University: University of Texas at Austin, Class of 2017
Major: Finance
Career Field: Health Care Consulting
Current Role: Senior Associate, Alvarez & Marsal
Heading into college, Rahim knew that he wanted to work in the health care field. While he started out on a pre-med track, as a business student, he began to develop a deeper interest in finance and ultimately graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with a finance degree. After graduation, he found a way to bridge his passions by pursuing a career in health care consulting. He works today as a senior associate within the health care industry group at Alvarez & Marsal, helping hospitals, insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies, and others across the sector to think through their strategy and operations.
A Day in the Life: Internship Insights
An internship ahead of his senior year in college played a meaningful role helping him learn to navigate the professional landscape. As an intern with General Mills, he spent the summer in Minneapolis gaining exposure to a new industry, living in a new place, and exploring what he would like to do with his life and career. He describes the experience as a “confidence booster,” an opportunity to navigate new professional relationships and expectations and understand what daily life could look like after graduation.
From Soft Skills to Post-Graduation Success
After graduating from UT Austin, Rahim had the technical savvy to navigate the financial and health care sectors. He also found that the soft skills he developed during college – skills like networking, public speaking, critical thinking, and communication – were just as critical to his success as a consultant. As he describes, one of the biggest takeaways from his college experience was learning how to learn.
“I’m in a job where a lot of the learning happens as you go. Every new industry I’m in and every kind of client I’m on, it’s a little bit different and I have to learn something new. But I know I’ve got the skills of that college education behind me.”
Paying it Forward
Since graduation, Rahim has looked for opportunities to give back to the tight-knit community in Dallas where he grew up. His parents immigrated to the United States so that Rahim and his sister could have more opportunities in life, and as the first generation pursuing higher education in this country, he remembers a lot of uncertainty for them navigating the college application process. Today, he is guiding others following in his footsteps, from the college application process to resume writing and the job search. He knows the value of hearing this advice from a person in your own community: “This person looks like me, grew up in a family like mine, had the same hardships growing up. This is someone that I can really see myself in.”
As he has progressed in his education and career, Rahim’s community has grown beyond his neighbors in Dallas to include college friends and professional connections, finding ways to continue supporting one another in life and career.
Looking ahead, Rahim aspires to make a positive impact on the health care field and industry to ultimately expand access and affordability for all. His career has also opened up opportunities for him to give back to his family and pursue his own personal growth.
“This was the whole reason our parents came here and raised us in the American public school system. All the opportunities they were giving us led up to us being able to perform at a high level in college and become successful adults. This is the dream they had.”
Rahim’s Advice to Dell Scholars
- Attend career fairs and talk to as many recruiters as possible!
- Make sure you’ve gotten 2-3 people you trust to review your resume. They can help make sure you’re using the right keywords to pitch you as a candidate to those companies.
- Don’t underestimate the power of networking – take a business card and follow up on opportunities as they arise.
- Prepare for the interview process. Be comfortable talking about yourself, the classes you’re taking, and the experiences you’re having. Make sure you’re doing mock interviews.
- Obtain a summer internship in the industry you plan to focus on.
- Be aware of opportunities to develop your soft skills throughout college.
- Supplement your resume by volunteering in ways that pay it forward (e.g., tutoring, help with college or scholarship applications).
- Tap into what the program has to offer. The Dell Scholars program is set up to help you and there’s so much support built in.
