The first few weeks of your First Year at Darden can be exciting, overwhelming, challenging and thrilling at all once. Luckily, 28 recent Darden alums visiting Grounds during First Week offered the below advice to help you navigate the next two years at Darden.
See if you can spot trends in these topics: the best restaurant and sports activities in Charlottesville, the favorite app of our finance alumni, popular picks for personal banking and social media apps, news source and podcast of choice, a must-read “classic” and finally, a much-beloved author.
Alumni in Product Management
Katrina Shackelford (MBA ’08), Senior Manager of Product, Marketplace Technology, Amazon
Favorite business and/or career book
Favorite is hard. I recently enjoyed The Fuzzy and The Techie: Why the Liberal Arts Will Rule the Digital World by Scott Hartley and Our Iceberg is Melting: Changing and Succeeding Under Any Conditions by Holger Rathgeber and John Kotter.
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Take It Away
Favorite app
Amazon Prime Now
Best career advice you’ve received
I’ve always thought Amazon’s internal slogan “Work hard, have fun, make history” is pretty great career advice.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
I love using LinkedIn as a news source because I can see what my customers, colleagues and industry thought leaders are reading and thinking about.
Dan Entin (MBA ’04), VP of Product, Observer Media
Favorite business and/or career book
The Lean Product Playbook, Dan A. Olsen
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
The White Spot
Favorite app
Google Photos
Best career advice you’ve received
Smile more.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
This is Product Management
Anastasia Root (MBA ’10), Product Manager, Google
Favorite business and/or career book
Cracking the PM Interview: How to Land a Product Manager Job in Technology, Gayle Laakmann McDowell and Jackie Bavaro
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Blue Grass Grill
Favorite app
Pinterest
Best career advice you’ve received
Read the Cracking the PM Interview book.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
Google Search App (Feed)
John Will (MBA ’15), Senior Product Manager, Central Insights, Big Fish Games
Favorite business and/or career book
Managing Humans: Biting and Humorous Tales of a Software Engineering Manager, Michael Lopps
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Bodo’s Bagels!
Favorite app
Workflow
Best career advice you’ve received
Maintain three original mentors. Always be interviewing.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
Hacker News
Alumni in Entrepreneurship and Innovation
Megan Vorland (MBA ’16), Chief Strategy Officer, Dcode
Favorite business and/or career book
Radical Candor: Be a Kick-Ass Boss Without Losing Your Humanity, Kim Scott
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
C&O
Favorite app
Mint
Best career advice you’ve received
You are always trying to make someone look good for their boss.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
The Daily
Ares Manos (MBA ’14), Partner, K2 Dental Arts
Favorite business and/or career book
The Hard Thing About Hard Things, Ben Horowitz
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Team dinners anywhere
Best career advice you’ve received
There is always a way. If plan A doesn’t work (and it won’t) you need to be the person generating plans B, C, D, E and F.
Erik Breuhaus (MBA ’14), CFO and Co-Founder, Counterflow AI
Favorite business and/or career book
The Master Algorithm, Pedro Domingos and Originals, Adam Grant
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Birdwood Golf Course, followed by Three Notch’d Brewery
Favorite app
Twitter
Best career advice you’ve received
Priority #1: It’s all about the people.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
Revisionist History
Jon Carrier (MBA ’12), Founder and CEO, 501 Auctions
Favorite business and/or career book
I enjoy all of Malcolm Gladwell’s books.
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Bodo’s Bagels
Favorite app
Google News
Best career advice you’ve received
Corporate America will always be there. The opportunity to bet on yourself without any consequences may not be. – Jon’s wife
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
Quora
Alumni in Data Analytics
Ellen Zienta (MBA ’08), Senior Program Manager, Expedia
Favorite business and/or career book
Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Al Switzler, Joseph Grenny, and Ron McMillan
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Hamilton’s
Favorite app
Expedia
Best career advice you’ve received
Assume positive intent, but trust your instincts.
Mansi Agarwal (MBA ’13), Data Science Product Manager, REI
Favorite business and/or career book
I just started reading Factfulness: Ten Reasons We’re Wrong About the World – and Why Things Are Better Than You Think by Hans Rosling, Ola Rosling and Anna Rosling Ronnlund.
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Blue Mountain Brewery
Favorite app
Air BnB
Best career advice you’ve received
Don’t be eager to fit a mold. Bank on your strengths to find your niche.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
Harvard Business Review, Sloan Business Review, Data Science groups on LinkedIn
Zhdan Shakirov (MBA ’17), Business Manager, Enablement Global Team, The Boston Consulting Group
Favorite business and/or career book
The Little Golden Calf, Ilya Ilf and Yevgeny Petrov
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
CVille Jump with my son
Favorite app
Telegram
Best career advice you’ve received
If you want to learn something, learn it by doing it.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
Owler
Saul Yeaton (MBA ’08), Chief Operating Officer, Metis Machine
Favorite business and/or career book
The Paradox of Choice, Barry Schwartz
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Blue Ridge Bicycle Tours
Favorite app
Strava
Best career advice you’ve received
Focus on the customer.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
CB Insights
Alumni in Consulting
Katie Sexton (MBA ’14), Strategy Manager, Accenture
Favorite business and/or career book
Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance, Angela Duckworth
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Pippin Hill Farm & Vineyards
Favorite app
Mathe Alarm (It forces me to do math so I can’t snooze forever.)
Best career advice you’ve received
Run your race. It was actually my Second Year coach at Darden who told me that when I got stressed in the recruiting process. It holds true in my consulting life as well and helps keep things in perspective.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
I listen to The Daily and The Indicator every morning.
Stanley Liu (MBA ’16), Consultant, Bain & Company
Favorite business and/or career book
Shoe Dog: A Memoir by the Creator of Nike, Phil Knight
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Hiking Humpback Rock
Favorite app
Vivino
Best career advice you’ve received
Follow those who inspire you.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
NPR
Bryan Furman (MBA ’14), Manager, Deloitte
Favorite business and/or career book
The Lean Startup, Eric Ries
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Carter’s Mountain Orchard
Favorite app
Starbucks
Best career advice you’ve received
There’s no such thing as the ‘traditional path.’
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
The Jason and Scot Show
Djordje Minic (MBA ’14), Director, PwC Advisory
Favorite business and/or career book
The Lean Startup, Eric Ries
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Carter’s Mountain Orchard
Favorite app
Starbucks
Best career advice you’ve received
There’s no such thing as the ‘traditional path.’
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
The Jason and Scot Show
Alumni in Marketing and Sales
Lily George (MBA ’17), Senior Marketing Manager, Wayfair
Favorite business and/or career book
Designing Your Life, Bill Burnett and Dave Evans
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Sunday polo at King Family Vineyard
Favorite app
LevelUp
Best career advice you’ve received
Almost nothing you’re worried about today will define your tomorrow.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
Digiday and Techmeme
Yaro Hetman (MBA ’11), Team Edison Global Marketing Manager, Ford Motor Company
Favorite business and/or career book
Seven Habits of Highly Effective People, Steven Covey
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Hiking
Favorite app
Facebook
Best career advice you’ve received
Do what you love and you’ll never work a day in your life.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
Automotive News and The Moth
Michael Conroy (MBA ’14), Senior Associate Brand Manager, The Hershey Company
Favorite business and/or career book
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie. It’s a classic for a reason.
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Dr. Ho’s Humble Pie. It’s worth the drive to North Garden.
Favorite app
Mint
Best career advice you’ve received
Know your business!
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
Beloved Brands Blog by Graham Robertson
Alumni in Finance and Investment Management
Kristin Brozyna (MBA ’16), Investment Banking Associate, Harris Wiliams & Co.
Favorite business and/or career book
The Drunkard’s Walk: How Randomness Rules Our Lives, Leonard Mlodinow
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
MAS
Favorite app
Spotify
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
The Wall Street Journal
Justin Potter (MBA ’16), Senior Associate at Rotunda Capital Partners
Favorite business and/or career book
Principles: Life and Work, Ray Dalio
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
UVA basketball games
Favorite app
Spotify
Best career advice you’ve received
Be an independent thinker. Don’t be afraid to disagree with your superiors.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
The Atlantic
Pete Knerr (MBA ’12), Global Equity Investing, CornerStone Partners
Favorite business and/or career book
Margin of Safety, Seth Klarmin
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Lampo
Favorite app
Twitter
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
Pro Rata – a daily venture capital-focused newsletter
Phillip Deneault (MBA ’16), Investment Banking Associate, Evercore
Favorite business and/or career book
How to Win Friends and Influence People, Dale Carnegie.
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Round of golf followed by a UVA basketball game
Favorite app
ESPN
Best career advice you’ve received
Stay humble.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
The New York Times DealBook and The Daily
Alex Haddock (MBA ’16), Goldman Sachs, Investment Banking Associate
Favorite business and/or career book
None really come to mind. I’m more of a sappy fiction reader to help keep my perspective at work.
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Golf at Keswick. Too many good restaurants to answer but I’ll go with MAS.
Favorite app
Instagram
Best career advice you’ve received
Be nice. Work hard.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
All NPR is great. The Economist for news.
Alumni in General Management and Operations
Marcelo Campos Magalães (MBA ’02), President, Brazilian Association of Independent Producers of Petroleum and Gas
Favorite business and/or career book
The Big Short, Michael Lewis
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
The Virginian
Favorite app
Fishbowl
Best career advice you’ve received
Consulting is a people business.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
LinkedIn
Gen A. Izutsu (MBA ’15), Director of Inside Sales, Danaher
Favorite business and/or career book
Choice Theory, William Glasser
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Visiting wineries
Favorite app
Mint
Best career advice you’ve received
If you’re not failing, you’re not trying hard enough.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
The Economist
Manu Kuppalli (MBA ’14), Director, Strategy and Special Projects, DaVita Kidney Care
Favorite business and/or career book
Liar’s Poker: Rising through the Wreckage on Wall Street, Michael Lewis
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Duner’s
Favorite app
Instagram
Best career advice you’ve received
Don’t wait for what’s ahead when it may be right in front of you.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
Deakbreaker.com
Mike Marquardt (MBA ’12), Chief of Staff, Office of the Executive VP for Health Affairs, UVA Health System
Favorite business and/or career book
Leadership and Self-Deception, Arbinger Institute
Favorite Charlottesville activity and/or restaurant
Fishing the Rivanna River
Favorite app
Instagram
Best career advice you’ve received
When selecting a job, prioritize who you are working for and with over the job title.
Favorite industry news source and/or podcast
Healthcare Financial Management Association
