Aaron Isbell, a client executive at Snowflake, shared his journey from staying late at school with his teacher mother to growing as a leader at SAS and ServiceNow with Elon students.
Elon University’s latest “Behind the Resume” campus event featured a client executive for a global cloud-based data storage and analytics service who took students on a journey from his upbringing in North Carolina to his current role as a respected leader in the tech industry.
Aaron Isbell, a client executive at Snowflake, visited the Martha and Spencer Love School of Business on April 11, 2024.
Isbell reminisced about his childhood and self-learning on a computer in his mother’s school classroom. That early exposure eventually led to having the skills to be the first intern with the City of Gastonia’s IT department, which he secured after a chance encounter with the City Manager during a student awards ceremony.
Throughout his college years at North Carolina State University, Isbell leveraged his role in Greek Life, serving as Pi Lambda Phi’s Fundraising Chair, to foster connections that would later advance his career.
“I have found that if you are present in the room opportunities are easier to spot,” Isbell said. “During a mock interview session for the College of Engineering, I secured an official interview with SAS for a summer internship which then led to a year-round internship.”
Before joining Snowflake, Isbell spent nearly two decades at ServiceNow and SAS, where he honed his skills and leadership abilities. Snowflake offers a cloud platform for storing, sharing, and analyzing data easily and efficiently.
When discussing career challenges, Isbell shared about being passed over for a promotion. “I was upset initially, but I used it as motivation to demonstrate my value,” Isbell said. “Looking back, I now see that my manager was trying to guide me toward opportunities that were better suited for me.”
Students asked Isbell how to build business acumen. “Every organization exhibits similar patterns,” he replied. “The quicker you recognize and adapt to these patterns, the better you can anticipate needs and contribute effectively.”
What’s the number one advice that Isbell would give to students?
“Embrace patience and humility,” he said. “Not everything comes quickly, and adapting to changes and learning from others are crucial for long-term success.”