Mark Madsen
William H. Smith and Associates (WHS)
"Failure is the best teacher, and repetition is the way to success. Because you figure it out as you go."
Career Roadmap
Mark's work combines: Engineering, Business, and Being Creative
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Day In The Life
Skills &
Education
Here's the path I took:
High School
Billings West
Bachelor's Degree
Civil/Architectural Engineering
University of Wyoming
Here's the path I recommend for someone who wants to be a Business Development Director:
Bachelor's Degree: Civil/Architectural Engineering
Learn more about different paths to this career
Life & Career Milestones
I've taken a lot of twists and turns
1.
Delivering newspapers (taught me to get up early)
2.
Slinging ice cream for a coach of mine at her store. Taught me to be on time, work for a demanding boss in a high stress environment.
3.
Framing, ok I’m lying. I really delivered wood to framers. My favorite learning there if I’m honest, was that I didn’t want to be a framer.
4.
College, I learned to figure it out by asking others a lot of questions. Learned to not give up just cause I was confused. (Confusion was a constant)
5.
Highway construction with WYDOT. I liked being out on construction and not really office time.
6.
Technical sales (I found through the construction jobs that I belonged in that job).
7.
Business development—was pushed into that from the sales clients. It’s really similar with higher failure rates. But I love it.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
Shouldn’t you be working?
How I responded:
I get to talk to people now. It wasn’t always that way. Often expectations at work were “keep your head down working, get the job complete.” But, I found I could relate better, in direct contact, with...Folks. Talking...In person...with them. Never are problems or people as difficult, when I’m with them, listening, throwing ideas around...And most often...Laughing (with them, not at them).
Experiences and challenges that shaped me
I’ve been described as having raging attention deficit disorder. Won’t sit down, won’t stop talking...But I found it more a benefit than a curse. I learned to study or do technical work in spurts. I’m very often standing working.