College Experiences That Helped A Chief Of Staff, Finance At PagerDuty Succeed
Andrew's undergraduate success stemmed from honing crucial skills like "attention to detail" and effective organization, essential for a Chief of Staff role. The ability to balance academic responsibilities with a social life, building "long-lasting friendships," proved equally valuable in navigating the demands of a professional career.
Communication, Organization, Prioritization, Time Management, Work-Life Balance
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Andrew La Follette
Chief of Staff, Finance
PagerDuty
University of Arizona, 2012
UCLA MBA
Political Science, American Studies
Technology
Finance
Scholarship Recipient, Took Out Loans, Transfer Student
Video Highlights
1. Developing attention to detail and strong communication skills. These are crucial for producing error-free work and professional communications.
2. Organizing and prioritizing tasks effectively. This includes note-taking systems, agendas, and time management to avoid last-minute cramming and ensure timely completion of responsibilities.
3. Balancing schoolwork with a social life. Building strong relationships and enjoying a social life is vital for creating a positive work environment and developing professional networks.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
A lot of people might say they got good grades, which is important, don't get me wrong. But I think it's again, going back to the theme of what are the skills you learned in college, regardless of your major, minor, or area of focus. What are the skills you honed in on during undergrad?
For me, it was attention to detail when doing homework. You never want to send an email to an executive or a group of VPs with a bunch of errors. You have to have attention to detail; it goes back to the skill of communication.
It was also organizing myself for class, taking notes, having a system for taking notes, an agenda, or a way to capture everything I needed to do for my different classes. Then, prioritizing which homework I needed to do at what points during the week to make sure I wasn't cramming last minute. Don't get me wrong, I definitely crammed last minute a few times.
The biggest thing though is making sure you find the balance between schoolwork and social life. Because, just like in school, at work, you have to be able to socialize with people and make those connections. That's going to make your life a lot easier and work more enjoyable when you're working with people you get along with.
You also have to make sure you're getting your work done. So, just like in college or undergrad, I had to do my homework. I also had to make sure I was having fun and having a social life too, and that translates so well to the work world.
So, that was another thing I did: make sure you are building great, long-lasting friendships while still getting your responsibilities done and gaining the skills you need for the work world.