Lee Perlman '80 strode up and down the aisle while delivering his talk, "Finding Your Way to a Career," during the Metro Career Fair panel discussion. Perlman, executive vice president of the Greater New York Hospital Association, serves as vice president for development of the Binghamton University Alumni Association.

Lee Perlman '80, executive vice president of the Greater New York Hospital Association and vice president of the Binghamton University Alumni Association, opened the panel discussion with his talk, "Finding Your Way to a Career." He had the full attention of the audience as he enumerated -- with a liberal sprinkle of personal anecdotes -- the many guideposts that mark the journey to the right career choice, including:

• Money is not as important as finding a position that offers experiences, and a mentor who will open doors and guide the way.

• You have to have a passion for what you choose to do. Perlman recounted his enthusiasm for his first internship, which paid such a small stipend -- $12,000 a year -- that it caused certain family members to seriously doubt his judgment. It was the right choice, however, he said, because it provided him with an excellent opportunity for growth.

• Use the Binghamton University alumni network. "Find out where people work, what they do, and talk to them," Perlman urged. "Make sure you find mentors. You are in the process of collecting people who will help you along your career path. People like being looked up to; they like helping other people."

• Learn to master technology. Technological know-how isn't necessarily a generational thing. "Half the people older than I am don't know how to use e-mail -- and half the people younger than I am don't know how to use e-mail," said Perlman. Not knowing commonly used technology can be a real handicap in furthering your career.

• Writing is important. "Be able to say what you need to say in simple sentences," he said. "Master the art of summarizing."

Helene Schnitzer Naftali '80, who scored well on her LSATs, applied to law schools but chose not to go, stressed the importance of conducting information interviews. Since her initial foray into law, Naftali has ventured into highly successful careers as an investment counselor and a psychotherapist. She now juggles these two careers: she is a financial adviser and senior vice president at UBS PaineWebber and a psychotherapist with a private practice in Greenwich Village. She referred to finding the right career as "a journey, a process."

Information interviewing -- interviewing people in careers you think you're interested in pursuing -- is the most important tool you have for identifying the career that's right for you, Naftali said. Questions she recommends asking people include:

• What is your day-to-day life like?

• What's the reason you got into your career?

• What do you like the most about what you do?

"Listen to what resonates," she urged. She also recommended thinking about the most moving experience in your life -- a time when you were "in the zone." "Those magic moments are different for each of us, but so telling," she said. "Home in on those; listen; see what works." Those moments, she added, speak volumes about the right career choice for you.

Sheldon Goldfarb '73, managing director, general counsel and secretary of Greenwich Capital Markets, a fixed income investment bank, made a similar point: "Unless you really like what you're doing, you're not going to be good at it."

Goldfarb went on to discuss how to manage your career once you get started. Concerns to keep in mind include:

• Where do you want to be heading in two years? Three? Five?

• What will create the greatest number of options down the line?

• Should you consider specializing?

Goldfarb also stressed the importance of developing a mentor/mentee relationship with someone in your field -- a recurring theme with all the speakers.

"Approach whatever you do with passion and dedication," advised Kenneth Hochman '76, founder and president of American Media Concepts, a full-service advertising agency. "Character, dedication and passion count a lot."

Be sure and check out the Career Metro Fair photo album!

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