Steven Tims ‘11 is the director of operations at Raven Industries — one of the largest engineering, 南达科他州的科技和制造公司. The company is divided into three segments; Applied Technology, Engineered Films and Raven Aerostar. 通过这些划分, Raven是精准农业的领导者, 高性能特种薄膜, 以及航空航天和国防解决方案.
蒂姆斯负责工程电影部门的运营. In his role, he is responsible for oversight of seven locations across the U.S. 以及300多名团队成员. 通过他的领导, each person in operations works to support the company’s mission to provide innovative films for the critical protection of our earth’s natural resources.
Tims' career began at Raven more than 10 years ago as an intern during his sophomore year at Augustana. His dedication to excellence led to a full-time job offer well before his senior year. 蒂姆斯从信息技术部门开始, giving him the opportunity to make a significant impact on the organization’s success. Within three years at Raven, Steven became the youngest director of IT in company history. 通过他的各种角色, 蒂姆斯参与了许多收购, company expansions and the implementation of a new enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution for the organization. 自2019年以来, 蒂姆斯负责制造, 库存管理, 规划, 培训, Safety and Industrial Engineering Departments in the Engineered Films Division. 除了他在瑞文的重要角色, Tims is a graduate of 领导 South Dakota and a member of the Augustana 校友 Council.
问:你是如何决定参加奥古斯塔学院的?
A: I grew up in Sioux Falls and had visions of leaving town for college. I originally planned on attending college in the Twin Cities and had even narrowed my choices to a couple of schools. I was very interested in science during high school when I took AP (advanced placement) biology and chemistry. Some of my teachers recognized my science interests and suggested Augustana. I knew it had great programs for pre-med and biology, but still wanted to leave Sioux Falls. As I researched Augie more, I was impressed and included it as a top choice. What sold it for me was really my campus tours and meetings with professors and students. 我记得见到了化学教授. (加里)厄尔，他把我介绍给了这个项目的其他学生. 我在校园里待的时间越长，我就越能看到这里的自己. 感觉这就是我该来的地方. 这也是一个额外的好处，我的高中恋人(现在, 妻子)决定到奥古斯塔去接受护理.
问:你来到12bet游戏平台医学院预科, but changed to computer information systems and business administration. 你是如何做出这些选择的?
A:技术一直是我感兴趣的东西. As a hobby, I used to build computers and help set up home automation systems. 大一的时候我开始上计算机科学课. I credit the experiential learning of internships for helping me discover my passions. 大二的时候我在外科医院和瑞文医院实习过. 在医院, I spent less time doing work with patients and more time on IT (information technology) and working on the business side. My internship at Raven also exposed me to the business and organizational opportunities there. 在这些经历之后, I changed my majors to business administration and computer information systems.
问:你向全职工作的转变有何独特之处?
A:到大三的时候, 我在为瑞雯全职工作, 我把我的成长归功于奥古斯塔. 我的教授们帮助我灵活地上课. I was even able to take on work projects as case studies and gain credit while trying to solve real life challenges. My story is really unique and Augie helped me to be successful in my career.
问:在Raven工作最好的部分是什么?
A:他们对我的投资是不可思议的. 我们非常关心我们的员工. Raven took a chance on me as a college student without any experience and began to offer me challenges that stretched me. I started as an IT technician intern and that led to a team supervisor role while I was still at Augie. 我受到了指导和挑战. 我当了近十年的IT主管. I transitioned to my current role as director of operations two years ago. 每一步, Raven provided opportunities to stretch beyond my existing skill set while solving difficult problems.
问:奥古斯塔对你的职业生涯有什么帮助?
A: At Augustana, the best lesson taught is that you should always be learning. 奥吉提供了许多体验式学习的机会. I remember one project man年龄ment course where we worked with a local business and helped create a website and project plan. Moving from theoretical to practical problem solving was incredibly rewarding. I also had to write about my experience with each internship and the reflection helped clarify what I valued. If I would have been only learning from a book, I would probably be in a different place.
问:新冠肺炎疫情对学生和校友都造成了影响. What advice would you give to those looking to jump into the workforce?
A: Don’t limit yourself and don’t let fear lead your decision making. Try to get your foot in the door and know the opportunity to learn and prove yourself at the ground floor can lead to greater opportunities. As for college students, I have three words: internships, internships, internships. 尽快投入体验式学习, 即使这是大一新生的志愿者机会. 经验是一位强大的老师，它能让你变得清晰.
问:12bet游戏平台事业成功的最后一条建议是什么?
A: Surround yourself with great people and find mentors that truly care about your success and see your true potential. I have had great mentors in my life — whether through education or my career, 每一位导师都以某种方式教会了我或挑战了我.