Guide to Navigating the Corporate Landscape

Tyler Scheidt, ’16 MBA, first heard about the Carlson Military Veteran program from a West Point classmate who had gone through the program a few years prior. Scheidt had recently finished his Army Company Command time with a unit in Colorado Springs and was planning to return to Minnesota to be near his twin sister and older brother, both living near the Twin Cities.

“I was considering a few options and leaning toward going directly to work when I connected with this classmate,” he says. “He told me about how much both the veteran program and the Carlson MBA experience helped him with his transition.”

Scheidt was a 2007 honors graduate from West Point with a bachelor of science in civil engineering. He served more than seven years in the U.S. Army, obtaining the rank of Major. He had been deployed more than 24 months to Iraq, Kuwait, and Afghanistan in support of both Operation Iraqi Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom. “I had experience leading combat engineers, guiding various cross-functional teams and managing a construction company with a multi-million dollar budget,” he says.

Now it was time to bring that leadership experience to the civilian world and the Carlson Military Veteran program was there to help. “I knew this program was a good fit for me because of the positive comments I received from everyone I spoke with at the school,” he says. “I was told about the large veteran population within the cohorts and how it created a close-knit community similar to what I was accustomed to in the military.”

Scheidt also learned about the extensive relationships the school maintains with Twin Cities companies, which was nice to hear because he wanted to find a great company close to home. “After moving more than 10 times in seven years, I was ready to plant some roots and join a community,” he says. “I knew the Carlson veteran program would offer me that community.”

Upon graduation, Scheidt followed his passion for the detailed structure around corporate finance and is one year into a business finance role at 3M, where he supports global product and manufacturing teams. “I also have quickly immersed myself in the 3M culture by taking on a leadership role as the co-chair of the 3M Military Support Network,” he says. Scheidt’s career goals include reaching senior management levels within a Fortune 500 company through a combination of finance and strategy roles.

Scheidt says the Carlson program has helped him on this career path by giving him the time to identify his true passions in life and the tools to apply them to the corporate world. “Without the Carlson veteran program, I would have likely started down a career path before I truly understood the corporate landscape,” he says.