Zach Schultz
Major: BBA Business Honors Program and Supply Chain Management
Minor: African and African Diaspora Studies
Grad Year: 2017
Current Employer: Dell Technologies
Current Title: Senior Financial Analyst
I am a recent McCombs Alumnus and since graduation I have been at Dell Technologies as a Senior Analyst in the Finance Development Program (FDP). This is a two year rotational program comprised of four six-month rotations through our vast Finance organization at Dell. I am currently on the Corporate FP&A team in a strategic metrics role where some of my responsibilities include putting together the Dell Technologies P&L and managing our Operating Free Cash Flow reporting and analytics.
I interned for Dell during one of my college summers, but I also interned at several other companies in a variety of industries. Having a diverse work history helped me fully realize what I was looking for in my post-grad career. I knew that I was interested in being in the tech industry and I knew that I wanted to be challenged. Dell has been an exciting place for both of those reasons, but I’ve also summed up why I chose Dell and why I enjoy it so much in the following three points.
- The People – First thing I will mention is that Dell is full of exceptional leaders and very smart people. Not only am I surrounded by these leaders, but I work with them every week. In my first couple months I was pulled into a project for our CFO, Tom Sweet, and that is just one example of the impact opportunity at Dell. I have mentor relationships with VPs and Directors, but I have been impressed by the level of investment that leaders make in young talent at Dell. It really is unparalleled to anything I have experienced elsewhere.
- Global Network – One component of the development program is that we have a conference at the end of every rotation, and for your fourth rotation you go to a global conference. Next July I will be in Malaysia! For my first year of conferences, we had all of our analysts in the Americas come to Austin and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed building a global network of friendships through the program. And in my roles over the past, year I’ve worked closely with business partners in Latin America, Europe, and Asia. I’ve certainly benefited from being at such a diverse company.
- Learning and Development – I have been at Dell for just over a year now and I have had experience in financial reporting, global operations finance, and corporate finance. The opportunity to experience so many different teams, and become skilled in several types of work has been really instrumental in my post-grad growth. I am consistently challenged by not only my work but also by the Finance Development Program case studies, simulations, and trainings that come with being in the program.
I encourage current students to take time to write down what they are looking for in a company when recruiting and weigh their options in a well-rounded manner. Create a path for yourself that you are passionate about and evaluate the culture and industry you are entering.
For anyone interested in learning more about Dell or my path through McCombs and post-grad life, please feel free to reach out to me.
Hook’em,
Zach Schultz
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BBA Career Management 