This interview is one of a series of interviews conducted by the Center for Business and Economics Fellows with recent Business & Economics graduates about life after graduation. It was conducted during the Fall 2018 semester by CBE Fellow, Troy Elphinstone ’19 with recent graduate, Kyle O’Connell ’18.
Troy: Where are you currently employed— How did you hear about this position?
Kyle: Currently, I am employed at Highmark Health where I am part of the Leadership Acceleration Program. I heard about the position after speaking with Highmark at the West Pacs career fair.
Troy: What do you do on a day to day basis?
Kyle: For the Leadership Acceleration Program, I rotate through four different areas of the company every six months, so my day to day will change. In my current rotation, I work on the Highmark Health Innovation Team where I’m tasked with both creating and implementing innovative ideas. These ideas typically address an existing problem within our organization/health care or attempt to revolutionize the industry in the future.
I’m currently leading a few major projects as well as a couple minor ones, so my days tend to vary. As an example, one day I might spend 4 hours out at one of our hospitals meeting with patients and clinicians followed by a 2 hour meeting to consolidate the information we found. On a different day, I might present the results or findings of a project to one of our senior leaders in the morning, meet with my team and other leaders around lunch, and then finish the afternoon with more heads down/individual work.
To summarize it briefly…No two days are the same.
Troy: How did Allegheny help prepare you for your current job?
Kyle: In my experience, people tend to question the value of an Economics/liberal arts degree due to its lack of specificity. While I’m yet to draw a MC curve (or any curve at that), Allegheny taught me more advanced skills that have allowed me to adapt in unfamiliar territory. I would say the “big two” I learned are critical thinking and business mindedness. I’m able to tackle projects and think through business processes that address some of the greatest challenges in healthcare—a skill people with more concentrated backgrounds seem to lack. There’s that saying out there about giving a man a fish versus teaching a man to fish—Allegheny provides you with the right tools to succeed even with limited experience.
Troy: What advice would you give to current Allegheny students?
Kyle: Find the thing or experience that separates yourself from others and use that as a major selling point. Put things in real terms—tell people what they need to hear and not what they want to hear. Constantly evaluate yourself and your work to determine if value is actually being created. Don’t be afraid to question ‘why’ because the status quo isn’t always the right way to do things.