College Experiences That Helped an Account Executive at a National Beverage Company Succeed
Kathleen's unexpected discovery of economics through a "Poverty and Inequality" class unexpectedly proved pivotal, blending analytical skills with creative thinking—a balance crucial for a successful career in sales. This experience highlights the value of exploring seemingly unexciting academic options, as they may unexpectedly "set you up for success," demonstrated by their career progression in various sales roles.
Communication, Economics, Sales, Marketing, Analytics
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kathleen Walsh
Account Executive
National beverage company
Suffolk University, 2013
UCLA Anderson, MBA
Communications
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG), Food, Beverages & Alcohol
Sales and Client Management
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Consider taking diverse courses, even if they initially seem uninteresting; they might unexpectedly become pivotal to your career path. Kathleen's experience with economics demonstrates this.
2. Develop a strong work ethic. Kathleen's family restaurant background instilled valuable work habits that proved foundational to her success.
3. Balance analytical thinking with creativity. Kathleen highlights the need for both left-brain (analytical) and right-brain (creative) skills in sales, recommending a similar balance in undergraduate studies.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
My family's restaurant was very foundational in establishing the work ethic I had in undergrad. I studied communication with a little bit of marketing, and economics was my minor.
Economics was not even on my radar for taking classes. I had to complete one economics course as part of my degree and ended up taking a class called Poverty and Inequality. It was one of the best classes I've ever taken and really exposed me to the basic levels of economics.
I decided I wanted to take more and learn more. I went on to study micro and macro, and took another class called Trade Policy for International Countries. It was not something I was expecting, nor something I would necessarily see myself doing, but I'm so glad I did it.
My advice for anyone in undergrad right now is to maybe take that class that doesn't sound great on paper or exciting, but could be a pivotal class in what you're studying. It can also set you up for success. I think being in sales requires a balance of that left-brain analytics side with creativity to make the job work as well as it can. Having that balance in school and being able to tap into it in undergrad really helped me manage this role and my various sales roles over the years.