A Winding Route to Success
Since graduating from the Warrington College of Business, Kevin Guthrie’s career path has been anything but traditional.
After completing his undergraduate degree, Guthrie (BSBA Marketing ‘03, MADV ‘08) sharpened his skills in graphic design at the Edinburgh College of Art, then put his expertise in marketing and advertising to work at UF’s Career Resource Center, UF’s College of Journalism and Communications, Busch Gardens, and now, Publix.
Throughout his winding career path, he’s been inspired by a philosophy he learned at Warrington – just go for it.
“There’s a mentality at Warrington to just give things a shot,” he said. “Even if you think you might not like it, just try it.”
Guthrie was inspired to do just that by many of the faculty, advising and staff members he interacted with while completing his degree in marketing. Ultimately, it’s what gave him the well-rounded experience he needed to succeed in his various positions.
“There’s something about UF,” he said. “There’s a level of expectation. You have to go a little further and do a little more. Average isn’t going to cut it. If you’re tasked with doing something, then make it amazing.”
Guthrie is currently tasked with improving user experiences for customers as part of his position as a digital marketing manager at Publix. In his position, he collaborates with user experience designers, digital marketers and other communications professionals to support a variety of customer-facing digital outlets for the grocery chain.
“I love the collaborative aspect of my job,” he said. “The collaboration is really inspiring, and ultimately, the product that you create is stronger because of input from so many people.”
While Guthrie’s job doesn’t come without its challenges, he’s embraced learning how to overcome the issues that he encounters, in part because of something he learned at the University of Florida.
“The most significant thing I learned at UF was to be prepared to be challenged,” he said. “I’ve carried the expectation that I learned [at UF] that things are going to be challenging, and your first solution isn’t always going to work.
“In fact, anytime I write a work strategy plan, I’m usually thinking, ‘if it’s too easy, then it’s probably not where I want it to be and at the level of excellence I want to achieve.’ Overall, being able to step up and accept the challenge is one of the most significant things I learned at UF.”