindeman is certain that Wichita’s location and real-world connections affected the education he received in the classroom in ways he can’t quantify.

“As for real world, it taught me far and above statistical methods that are used in everyday business,” said Lindeman.

And he says the experience he gained at Wichita State gave him an advantage over other graduates.

“That advantage is largely gained by a 180-degree change from undergraduate classes to graduate classes,” said Lindeman. “My technical skills were far above those who competed against me, according to the marketing director who hired me (at Cessna).”

Real-world experience

Gaining real-world experience while at Wichita State also made a difference for Lindeman.

“Having a master’s degree played the largest role, but that extra bit of experience sure helped,” said Lindeman. “I think most students should try the fields they plan to work in before taking their first career job.

“You have to show value added in the private sector; any way to do that helps. One of the most valuable things you can show a prospective employer is ‘I have done this before and I can do this again.’

“Sure, they may understand you just graduated and are not expecting you to have a resume a mile long, but if you can show any direct in-field experience, you will elevate above the rest,” said Lindeman.

At one point, Lindeman was interested in pursuing a doctoral degree in sociology, but the programs he was interested in were out of state and he wasn’t ready to leave Kansas.

“I started evaluating local companies I wanted to work for,” said Lindeman. “At the time I had a short list all in the manufacturing sector, and Cessna was the first to make an offer.”

Two job offers

In fact, Cessna offered Lindeman two jobs, one in marketing and one in engineering. He felt the marketing job was a better fit.

Being a market analyst involves research on a project and the market in general. According to Lindeman, the project research side involves working closely with advance design engineering, and the marketing side involves ultra high net worth customer research.

He was drawn to his present career after an introductory sociology class, and the logic of the field appealed to him. Sociology at the undergraduate level was blended with psychology; however, the research and analytical piece came alive at the master’s level for Lindeman.

He credits WSU sociologist David Wright for strengthening his problem-solving skills by teaching formal processes.

“It’s that problem-solving that I enjoy most,” said Lindeman. “This training allows me to know how, when challenged with a problem that is beyond my education or skills, to use this formal process.

“Dr. Wright taught a very analytical no-nonsense program. While I have to be diplomatic, sometimes the data says what the data says,” said Lindeman.