How to Succeed in Business

Two decades ago, Stewart Kohl '77 and Béla Szigethy '77 put together a Winter Term course that introduced Oberlin students to the ins and outs of the business world. As Kohl told OAM in 2013: "The world would be a better place if there were more Oberlin values and liberal arts training in the business world."

Obies have certainly taken Kohl's assertion to heart-and then some. That initial course ended up becoming the foundation of the Ashby Business Scholars program, which now encompasses two components:
a discussion-heavy fall course covering financial concepts and professional development and an experiential Winter Term program that gives scholars the chance to travel to cities like Cleveland, New York, and Boston to talk to alums about their career and workplaces.

As current students and recent graduates share, these connections and opportunities for mentorship and specialized education are invaluable. However, alums of the program also have salient takeaways about their time in the program-and their career paths since Oberlin. Here's what they have to say.

It's easier than you might expect to find mission-aligned opportunities in business.

Jason Bent '13, who earned a double degree in economics and history, is the vice president of business operations and finance at the venture-backed health care technology company Zus Health.

Zus provides a shared data interoperability platform offering health care providers easy-to-use patient data for better-informed patient care. The company is still just a few years old, so my role covers a lot of ground. I manage the finance and business operations functions with responsibilities that include fundraising; forecasting and setting budgets; contributing to our product's pricing and packaging; and running our annual and quarterly goal setting.

Prior to joining Zus, I worked in consulting and finance roles at large companies, so I've really appreciated this opportunity to build something new. I joined the company right after it was founded with just a handful of employees, and it's been exciting and gratifying to build our foundations and adapt to each new stage as we scale up the business.

I've learned there are so many paths to take within the business world. It's well worth staying open-minded about just how many different things "business" can mean as a career path. The business world is also definitely not all rigid suits. A lot of business people want to have a positive impact through the work they do.