Editor’s note: This article was initially published in The Daily Gazette, Swarthmore’s online, daily newspaper founded in Fall 1996. As of Fall 2018, the DG has merged with The Phoenix. See the about page to read more about the DG.
Stuart Goldfarb is a businessman and entrepreneur who started a television station, ran NBC’s international television business, and helped grow Bertelsmann, a global media corporation, into one of the world’s largest. But Goldfarb will tell you that his seemingly meteoric success hides the fact that his career has taken many twists and turns along the way. This Thursday he will be giving a talk sponsored by the Fullbridge Program on the business skills that can’t be taught in school and the inevitable setbacks many business leaders learn about the hard way.
In his talk, which will take place at 4:00 p.m. in Parrish 159, Goldfarb will answer any questions students have about how to build a successful career in any field. “I really believe that it is possible for everybody, no matter what your major or vision, to have a successful career [through] certain practical skills that everybody could use to be successful,” Goldfarb claims. “No matter what you want to do, there are certain basic skills that you need.”
After graduating from law school, Goldfarb worked as an attorney representing broadcasters and the media business. Eventually he started his own cable television business, which he sold it at age 30. It was then that he took over NBC’s international television business. He also started the National Geographic channel.
“You look at my career and think it’s all one straight path of success,” Goldfarb says. “It’s actually a very winding path. My talk is going to be a very candid assessment.”
He insists that there is a gap between what an individual learns in school and the tools one needs to succeed in the workplace. “[Some] say that this person went to a great school and got great grades and therefore will be a great employee. I’ve come to realize that this isn’t necessarily true.”
The Fullbridge Program, which is sponsoring Goldfarb’s talk, is a collaborative two-to-three-week learning experience that aims to bridge the gap between undergraduate education and successful employment, regardless of year or major. Students work with Fullbridge coaches, businessmen and women with top degrees from places like Harvard Business School.
“You take a great liberal arts education and you add the short Fullbridge experience to it, and there are no limits to what you can achieve,” Goldfarb insists.
Interested Students can learn more about the Fullbridge program at www.fullbridge.com/program