Alejandro Solares has his hands full at Davidson and he’s only in his sophomore year. As an active member of DIFA (Davidson Investment & Financial Association) and Davidson Venture Capital, Alejandro lives up to his Economics major. Alejandro is also a member of the Varsity tennis team and currently works part-time with Grocery Shopii, a local e-commerce company.
Alejandro is one of three Gig-Hub consultants to join the Grocery Shopii team, and his work expands past just his exact role. Alejandro has gained experience reconciling bank statements with QuickBooks, completed research on potential clients and investors, paid contractors, and much more.
I sat down with Alejandro and asked him a couple of questions about his Davidson life and his journey with the Hurt Hub and beyond.
1. Starting a new job with a brand new company can be overwhelming, did you feel like you came in with the skills you use now, or were you mostly learning on the job?
I felt like I learned a lot on the job, I’d never taken an accounting class before. I’d done a few workshops, trying to teach myself a little before trying to get a job related to accounting finance, and throughout this job, I learned how to use QuickBooks. It was great because it taught me how to teach myself and that’s something you don’t really learn in classes.
2. The work and school balance can feel very overwhelming for students, can you talk a little bit about that balance and how you find it even while doing so much?
I play for the Varsity tennis team along with working, and I’m a member of DIFA and the Davidson Venture Capital club, so this year has already been really busy for me. But, I really enjoy the balance because I can put a couple of hours a week into my gig, this work-study, and learn from that.
3. What was it about the Gig-Hub program that drew you in?
The thing that I really enjoy about the Gig-Hub program is that it’s start-ups and small companies that seem to hire students, mainly. And at a start-up, I would say, you don’t only do your job. You do so many other things than your specific job or task. You learn how to build a company from the ground up.
I also think the support the Hurt Hub gives student workers makes this a job everyone on campus should want. The Hurt Hub trains you and then gets your name out there.
4. What do you do for Grocery Shopii?
I reconcile bank statements in Quickbooks, and I’ve done research on potential clients, partners, and other files. I also percent data monthly expenses to the CFO in Excel and PowerPoint. I pay contractors and execute transactions and things like that. There are around 15 people who work for Grocery Shopii and around three Gig-Hubbers. The program was working really well, so my boss hired other Gig-Hub consultants, so it’s good to see them and be with them too.
5. Any last things you want to say or that we’ve missed?
It was, and is, a great experience, mainly because of my employers. They’ve been inclusive and exposed me to a lot of different opportunities, whether that’s being in meetings, learning from them, or learning from other clients. It’s been really hands-on and you just don’t get that kind of enriching experience at a big company. They’ve been great leaders for the past year. I definitely see myself continuing to work with this great company.
