EP 221: Why Generalists Win in a Fast-Changing Talent Market

So so like one of the things themes that we talked about in terms of just how you see yourself in terms of your identity growing up is like sort of this like jack of all trades.

Yeah.

And that continued.

Right.

Like as you went into college.

Right.

Yeah, yeah.

So I actually, so I ended up going to Ohio University here in Ohio, obviously.

Good old Athens, Ohio.

I remember people would be like, Ohio State? And I'd be like, no.

And they'd be like, Miami of Ohio? Nope.

We're the Bobcats.

We're the party school, not the football school or the really good school on the other side.

But yeah.

But we did have something really special at Ohio University.

And, you know, to backtrack a little bit, I always thought I would end up in sales, actually.

And so my dad was a VP of sales for a Fortune 500 company and just had a really stellar career and kind of more like, you know.

older industries like HVAC, energy services.

And so by the time I got to OU, I really, you know, kind of looked for ways to hone my sales skills, but it wasn't exactly something that was being taught in school.

And so luckily we had the Ralph and Lucy Shea Sales Center at Ohio University, and it was very competitive.

You had to like interview to get in and everything.

And I'm pretty sure you couldn't even apply as like a freshman because it was very limited.

So we Once I got in my sophomore year, then leveled up to like the vice president on the student council by junior year, president by senior year of college.

And it essentially gave you like a minor in sales, plus all of these opportunities to access the corporate world while still in college.

And so it was essentially like a privately funded group.