Alumni Spotlight: Yamelle Gonzalez, PricewaterhouseCoopers

Eller alumni Yamelle Gonzalez '22 (Business Management) is a Customer Transformation Consultant- Data & Analytics at PricewaterhouseCoopers in Dallas, Texas.

Why did you choose to work for your company?  
Given the options are broad when you have a background in business and that my criteria was strict, choosing which company I wanted to work for was not an effortless task. However, after putting my best effort into conducting research across Fortune 500 firms in the United States, I realized that PricewaterhouseCoopers should be at the top of the list.  As this firm carries a great reputation, offers growth and mentorship opportunities, allows three ways of working: virtual, in-person, and flex, values others and makes everyone feel welcomed, seen, and heard, seemed like a firm where I could continuously learn, develop, and get value in the consulting position, and aligned well with my skills, qualities, and previous experience. I was quickly convinced that PwC/Consulting would be a firm/profession I would not only enjoy, and whether I would stay for my entire career or whether it would be a steppingstone to achieve other successes, it would still be an incredible firm and one where I could make a valuable contribution too. 

What do you enjoy most about your job or company? 
I truly believe that there is nothing better than learning, therefore, I continuously put myself in scenarios where I can absorb and learn from nice, driven, and passionate leaders and luckily, PwC offers those scenarios. That is what I enjoy most about the firm, because although every day is different and every day comes with a challenge, I am learning how to work and manage different personalities when performing the collaborative engagements, about different industries, whether that is in consumer markets, financial services, health industries, law firm services, among others, which comes with different areas of expertise needed and skills I either polish or fully pick up on, and how to be a professional, as consulting is mostly a client-facing professional services company. In addition, I appreciate having the opportunity to work on client’s most pressing issues and establishing strong relationships with them. To put this into perspective, I have a strong passion in evaluating problems and developing solutions that ultimately benefit others and this is exactly the kind of work I want to do now and in the future. 

Please share what led you to your current job/company (past experiences, networking, classes, multiple rounds of interviews, or anything you deem relevant)
I adopted and fully believe in the following quote that I got from the book- Think and Grow Rich: "You are the master of your destiny. You can influence, direct, and control your own environment. You can make your life what you want it to be." Essentially, and to me, this means that you are the one that controls your life, if you want to be successful, whatever that means to you, you are the one that decides that. I have never been one that conforms with the average, I am always looking for ways to go beyond the ordinary and what is expected of me. For example, and to answer what led me to my current job/company was exactly that mentality. I was not only focused on my grade point average, as that was something that most students were focused on and expected from me by my professors and parents, I was focused on extracurriculars- I was an active member in a few clubs and even got an executive board position in one of them, I was working part-time in a real estate agency, I visited and became friends with my professors and career coaches, where I learned tremendously, as most of them had a corporate background before their career change, yet I was still managing my time and mental health, as I would go to the gym, play club tennis, meet with friends on the weekend, and still visiting/calling my parents, grandparents, or friends from home. The more time passes, the more I realize that your attitude is the factor that transforms everything, the way you deal and see life. At the end of the day, it is all about perspective. Therefore, when I talked with recruiters in career fairs organized by Eller or certain clubs or in virtual coffee chats, they were able to see that personality of mine and see that once I shift my attention towards something that I am passionate about, I will work hard towards it and there is hardly anything that will stop me from achieving it. 

What advice do you have for Eller students seeking a similar career path? 
Whether you seek a similar career path as mine or not, I would encourage you to figure out your interests first- identify the things that are non-negotiables and see what areas are more flexible- because the statistics are not in our favor- “statistics show more than 70% of 9 – 5 workers are unhappy at their jobs with most of them looking forward to the close of each day…”.  This was not something I realized until later, but just like they are interviewing you, you are interviewing them. Also, and in a similar vein, when meeting with the recruiter(s) or anyone from the firm, ask them challenging questions and don’t base your opinion on one, set some time with as many professionals as possible. In addition, and what I believe is the most important piece of advice I have received is- surround yourself with good energy- “you’re the average of the five people you spend the most time with”. Sticking with the same friend group or criticizing others or their beliefs is old-fashioned and immature, be open-minded to making new friends and learning from others, and more than anything, be nice. There is so much evil in this world and if you could be a person that makes someone else’s day a little better, you should be content with that.  I am not saying to change your beliefs, and I am a good example- I was raised in a Mexican catholic household with highly conservative beliefs and still practice my faith, but I still deeply care and respect others. The best compliment I can receive and have received is, you make me feel welcomed and heard, I really enjoy spending time with you. Be someone that people want to be surrounded with, and when you don’t know the answer, make sure you don’t end with “I don’t know” but end with “I do not know, but I will figure it out”. If you think about it, yes, these recruiters or professionals are looking to hire someone with a good resume and GPA, but they are also looking for someone who they would enjoy spending most of their day with. With this mentality, I can guarantee you that the right people will be drawn to you. Similarly, and to conclude, when something scares you, and although not a lot of people will admit it, it happens to all of us, give yourself 3 seconds to contemplate it and then go for it, you will either learn from it or it will be a success story. Do not delay or stop doing things that scare you, try to do as much things as possible outside of your comfort zone and follow your passion. The best investment you can make, is an investment in yourself.