Mikil Taylor credits his time at WRVU as a major contributor to the career that has led him to his current role as Head of Finance and Data for a healthcare startup.
“WRVU helped me truly understand the demands of leadership, and in a way that I wouldn’t have gotten to see professionally until I was a few years into my career,” said Mikil, who served as general manager at WRVU and majored in Mathematics in the College of Arts & Science. “As a good friend once told me, the only way to be experienced is to GO GET EXPERIENCE, and I’ve used the lessons I learned at WRVU to become a better practical manager and leader.”
In 2021, Mikil published a book called “The Beginner’s Guide to Managing,” which aims to help first-time managers adjust to their new role.
What advice would Mikil offer to current Vanderbilt students?
“Most of the best opportunities and jobs you will ever find in your career will come as a result of networking, but you don’t need to be a full-time networker or 100 percent extroverted to do it. I’m a very introverted person, which means that I hate certain types of networking (such as cattle-call events with hundreds of people in a room), but I have still found many ways to be an effective networker. For me, that’s finding people who I think are really smart or interesting, and asking them to have lunch or coffee with me. You’d be surprised how many people say yes. Building a good network doesn’t mean that you’ve shaken a lot of hands, it means you’ve built genuine relationships, mentorships, and friendships with folks. In my experience, when folks know you on a personal level, they’re more likely to think of you when opportunities come up.”
