Many Northeastern students create a dynamic plan of study to prepare themselves for a successful career in today’s competitive marketplace after graduation.  Third-year student Jacob Barrett entered Northeastern planning to do exactly that. He first declared a Business Administration major – and during his sophomore year, went on to also explore the possibility of declaring a combined major with Business and Communications Studies.

 “I chose Business Administration and Communications Studies because both of them cover a wide variety of subjects,” said Jacob. “I felt, as someone who is still uncertain of what to do when I graduate, that this degree would give me the skills necessary to adapt to any environment I may find myself in.”

Jacob wanted to attend Northeastern because of the robust experiential learning program that the university is known for – and he has taken full advantage of the co-op program. 

“It was a great opportunity for professional experience that I can use upon graduating,” he explained, in reference to his first co-op with Wayfair as a member of the upholstery team in the Merchandising Department last spring. Like most companies, Wayfair and their employees went virtual in March due to the pandemic, and Jacob noted that working with the company was a great, but the remote nature of the position had its challenges.

“These challenges, however, only heightened the skills I learned from this co-op as I developed the ability to adapt to a remote environment,” he added. 

Now, Jacob is on his second co-op with Devo as a marketing coordinator, and “working remotely feels much easier thanks to that first experience, and I can’t wait to return to a physical location someday,” he said.

Back at Northeastern, Jacob has been able to pursue his passion of theatre with many organizations on campus. In fall of 2019 Jacob played Officer Barrell in the Theatre Department’s production of Urinetown directed by Leigh Barrett. The show was well received by the Northeastern community and beyond, with many of the shows selling out.

As a third year student, on his second co-op, and planning to graduate in the fall of 2022, Jacob shared his perspective for students interested in pursuing a combined major.

“When you enter college, you only have 18 years of experience under your belt. For some people, that is enough to decide exactly where they want to go in their life. For others, it isn’t that simple. I was one of those others, who’s future wasn’t planned out and I was still deciding,” Jacob concluded. “With my major, I am able to diversify myself and prepare myself for an ambiguous future that I can craft to my liking. A double or combined major allows us to be fluid with our choices, and additionally learn as much as we can across multiple fields.”