Building a career that's broader, deeper.
Sam, MBA/SALO Associate
Sam's consulting career has been steady, but far from flat. In his seven years as a consultant, he's broadened his finance and financial analysis background while deepening his skills in IT.
Sam's first career included an MBA and positions in the aerospace and airline industry. “That industry is highly regulated and very focused,” he notes. Having spent more than a decade in the industry, he says, “I understand airplanes. I understand how they fly. I understand how you make money from them.”
“What I didn't understand,” Sam continues, “was how other companies make money.” The consulting career that he began in 1999 has allowed him to find out. “I've had assignments in financial companies, production companies, and retail companies,” Sam says. “Getting inside and doing the financial analysis allows me to see how they make money, how the margins work, where their key expenses are.”
Wider business perspective is one of the reasons Sam is hooked on consulting. “One of the great opportunities in working as a contractor through SALO is being able to see how other companies make their money,” he says. “It's given me great insight and really allows me to articulate what's going on in the world and how the economics work.”
As he was broadening his perspective on finance, Sam was also deepening his skills in technology. “I've always used databases and spreadsheets, and I had worked a little bit with the technology behind them. Since being a contractor with SALO, I have worked with more databases and have learned to use Visual Basic to give the customer what they want,” he says. “I have the knowledge within the finance area to do some things that an IT person couldn't. Each time I go to a customer, I'm more prepared to give them the results they're looking for.”
Sam applies his growing knowledge base to his volunteer position as Commissioner of Basketball for Burnsville, MN. He oversees a 20-person staff, 200 coaches and assistant coaches, and 850 kids in third grade through high school. “I've developed a game-scheduling application that allows the user to schedule up to 100 teams without any of them playing each other more than once,” he says. Working in a range of companies has also enabled him to meet people with similar interests. “I learn from people as I go from company to company, and they learn from me as well,” he says.
Eight years ago, Sam recalls, “I didn't know whether contracting would be the right thing.” Now, Sam can't imagine working any other way because he enjoys two types of flexibility. “One is the flexibility to expand my horizons in the finance world and my IT skills. The second flexibility is giving me a chance to see different companies and how they operate.”
|
