Significant Career Lesson From a Loyalty Marketing Analyst at Williams Sonoma
Steve's significant career lesson is that "it's not kind of a one shot game," emphasizing the iterative nature of career exploration. After a failed attempt in finance, Steve strategically moved through roles in sales operations and tech, ultimately combining their interests in "Tech and marketing" to reach a fulfilling position.
Career Exploration, Job Search, Career Development, Resilience, Overcoming Challenges
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Steve Masline
Analyst, Loyalty Marketing
Williams Sonoma
University of Michigan, 2017
M.B.A. at UCLA Anderson School of Management, 2023
Philosophy
Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG)
Communication and Marketing
Took Out Loans
Video Highlights
1. It's okay to not find the right career path immediately after graduation. It's more important to thoughtfully consider each step and how it contributes to your long-term goals.
2. Don't view career changes as failures, but as opportunities to learn and gain experience in different fields. Experimentation is key to finding the right fit.
3. Combining skills and experiences from different roles can lead to unexpected and fulfilling career opportunities. Look for ways to integrate your interests to create a unique and satisfying career path.
Transcript
What is one lesson that you've learned that has proven significant in your career?
Things won't work out right away. For me, it felt like a huge personal failure when I worked in finance for a year right out of undergrad. I hated it and quit to find a totally different career.
You think that coming out of undergrad you're going to find the job, be in it, progress, and everything will be great. When you don't like it and you see your peers seemingly doing well, it doesn't feel good. I had to reason through and battle with the idea that I didn't get it right the first time.
I was 22 at the time, so not everything was over. It was actually good that I realized earlier than later that I didn't want to work in that area. The lesson I would tell my past self and others is that it's not a one-shot game; you have tons of opportunities to find what you like.
As long as you're thoughtful about each step and how it gets you there, you'll be fine. In my story, going to Fitbit, I knew sales operations wasn't a long-term thing for me. However, I was really interested in working on consumer tech.
That was a piece of the puzzle that I brought together. I left tech to go into marketing, which was another piece. Now, I'm combining tech and marketing for the role that I'm really excited about. If I had told my previous self that I would eventually be there, I would have relaxed. It's hard, though, when you're in the dark, just waiting for the next thing.