Jeff Becker
- Account Executive
- Sage
School Information
School: University of Illinois
College Major: Business
Years at College Works: 2010 to 2011
Career Information
Working For: Sage
Title: Account Executive
Industry: Software
Brief Description of Duties / Responsibilities:
At Sage, we knock down barriers with information, insights, and tools to help your business flow. We provide businesses with software and services that are simple and easy to use, as we work with you to give you that feeling of confidence. Customers trust our Payroll, HR, and Finance software to make business flow with ease. From our local network of experts to our ever-growing partnerships, we are on hand to give you all the insights you need to thrive
What Has Been Your Proudest Accomplishment Post-CWP?At 26 I am married, have my own house and a career I am proud of. I am the youngest person at the level of sales position I have with Blackbaud and am ahead of the peers I graduated with.
College Works Career Impact
In one sentence, what has CW meant to you?
My College Works Painting experience provided me the foundation of sales skills that helped guide my career selection and set me apart from my peers early on in my career.
How did your CW experience impact your career? Immediately after graduation? Now?
Immediately after graduation I was able to use my College Works Painting experience to set myself apart from my peers in interview processes and to get multiple job offers. I remember doing College Works Painting because I was excited about running my own business and making more money than I could at a normal summer job, but ultimately the biggest reward came from having a level of business acumen and experience that other recent graduates I was competing with did not have.
What do you want to tell your clients about what it meant to work with them and how it has helped you get to where you are today?
I do not remember many specific clients, but I would want to thank my clients for taking a chance on me as someone delivering a project to them that I admittedly had never delivered before to anyone else. I am sure I learned something unique from each different client experience.
What was the greatest lesson you learned from your CW experience?
How you do anything is how you do everything – being a disciplined entrepreneur/salesperson is key to success.
How have the friendships and networks you built during CW affected you?
I built a lot of friendships in College Works Painting that lasted throughout college in my time on campus. Having moved across the country I mostly keep in touch with them through social media but have great memories of my time with those friends.
If you had to come up with a one line slogan for CW, what would it be?
The most fun and influential internship experience offered on your campus!
Advice
What advice do you have for potential CW participants? Current CW participants?
The work you could put in now as a college student to advance your career will pay off dividends greater than you can understand from where you sit today. On top of that you will have a lot of fun doing it.
Many college students struggle to choose between an internship specific to their target industry or doing CW. What advice would you give them on this subject if they wanted to enter your career field?
Your target industry now may not be your target industry when you graduate but running your own business in college will be a huge boost to your value as a job candidate no matter what you decide to do. Do not forget that you are 100% in control of how you position yourself to employers and it is very easy to build yourself up as someone who ran their own business and even outworked/performed your peers in College Works Painting.
What’s your best advice for someone interested in entering your career field?
A professional sales career is in my opinion the quickest way to accelerate your career from an earnings and professional development standpoint. You can get paid what your worth based on your performance without going to a graduate school and you get recognized as a high potential employee when you do well in sales which can help you move up your organization. Do sales!
What’s your favorite memory from CW?
My favorite memory from College Works Painting was the trip to Cancun at the end of the year. Bust your butts to get there – it is 100% worth it.
Last words of wisdom?
Own it -(h/t Taylor Duncan) – You are the owner of your outcomes for your internship experience, your career, your personal life. Commit to the outcomes you want to achieve and do not blame anyone else if you fall short… and if you own it, you won’t!