Alumni Career Features
Seth Martin '08 & D. Randall Young '02

Seth Martin

• B.S., Business Administration, 2008
• Hershey Trust Company
• semartin13@yahoo.com

Why Penn College? Please explain how you decided to major in Business Administration.

I began my college career as an aviation management major at another college. I didn't want a hobby to turn into a job, so I needed to change. I was very interested in finance and financial planning. Penn College was unique because the minor in financial planning mirrors the education requirements for the Certified Financial Planner Board of Standard's education requirement for certification. That turned out to be a significant advantage.

Please explain your current responsibilities with the Hershey Trust Company.

I started at the Hershey Trust Company in November of 2009. We are a trust and investment management company in Hershey, PA. My workload is divided mainly into two parts.

First, I reconcile the daily transaction reports that we receive from our custodian bank that holds our clients' assets. When assets pay dividends or interest, or there is a stock split for example, I allocate the funds that we receive across our accounts that hold the asset in the correct proportion. Then, I compute the amount of money that is needed to cover the equity trades that settle on that day. This is done so we can either send or receive the correct amount of money from our custodian to cover our buy and sell transactions.

Second, I help the investment officers and Trust administrators with client meetings and investment analysis. I run projections in financial planning software and complete other projects as necessary for the officers.

What is the most enjoyable aspect of your job?

I'm a numbers person so the analytical aspects of balancing statements and reconciling trades interests me. Although I am very quickly learning how much this is a relationship industry, I really enjoy watching how the building of financial assets can turn into fulfilling a family's needs.

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?

Balancing my daily activities while trying to learn new aspects of the company and the industry. Sometimes it is easy to get into a routine and not deviate from the daily schedule. Whenever I can I will sit in on meetings that may not necessarily pertain to me but it allows me to learn things that I didn't know before. It pays off when different parts of a process are clearer when I can view it from the perspective of everyone involved.

Do you see your field changing in the next three to five years?

This company, and the industry as a whole, is shifting to a needs based wealth management model that is geared towards linking available assets to client stated goals. Retirement in general has become the top priority for a large number of our clients, due in part to the large number of baby boomers approaching retirement, and the decreasing certainty of outside sources of funding a retirement (pensions, social security, etc).

Have you continued your education since graduating from Penn College?

I've completed the CFP® exam and later this year I plan on taking the first of three exams for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) certification. At this time, I am planning to pursue industry credentials as opposed to a graduate degree.

How did Penn College prepare you for you current position?

In my specific case, the opportunity to combine a minor with an industry exam was very beneficial. That puts me ahead of others and investment advisors that I currently work with say they wish their college would have had that opportunity. Penn College was able to integrate marketable assets into the majors and minors that allowed me to go into an interview with something to offer in addition to a degree.

Describe your transition from college to the workplace.

College is a great place to improve on attributes that you will need to be successful in a career and in your personal life. Prioritizing and time management were two areas that can make or break your first year of employment, as well as your freshman year. So far my transition into the workforce has been very smooth because I viewed college as a dry run. Time management, prioritizing, and living up to your responsibilities in college give you a great head start when you exchange grades for a paycheck. .

What should students do to prepare themselves for your industry?

Let your specific interests differentiate you from others. There are so many specialized careers within the field that choosing what best fits you and working towards it early on will be a big deal for someone just coming out of school. Within finance, and I'm sure most industries, specialized training and competencies help make you a necessary part of a company. The quickest way to get to where you're going is know where you want to get to; know what you want to achieve.

What should students in your field do to prepare themselves for their career?

Acquire as many skills in computers as you can – not just how to operate and type but different software packages and programs. The more skills, diversity, and ability to adapt will get you the job and help you keep it.

Do you participate in any extra curricular activities or volunteer in your community?

I've flown dogs that needed rescued from a shelter for an organization called Pilots 'n Paws. It is a non-profit that links animals that need transported to a permanent home or saved from euthanasia at a shelter to another shelter. I enjoy combining a hobby of mine with being able to spend time with the animals we transport.

Do you have any family members who are Penn College alumni?

My twin brother also graduated from Penn College in 2008. He was an aviation maintenance major and worked in his field for a year before he decided to switch careers. He was part of the reason I looked at going to Penn College in 2004.

D. Randall Young

• B.S., Computer Aided Product and System Design, 2002
• Autodesk, Inc.
• randall.young@gmail.com

Why Penn College? Please explain how you decided to major in Computer Aided Product and Systems Design.

From an early age, I had an interest in taking toys and electronics apart to see how they work. Most times I could not get them together without a few left over parts. At about age 16, I developed an interested in computers and computer graphics and my father gave me my first copy of AutoCAD which started me in drafting. I knew I liked design.

Please explain your current responsibilities with AutoDesk, Inc.

AutoDesk Inc. is a leader in 2D and 3D design, engineering, and entertainment software.  We make products that engineers and media & entertainment specialist use to make anything from products and movies. Avatar is one of the latest successes. Our major engineer products are, AutoCAD, Inventor, Revit, 3DS Max, and Maya. 

I am currently the Quality Assurance Lead for AutoCAD graphics team. I also manage the relationships between AutoCAD & HP, Dell, Nvidia, AMD/ATI, and Intel.  In doing this task I also lead all the hardware and graphic system certification done within the AutoCAD team.  My current team is spread out between San Francisco, Singapore and Shanghai, China.  My day to day tasks are to track project progress, log defects and keep my customers as happy as possible.  A few years ago as we expanded our QA operations to China, I got to live in Shanghai for five weeks to get the new team up to speed.

One of my primary focuses, being a former product user, is customer satisfaction. There is nothing more frustrating than not being able to do your job because of a software or hardware issue. Because of this I am very active in customer discussion forums. I also answer technical questions on Autodesk training webinars and have had the opportunity to be guest writer on some of our product blogs.

What is the most enjoyable aspect of your job?

When I can connect with a customer one on one and get them back up and running when they face software and hardware issues. Our users are passionate about AutoCAD; most of them use it upwards of 30+ hours a week. When it is not working it can cause unneeded stress to an already difficult job

What is the most challenging aspect of your job?

Managing our corporate alliances with our business partners like HP, Dell, Nvidia, AMD/ATI, and Intel and keeping them all happy.  Sometimes our vendors have competing interest and it is my job to keep the relationships positive, without showing favor to one over the other.

What is the most significant thing you learned during your first year of work?

Never take your job for granted. There is no such thing as a “permanent” position.  Most jobs in California are at will and classified as direct or contract. Permanent jobs only happen with you are working for yourself.

How did Penn College prepare you for your current position?

Practical knowledge of how engineering works.  I was able to take the experiences and projects from my core classes and jump directly into the world of work.  It also helped me obtain my first job before graduation.

If you could "redo" your college experience, would you change anything?

Definitely, I would not have been in such a hurry to get it done and sprint into my career.  I would stop smell the flowers and schedule more me time.  I also would have taken more programing classes; something as simple as being able to write your own windows batch files saves you so much time in the real world.

What should students do to prepare themselves for your industry?

People in the design industry need to learn the process, not just an application. So many times people specialize and if you get too specific you can get “trapped in a niche” or become hard to employ.  Always be willing and receptive to change.

Embrace your career. It is always best to work in all levels so you know everything about in ins and outs. You are never going to start as the CEO. I started as a drafter, detailer, or designer then lead designer. You have to see things from all levels to be the best at whatever you do

Be a self-starter. This sounds simple but something as simple as reading up on your company and typical job requirements before starting your first day will get you ahead.

Where do you see yourself in the future?

I am currently a MBA candidate at the University of San Francisco with plans to graduate in 2011. I really like Autodesk and would very much like to stay with the company. I would also really like to try my hand at startups. I have some friends that have done this in the past few years with some success. I think building a company’s infrastructure from the ground up could be a very gratifying career path. With my experience in the Petrol Chemical, Pharmaceutical, and now software industries I think I could bring an interesting outlook and skill set to this type of work.

Do you have any special interests of hobbies?

I brew my own beer and collect wine. This has become a hobby since moving so close to the Napa valley. I also enjoy hiking and mountain biking.