Getting out of your comfort zone and leaning into networking opportunities at Tippie has Ty Ahmed poised for exciting career opportunities.
Putting yourself out there pays off
Ty Ahmed’s family moved to Iowa City from Khartoum, Sudan when he was 11 years old and he knew pretty quickly the University of Iowa offered him a path to a successful future.
Originally, he had his sights set on psychology or some other medical profession, but after enrolling and meeting some business students, he realized going to Tippie and getting a business degree better fit his future plans.
“I had that interest in business and knew I could always go back to medical school if I wanted,” Ahmed said.
Once at Tippie, he leaned into networking and other opportunities, despite some inherent shyness.
An internship he picked up thanks to a casual conversation at a Black in Business Networking dinner helped him land a job offer from JP Morgan Chase in Chicago. Pushing through unfamiliar or uncomfortable circumstances is one of the most valuable lesson Ahmed has acquired in his five-years at Iowa.
“Tippie has career fairs and all sorts of other platforms, like Black in Business event,” Ahmed recalled. “To be honest, I wasn’t that comfortable being there. But now I’m one of their ambassadors. Your biggest obstacle is just getting up the nerve to go up, start shaking hands. and start having conversations.”
Making connections
The key to connecting is getting over the feeling you are bothering people, he added.
“You just need to talk about your journey, where you’re from and then you find out people want to get to know who you are,” he said. “Ask them if they have any opportunities at their company. People really want to help—they understand those events are for making meaningful connections.”
That dinner conversation turned into a summer internship with Principal Financial in Tiffin, Iowa in 2023. It was there Ahmed decided to add RMI to his area of study, along with Finance.
“When I realized that risk management touches almost everything, I knew it would open a lot of doors for me."
Focused on the future
Next for Ahmed is a two-year training program with JP Morgan in Chicago, as a middle market banking and specialized industries analyst.
“I will be helping find new clients, point of sale solutions, and working on underwriting,” he said. “You just have to get your foot in the door, and then they train you on everything.”
Ahmed also lauded Tippie faculty and staff for their support. He specifically mentioned Tevin Robbins, associate director of student engagement for undergraduates and the Black in Business advisor as well as Haley Hollern who helped get him involve with the Student Ambassador program.
“I’m very grateful to these people who have always had my back and want to see me succeed.”