TAMID at University of Florida: “TAMID has helped me a great deal outside of the classroom “
TAMID has been a huge part of my life over the past year or so and it has been extremely rewarding to me in a multitude of ways. TAMID has provided me with opportunities and knowledge that I’ve yet to encounter in the classroom, whether it was in high school or here at the University of Florida. For example, before I joined TAMID I knew very little about the stock market and how it works. The only thing I knew was that stocks rise and fall and people can buy or sell stocks whenever they want to. The only stocks I (barely) followed were Dow Jones and NASDAQ, but I didn’t have a clue how they influenced the economy. However, after joining an investing team this past fall, I came to the conclusion that I was totally misguided about the stock market. There is so much more to the stock market than just buying and selling and after choosing a few stocks for my team for the stock market game, I found myself tracking stocks daily. Our team was even in first place at one point and we’re constantly hanging around the top 5! TAMID provided me with this wonderful investment opportunity outside of the classroom that I could not have foreseen if I wasn’t a part of TAMID.
Investing is just one of the many ways that TAMID has helped me out of the classroom. Arguably the most interactive part about TAMID is the consulting side of it. The fact that TAMID allows its members to consult for real Israeli start-up companies baffles me. I have not yet participated on a consulting team, but I’m looking forward to joining one this semester. Our current President, Jared Gany, was on a consulting team last semester. Jared consulted for WonderVoice, and he “enjoyed working with the CEO and learned a lot about market research and how to survey people, especially eliminating bias during surveys. It was an extremely rewarding experience.” Not one of my classes has the opportunity to interact with the real world, but luckily TAMID allows its members to network with real start-ups in Israel.
Personally, I think the best opportunity that TAMID provides is the fellowship to Israel. There are no classes or organizations at the University of Florida that allow students to go on a paid eight-week fellowship to another country. The fellowship is a huge internship and allows TAMID members to travel to one of the greatest countries in the world. I plan on applying for the fellowship next semester and hopefully I’m fortunate enough to be chosen for a great internship and possibly a future job. One of the members in our chapter went on the fellowship last year and was offered a job with Deloitte when he graduates. He is just one of a few members that received a job offer because of TAMID.
In addition, I have met so many wonderful and bright students as part of TAMID, each of which makes me a better person every day. Whether it’s my fellow investing team members helping each other out on buying and selling stocks or my fellow Executive Board members doing everything we can to make sure that everything runs smoothly at every meeting, I have met so many great people. However, it’s not just fellow TAMID members that have had an impact on me. The guest speakers are always amazing and inspiring, whether it’s motivating me to tell my story or expanding my knowledge on certain business topics. TAMID has helped me a great deal outside of the classroom and will continue to until I graduate.
By: Josh Davies