Class of 2020 Career Spotlight: Glen Welch
Networking Early and Often Leads Welch to Opportunity with Oracle
Glen Welch grew up 500 miles north of San Diego in Davis, California but it wasn’t long before he became well rooted and connected at San Diego State University. As a marketing student in the Fowler College of Business, Welch built his skill set both in the classroom and with his fraternity, Phi Kappa Psi.
Glen Welch, Class of 2020
Networking is what led Welch to Oracle and helped him secure a job before he finished his studies at SDSU. Welch encourages his fellow Aztecs to step outside of their comfort zones and use the many campus resources available to them. He is eager to dive into his new role and to begin his journey with Oracle.
Q: Can you describe a little bit about yourself and how/when you decided to pursue marketing as an area of study?
Ever since I was little, I’ve always thrived in environments where I’ve been able to be creative and social. To me, a degree in marketing was a perfect choice because it gave me the opportunity to expand on my overall business acumen while also honing in on the decision making processes that customers, clients, partners, and society use on a daily basis. Using that knowledge really helps when it comes to understanding the needs of others, so that you can effectively deliver them value.
Q: Describe the position you recently started with Oracle (job functions, key role).
I began my role as a Business Development Representative within the NetSuite Global Business Unit at Oracle. In this position, I’m tasked with finding companies that would benefit from a unified cloud-based enterprise resource system. My role is to gain a better understanding of any issues companies may be facing when it comes to their current systems. If there is a need, I’m there to serve as a resource for them throughout their evaluation of the NetSuite Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution and the beginning phases of the sales cycle.
Q: When did you receive your official job offer and what was your reaction when you received the offer?
My final interview for the role took place back in October of 2019 and I received the call that I landed the position a week after. When I received the call, it was a great feeling to know that I had accomplished what I’d set out to do. Even though I came out of my final interview feeling confident about my performance, you never know what could happen. To receive the call gave me an awesome feeling of accomplishment, pride, and validation of my efforts.
Q: How did you get connected with this company and position?
Glen Welch in his home office.
Ever since my freshman year at SDSU, I’ve always been extremely active on LinkedIn. Whether it’s meeting people in social settings, or in business settings, it’s always a good idea to connect professionally, and LinkedIn is a great platform for that. I really like the saying, “Your network is your net worth”. In this case, I saw a post on LinkedIn from a buddy I had met through the downtown San Diego music promotion scene saying that his company was hiring. I saw that it was a sales role with Oracle NetSuite, shot him a message to reconnect, and he ended up connecting me to the hiring manager. (Shoutout to Danny Abrams!) From there, I went through the interview process and eventually, I landed the position.
Q: Did you use any other campus resources to help you acquire this position? If so, describe the support.
The professors at SDSU really were the greatest resource for me, especially Steven Osinski. His class on selling strategy was my favorite class I’ve ever taken because not only did he teach us the in’s and out’s of sales, but he brought in tons of companies from various industries to give us insight into the different types of sales careers out there. In addition, he was constantly available to get to know students and drop some awesome professional advice. He’s one example of many teachers who really had a huge impact on me.
Q: Are there specific skills you learned at SDSU (in class or otherwise) that helped you with the role’s qualifications?
Almost every business class I took had curriculum which directly correlated to much of my current role’s duties. Whether it was consumer behavior concepts, selling strategy, or retail marketing, all of the core business curriculum helped with my overall business knowledge and definitely contributed to landing the role. In addition, I think that my experience joining a fraternity played a positive role. My fraternity offered lots of professional development workshops and networking opportunities across the years that helped me work on the skills I needed to effectively enter the workforce.
Glen Welch (second from right), photographed with his fellow fraternity leaders & ZIP Launchpad teammates.
Q: What advice do you have for fellow students, regardless of their field, looking to jumpstart their career and land their first job post-graduation?
Figure out what you want to do and start gaining experience early. Not only will your resume start beefing up quickly, but the knowledge you gain in various entry level roles is invaluable in giving you a massive leg up on all the other college graduates out there. I’ve never been a fan of when people tell students that they don’t need to figure out what they want to do yet. In my opinion, it’s never to early to start doing some research, and set yourself on a path towards reaching your next goal, whatever it may be.
Q: What is it that you are most looking forward to as you kick start this next chapter?
What I’m most looking forward to is finishing up my training and getting on the phones so I can really start getting stuff done. Of course, I’m also looking forward to the end of this global pandemic that we’ve unfortunately been so greatly affected by.
Q: What experience at SDSU has changed your life the most?
I don’t think I could point to just one single experience at SDSU. I think that my entire four-year experience as a whole is really what had the biggest collective impact. To think about how much I changed from the first day I moved into the dorms to now is crazy. The students and the administration at SDSU are so quality that it made every day a special one.
Q: What is the best advice you have received during your time at SDSU?
Professors always said from day one to utilize the resources available to you. Whether it’s Aztec Career Services, Career Fairs, student organizations, SDSU faculty, or even your friends, you never know how much others can help unless you get out of your comfort zone and seek it out.
