Career Path of a Founder of Their Own Business
Paul's career journey began with a lack of internships and networking in undergrad, confessing "I really didn't do a great job," and sharing a memorable interview blunder, but blossomed in grad school with active involvement and internship opportunities; this foundation led to roles in procurement and FP&A before venturing into entrepreneurship to found "The F," a training, consulting, and content creation business with several podcasts. Initially focused on academics, Paul's perspective shifted to recognize that career success requires more than just good grades, emphasizing the importance of active engagement and networking.
Career Path, Internship Experience, Networking, Entrepreneurship, Finance
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Paul Barnhurst
Founder
The F
Brigham Young University
Arizona State University (ASU) - W. P. Carey earned MBA and Master of Science in Information Management
Business Management & Admin
Education
Finance
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Undergrad Regrets: Didn't do internships or network effectively, a point of regret looking back.
2. Grad School Transformation: Leveraged grad school for internship opportunities and active involvement, contrasting with a more passive undergrad experience.
3. Multiple Career Pivots: Transitioned through procurement, FP&A, and entrepreneurship, showcasing adaptability and a willingness to change career paths.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you've had before your current role.
In undergrad, I didn't do any internships and didn't do a great job of networking. It's something I regret.
I did have a couple of internship interviews. One of my most memorable moments was when someone asked me why they should hire me over other people who really wanted to work in that field. I told them, "To be honest, if I were you, I wouldn't hire me."
That was probably the most unique experience I had in undergrad. I really developed in grad school, where I had many internship opportunities and was very involved and active.
From a career path standpoint, I graduated with a business management degree with an entrepreneurship emphasis. I started my career in procurement and worked for the government for about four years. I realized I wanted to go back to grad school and do something different, so I got a finance degree.
I spent about 12 years in FP&A, and then I started my own business. So, I'm really on my third different career: procurement, FP&A, and now running a training, consulting, and content creation business where I host several podcasts.
That's a little bit of my journey and experience. In college, my thought was, "Just study really hard, get good grades, and things will work out." I realized it's about so much more than that. In grad school, I really took the opportunity to be involved in many different things and be very active with other students, not just focused on classes and getting good grades.