College Experiences That Helped a Senior Manager Marketing Operations at SmithRx Succeed
Michael's undergraduate experience significantly shaped their career trajectory, starting with a strategic major switch to communication, focusing on technology and sports management, which provided a broad skillset. The development of strong professional relationships, built through collaborative projects like creating a business plan for a fitness app that predated Whoop, and "understanding the network effect" proved equally crucial to their success and current role as a Sr. Manager, Marketing Operations.
Communication, Networking, Technology, Project Management, Career Exploration
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Michael Schnell
Sr. Manager, Marketing Operations
SmithRx
UCSB
n/a
Communications
Healthcare, Medical & Wellness, Insurance
Communication and Marketing
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Student Athlete
Video Highlights
1. Successfully switched majors to align with career interests (communication, technology, and sports management).
2. Developed valuable professional skills through coursework and extracurricular activities such as creating a business plan and leading a team.
3. Built a strong professional network by actively engaging with peers and classmates, emphasizing relationship building and mutual value creation, which continues to benefit his career.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
The obvious things I did were some of the classes I took and some of the programs I was part of. I was a communication major, switching from being a math major my sophomore year. I switched to communication because, basically, every job description I was reading at the time, when I was trying to figure out what I wanted to do, the first thing on there was great verbal and written communication.
I picked communication as a broad enough major. I then focused on technology and sports. I'm a big sports buff and have been playing sports my entire life. I played club baseball at UCSB and did the sports management program on top of being part of the club baseball team.
I also did the technology management program. I think now there's actually a minor for it, but at my time there, there was only a certificate you could get. I took classes that I was interested in and that were in the fields I wanted to get into. Technology was the main one that I continued with my career path.
Outside of those classes, I put a business plan together with a group of people. I was the CMO for the company. We got to the point where we picked out a space in San Francisco and created a gym that was basically Whoop, but a specific gym about five years before Whoop came out. It was fun to see that business idea and plan come to fruition with a couple of different companies.
Being able to create those relationships is the second part of the equation. Outside of the actual classes and curriculum, the people I've met are still some of my best friends to this day. My best man at my wedding was my college roommate and classmate. Making those connections and understanding the network effect, being able to meet people, show them who you are, show them what your value is, and provide them value, is a huge piece of my career growth.
Being able to create those relationships professionally has really helped me where I'm at. I love the team that I work with. The way we've put this team together is by everybody bringing in people they've worked with previously and know they enjoy. The job market's a little tough right now, but working with someone you trust, someone you've seen be successful, and who has seen you be successful, and you're successful together, is a huge piece.
I would definitely credit my college years to opening me up to understanding how those relationships and networking, and how I can provide value to different people, really set in stone in my mind.