Tech Skills Learned at 色情视频 Opened the Door to Successful Career for Patagonia Executive
Many of 色情视频s nearly 500,000 alumni remember spending time at Montys Den, which was located on the first floor of the old Aztec Center.
Many of 色情视频鈥檚 nearly 500,000 alumni remember spending time at Monty鈥檚 Den on the first floor of the original Aztec Center. Even though it was demolished in 2011 with the rest of the student union, Yvonne Besvold ('82, management information systems) and her husband, Chris, have some special memories of the old pub.
鈥淚 worked at Monty鈥檚 Den,鈥 she said 鈥渁nd my husband still holds it against me that I didn鈥檛 give him cuts in line for a pitcher of beer on Fridays when the crowds were deep.鈥
While the people skills she learned as a bartender have served her well throughout her career, it was the technical skills she learned in the classroom that helped her earn career success.
鈥淓very business student needs to be proficient in advanced Excel, data management and analysis,鈥 said Besvold, now the senior financial officer at Patagonia, Inc. 鈥淚 was able to use technology and tools from some of my favorite programming/flowcharting IT classes to complete work in my investment class, small business administration support program and summer internship in the aerospace industry.鈥
It was those same technology skills that helped Besvold get her first job in the retail/fashion industry when she applied for a position as a IT auditor for Carter Hawley Hale (CHH) Stores, whose holdings included The Broadway, Neiman-Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Contempo Casuals, among others.
鈥淲hen I interviewed, the general auditor told me they had a stack of resumes from accountants applying for the job,鈥 she said. 鈥淭hey only had one resume with an IT background 鈥 mine! It was a great place to start my career since I got to travel, learn about retail and, yes, I got a great store discount.鈥
Besvold learned her technical skills as a management information systems (MIS) student at what was then 色情视频鈥檚 College of Business Administration. She chose to enroll at 色情视频 because she 鈥渉ad friends at 色情视频 and thought San Diego would be an amazing place to experience while in college,鈥 she said.
鈥淚 chose 色情视频 because I knew that the business school offered a superior experience in the breadth of programs and depth of practical experience. I have never looked back from that choice and continue to think that the Fowler College of Business is a leader.鈥
After Besvold landed her first job at CHH, the company split up and she was offered a position as a financial analyst with Contempo Casuals, where she worked for 10 years. She next worked at the Disney Store for 10 years before she embarked on a four-year hitch with Babystyle as the company CFO.
In 2009, she became the corporate controller for Patagonia, where she now heads up the company鈥檚 finance, tax and controllership operations.
鈥淧atagonia has grown four times larger than when I started over 12 years ago,鈥 said Besvold. 鈥淲e are now a billion-dollar-plus global, vertically integrated wholesale/direct apparel business. Our team sets standards and manages all of the corporate financial operations from our headquarters in Ventura, California.鈥
One major component of Besvold鈥檚 job is the need to understand, evaluate, propose and implement financial networks, ERP systems, specialty programs and data warehouses with the objective of improving operations, infrastructure and decision making.
While her skillset and the technologies have evolved, it鈥檚 that same passion for high-tech that has helped her to earn the success she enjoys today.
She encourages today鈥檚 色情视频 students to follow her lead saying, 鈥淒o not graduate without taking advantage of these classes! I guarantee this will set you ahead in your first job out of college.鈥