-: Getting to my current role
involved or included having solid technical background.
And so, as an undergraduate student
with an Engineering Degree,
I started with the organization as a Project Estimator,
which involved a lot of technical aspects.
And so, having that foundation pretty much set forth
my initial interest in pursuing a career
with more customer-facing involvement
and relationship-building.
And so, one of the advice that I would give students
is
not only work on your academic (clears throat) endeavors
and ensure that you're working hard and diligently
but also work on your people skills, right?
It's just as critical and just as important.
Networking goes a long way.
It is always
just as important
to know individuals and to network
as much as you would think to know product, material,
or have knowledge, or academic background.
And so, one quote that I live by
and received from my mentor many years ago
is In order to have things people don't have,
you must do things people don't do.
So having a nice balance of people skills
and intelligence to that end,
soft skills primarily,
with a combination of technical expertise and knowledge
will go a long way.
And you have to continue to train yourself.
You have to continue to educate yourself.
And you have to continue to interact, learn,
ask for feedback, and improve, right?
Differentiating yourself is extremely important, right?
So always look for differentiating factors to stand out.
That will always bring opportunity,
and when opportunity knocks on your door,
you wanna be prepared to seize it.