Entry-Level Positions for Aspiring Outdoor Industry Professionals at Patagonia
Entry-level outdoor industry roles include standard business functions like "supply chain, finance, marketing," but Jenny, a Senior Manager at Patagonia, emphasizes that passion is key; entering the field through a skill set one is "most passionate about" leads to greater intrinsic motivation and faster growth, opening doors for diverse backgrounds like writing, art, or guiding.
Business, Finance, Marketing, Supply Chain, Passion
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Jenny Tang
Senior Manager, Long Range Planning
Patagonia
University of California, Berkeley
MBA & M.S. Business Analytics at Arizona State University (ASU) - W. P. Carey
Environmental & Related Sciences
Apparel, Beauty, Retail & Fashion, Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Finance
Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. Many entry-level business roles are available in the outdoor industry, including positions in supply chain, finance, and marketing.
2. The outdoor industry offers diverse entry points for various skill sets; if you are passionate about writing, art, or guiding, you can explore roles aligning with your interests.
3. Passion is key to success in this field. If you're intrinsically motivated in your work, you'll grow faster and your skills will be more impactful.
Transcript
What entry-level positions are there in this field that an undergraduate college student might consider?
For the outdoor industry, it's almost like a lifestyle. There are a couple of industries, perhaps like electronics, that may have a more standard pipeline.
However, for anything related to the outdoors, there's a business role, of course. Anyone in supply chain, finance, or marketing is needed to run any type of business. These are always entry-level positions within the industry.
Different companies may have different hiring philosophies regarding career stages. But in general, those business roles are always safe.
What I'm trying to say is that if you're a writer, an artist, or even want to be a guide or an educational instructor, there are so many ways to enter this field. You can do so with the skill sets you're most passionate about.
I sometimes ask people who say they want to work in finance, "Are you passionate about finance?" It's much more interesting to enter a field through a passion you're interested in. You'll be more intrinsically motivated and grow faster because these are skill sets you enjoy applying.
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