

Marvin Vines
Coca-Cola
Alpharetta, GA USA
"Don’t be afraid to fail. Don’t look at failure as the end point—look at it as a learning point."
Career Roadmap
Marvin's work combines: Business, Numbers, and Working with Others
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Take Roadmap QuizSkills &
Education
Advice for getting started
Be active in your school. Join different organizations and participate in the culture. Work on your leadership skills by taking on leadership roles in campus organizations because that can be a difference-maker when you eventually join the workforce. If you already have an idea of where you want to end up working, don't be afraid to reach out to people who are already working in those roles. Ask how they got to where they are and what advice they can give you for your journey.
Here's the path I took:
High School
Bachelor's Degree
Accounting
North Carolina A&T State University
Life & Career Milestones
My path in life has been direct
1.
I grew up in Raleigh, North Carolina.
2.
My family all attended an HBCU, so I grew up around that culture—I chose to go to North Carolina A&T State University because I got a full scholarship to their accounting program.
3.
Upon graduating, I got a job at Deloitte & Touche as a senior accountant.
4.
After a few years at Deloitte & Touche, I joined Coca-Cola as a principal auditor.
5.
I spent some time in finance for Coca-Cola before transitioning into sales—a colleague had observed that I had a good personality for sales and I really took that to heart.
6.
I’ve spent the last 27 years working for Coca-Cola and making my way up through different positions to my current role now as vice president of national sales for the Aramark account team.
Defining Moments
How I responded to discouragement
THE NOISE
Messages from Society in general:
HBCUs don't give you a picture of the real world.
How I responded:
Many people doubt the benefits of going to an HBCU. In much the same way that some people think all Black people are they same, they also think that HBCUs aren't like the real world. I disagree with that. I attended an HBCU and I have never regretted it. Not only do HBCUs add more culture and spice to your college experience, but they actually prepare you for success in the real world because of the mentors, support, and networking opportunities they offer.