Ep. 112 - Outside Sales Representative, D-I Athlete - Tyler Arbaugh

Welcome back to the Joust About Careers podcast! I’m your host, Brian Bratt, and this week’s guest is 2020 VB graduate Tyler Arbaugh, who is an outside sales representative and former Division I track & field athlete at the University of Oregon. In this episode, Tyler shares how his career path shifted from finance to sales, what it was like to be a student-athlete at the University of Oregon, how being a building science nerd helps him in his career, and much more. Whether you are interested in a career in sales or are still exploring your options, I hope that what Tyler shares today will help all of you make better career decisions and have fulfilling career journeys. Enjoy the show!1:13 - Every day is different for an outside sales representative - phone calls, visiting job sites, working on the computer, and more.2:39 - Tyler is based in an 84 Lumber store in Middlesboro, KY - some projects are over two hours away, and he occasionally has to travel back to Perrysburg, OH.4:00 - Tyler’s original career focus was finance.5:20 - Advice for college track athletes after competing for the University of Oregon.7:27 - Starting at Lowe’s as a Fulfillment Associate is what led to a sales career.8:42 - Training vs. Innate Ability (and competitiveness)9:18 - What people misunderstand about sales.10:51 - Sales skills are transferable to many other careers.11:44 - Even though he’s not in finance, Tyler still works with numbers a lot.12:59 - Is a degree necessary to be successful in sales?14:03 - Tyler had difficulty transferring credits from Oregon to the University of Findlay.14:43 - Effective communication, relationships, integrity, math, and a desire to learn are essential in sales.16:08 - Tyler describes himself as a “building science” nerd.17:21 - Living in Oregon and Tennessee18:49 - Don’t put yourself in a box when it comes to careers.Questions?Connect with Tyler on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/tyler-arbaugh/). Connect with Brian on LinkedIn (linkedin.com/in/brian-bratt/).