Looking at Kaitlyn Sanders’ resume, you’d never expect she was a 21-year-old who just in December graduated in finance from the David Eccles School of Business.

Listed are analyst positions she held at places such as Goldman Sachs, J.P. Morgan Chase, FJ Management and Wasatch Advisors. Her activities listing nearly runs off the page, serving as president of the Women in Business Club, participating in the National Investment Banking Competition and Business Scholars.

While on paper she’s impressive, she’s even more so in person.

“She’s fearless, she throws herself into things,” said Elizabeth Tashjian, associate professor of finance, who got to know Sanders through class and extracurricular activities. “You can only find out what you want to be by taking risks, and school is exactly where you want to do that. Kaitlyn knows what she wants because she was willing to explore so many different fields.”

Sanders worked for Goldman Sachs as an intern during the summer of 2013. She impressed her supervisors so much that they made her a job offer, a rare move. But it wasn’t in the field she wanted, so she turned it down.

“Everyone thought I was crazy for saying no. I had professors, family members and friends tell me I was crazy. But it was a calculated risk. I knew that if I had a plan, which I did, and I stuck with it, I’d find what I was looking for,” she said.

The next summer, she worked for J.P. Morgan Chase, and they eventually offered her an analyst job on the Leveraged Finance Team in New York City after graduation.

“I know it’s funny to call it a dream job – 100 hours a week, but it’s in the field I was hoping for,” she said.

She just booked travel to western Europe for three weeks, and she’ll start her job in New York City this summer.

Here are five takeaways Sanders learned from her Eccles experience:

  1. Consistently do something. “You can’t graduate and then go look for a job. Always look for those opportunities, through internships, clubs and other extracurricular activities.”
  2. Figure out what you do or don’t like. “Finance is a big field; there’s a lot you can do. Take on different experiences.”
  3. Get involved. “Attending ‘Week on Wall Street’ opened my eyes to the possibility of working in New York City. I traveled to China and Japan with my Eccles School classmates. I participated in the Student Investment Fund and went to the RISE Conference. All those experiences helped me get where I am now.”
  4. Put yourself out there. “Network, take calculated risks, and meet new people.”
  5. Even if you don’t like it, be great at it. “I had a quote at all my internships that said ‘Be so good they can’t ignore you.’ Do your best work, even if you don’t love what you’re doing. The classes at the Eccles School laid the foundation, but I wouldn’t have gotten my job offer if I hadn’t worked really hard everywhere I went.”

Thanks for sharing, Kaitlyn!.

Now, what do you want from your Eccles experience?