Aaron Brown, Worthington Enterprises

For our first meeting of the fall semester, we welcomed back one of our alumni, Aaron Brown. Aaron, once the president of our Scripps PRSSA chapter, is now the Director of Corporate Communications at Worthington Enterprises. Unlike years past, Aaron did not choose a usual PowerPoint Presentation; he instead took us through his journey of how he became so much more than just a college student by making it all visible on a whiteboard. 

During his visit, Aaron drew a timeline of all the events and connections that made big differences in his career path/journey. Aaron didn’t just include the names of the companies he worked for, but also the names of fellow alumni and peers who changed his trajectory. Aaron’s display was entertaining and kept us engaged. Here are some of the key takeaways from Aaron’s enticing presentation:

• “It’s all building blocks” – Aaron highlighted how every experience informs and/or creates an opportunity later in a personal journey. Aaron emphasized the importance of making intentional decisions to get to the point you want to be at.
• “Details matter” – Aaron mentioned throughout his presentation the importance of details, and that we ourselves are details. Aaron emphasized that if one detail doesn’t feel right, you (or the person engaging) will likely have a harder time taking the intended action. That’s how important details, even the smallest ones, are.
• “Do not be intimidated, or jealous of or judgey of anyone else’s path” – Aaron stressed that everyone’s journey is their own. No one can replicate another’s journey and Aaron said that if you try to replicate another’s journey, “all you’re going to do is chase it and never find your unique space.”
• How do you nurture connections? – Aaron answered, “Show up humbled. You have nothing to lose [as college students]. I would just be human.”
• Aaron’s piece of advice for us all – “Care. Show that you care. Show up a little bit earlier, stay a little late. You can’t just say ‘you care,’ you have to demonstrate it.”
• Priorities of the future: At the end of his presentation, Aaron challenged us to think about our own priorities in our future jobs. Aaron gave us a budget of $100 and instructed us to split the budget among seven categories. Our results are as follows.
  • Location: $10
  • Salary: $20
  • Company Brand: $15
  • Role: $20
  • Supervisor/Team: $10
  • Perks/Benefits: $15
  • Industry: $10

At the end of the activity, Aaron reminded us all that no matter what brand or industry you work for, your job will never be 100% about your salary. He also encouraged us to do this exercise individually – and at different periods of time because priorities change. 

Connect with Aaron on LinkedIn here.