Career Path of an Executive Coach and Trainer at Studio DTO
Dana's career path began with "a lot of unpaid internships" alongside waitressing while studying communications at the University of Pennsylvania, gaining experience at a Spanish radio station and a top advertising agency, tbwa\Chiat\Day. This early experience, combined with extracurricular activities like club volleyball and advertising sales for the school newspaper, solidified their interest in communications and advertising, setting the stage for future career success.
Communication, Career Exploration, Job Search, Networking, Overcoming Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Dana Old
Executive Coach and Trainer
Studio DTO
University of Pennsylvania, 2005
MBA, UCLA Anderson School of Management
Communications
Coaching, Speaking & Writing
Human Resources (HR)
Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Dana's diverse college experiences, including internships at a radio station and a top advertising agency, alongside extracurricular activities like club volleyball and advertising sales for the school newspaper, demonstrate the value of practical experience and networking.
2. Her career path highlights the importance of internships, even unpaid ones, in gaining real-world experience and building a strong resume, showcasing how early career exploration can shape future opportunities.
3. Dana's liberal arts background in communications, with minors in Spanish and US history, underlines that a broad education can be a valuable foundation for a career in fields like executive coaching, where diverse perspectives are essential.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Did you have any internships or jobs before your current role?
Sure. I went to the University of Pennsylvania for undergrad and started having internships after my sophomore year. I was in college from 2001 to 2005, graduating with a degree in communication and minors in Spanish and US history.
My coursework included a lot of marketing and communications. It was a liberal arts, general Bachelor of Arts degree. Internships were becoming pretty important at the beginning of the century, so I had a lot of unpaid ones.
I was waitressing at night, but then trying to get some experience during the daytime that would help me later in the job hunt. I worked at a Spanish-speaking radio station in Los Angeles. The next summer, I was at TBWA Chiat Day in advertising on an account management team.
It was a really fun, top-notch advertising agency. I was just trying to get my footing and learn as much as I could. While at Penn, I was also on the club volleyball team, which allowed me to travel quite a bit.
I met people and stayed really involved. I was also in advertising sales for The Daily Pennsylvanian, the school newspaper. As you can gather, communication, advertising, and editorial were definitely where I was headed.
I wanted to see what I could do to bolster my resume from a business standpoint and get some real-world experience. I graduated from Penn in 2005.
Advizer Personal Links
www.linkedin.com/in/ dana-taylor-old