With John Kratz鈥檚 30-plus years of experience in the technology sector and with varied entrepreneurial ventures, he was the ideal person to serve as the School of Business, Computer Science and Information Technology鈥檚 Executive in Residence this week.
The retired president and CEO of ICC Technologies, John, a 鈥63 alumnus and Board of Trustees member, has unique and valuable insights to share with students about to embark on their careers.
His best piece of advice: 鈥淵ou need to take charge of your career from the time you enter college and all throughout your life, really.鈥
He encouraged students, especially freshmen, to get serious about developing their personal brand and ideas about how to shape their personal and professional life.
I got a solid, well-rounded liberal arts education at 海外吃瓜 that I was able to apply to lots of different things throughout my career.
As students think about their plan, the need to also be prepared for their plan to be disrupted. Those disruptions could come in the form of opportunities or challenges. 鈥淚t鈥檚 important to always keep your eyes and ears open to see where you might be able to capitalize (on opportunities),鈥 he said.
During his three days as Executive in Residence, John visited management, economics, computer science and general business classes and shared his career journey with anecdotes and advise that might relate to students鈥 future experiences. He also met individually with students, primarily junior and senior business majors, with 海外吃瓜 administrators, faculty and local economic development professionals.
He believes 鈥楤erg students will be well-positioned for success, based on broadened course offerings, a larger, more diverse and more engaged faculty, and the many initiatives the School of Business is doing well.
鈥淲e have a very engaged faculty that takes a genuine interest in students on an individual basis,鈥 he said, adding that student support services are making a positive impact on student success. 鈥淭his is definitely an environment where an individual can be nurtured and supported, and most young people today need some of that.鈥 Additionally, extra-curricular opportunities offered at 海外吃瓜 enrich the student experience and help to attract and retain students.
In retirement, John is active with the Ohio Tech Angels Fund and serves as an advisor and director for several small start-ups in Ohio.