Different tips on life after college, career development and financial success were the main topics at the Thursday, April 2, “Beyond the Degree” panel discussion hosted by the partnership between Marshall University’s Collective37 and education funding start-up Jurna.
In the Brad D. Smith Center for Business and Innovation’s Encova Auditorium, the panel included four Marshall alumni: George Sauter, Darrin Bird, Kathy Cosco and Sean Hornbuckle. The discussion was followed by a networking reception where attendees talked with the panelists.
Sauter is the CEO of Jurna and the former global chief investment officer at Vanguard. He offered wisdom on investing and saving money.
“Investment options are now becoming available to everyone, so go into it with your eyes wide open. Certain types might not be the best investment for you,” he said. “Spend wisely. What you consume today might take away from what you can consume later. A dollar today could be ten dollars later.”
Hornbuckle also gave financial advice as a financial advisor with Edward Jones in addition to being a member of the West Virginia House of Delegates.
He said, “If you’re only able to put away ten dollars a month, just put it away. ‘Out of sight, out of mind’ and build those saving habits.”
Hornbuckle is not only a floor leader in the House of Delegates, he is the first Black floor leader in West Virginia History.
“There have been certain obstacles I’ve had to hurdle that others have not,” he said.
Due to this, Hornbuckle had advice on being on a team as well as leading a team.
“Working well with others helps you to get the most out of them and the most out of yourself. If you’re leading a group of people, their success will drive your success. You can only go as far as they’re going,” Hornbuckle said.
Bird is the plant director at Special Metals, the largest nickel alloy production facility in the world at 130 acres. He has traveled to different states in the U.S. as well as European countries to manage different plants, giving him different experiences with leadership.
“As you get closer to the end of your career, you turn away from commanding people to trying to inspire people,” he said. “I try to look at every individual person and say, ‘Let me identify something in particular for you that I see as an opportunity for you to grow.’”
Bird emphasized finding the beneficial characteristics in not only oneself, but in others as well.
“Pull out those positives that they maybe don’t even see that they have,” he said.
Panelists also gave insight on management’s perspective on new hires.
“A soft skill that I think really differentiates people is the ability to take constructive criticism with grace,” Cosco said.
Cosco is the vice president of government and external affairs for Marshall Health Network, having experience in public relations, journalism and healthcare.
With her background in journalism, she also said, “You want to be truthful, you want to be factual and you want to make sure what you’re saying is indeed true. By forwarding something, you’re endorsing it.”
For qualities in interns and freshly graduated students, Bird said, “We want to know if they’re curious about how things work.”
Sauter added to Bird’s statement and said, “Continue to grow; keep trying different doors.”
Life after college was also discussed during the panel with the speakers sharing their suggestions on making the transition from student to working adult easier.
Cosco said, “Put yourself in the orbit of where you want to go and get exposed to the industry you want to be in.”
She added, “Take note of your surroundings and act accordingly. You’re living in a casual world right now, and one of the adjustments I had to make was going to work in a very professional atmosphere.”
Bird noted, “Right out of college, you’re young, so go find ‘it.’ Go try different jobs.”
Building meaningful connections was also a key success tip.
Sauter said, “A lot of networking is finding a mentor and including older people in your network as well. It’s gaining knowledge from people who have been there.”
The one-hour panel was followed by a reception in the lobby of the business building. Panel guests spoke with alumni and got more insight into their specific careers.
Davina Snyder can be contacted at [email protected].
