Some people seem to have it all figured out in life, but the truth is that everyone has to start somewhere. Tien Tran, a graduate from Georgia State’s Master of Science in Instructional Design and Technology (IDT) Program, is an example of the success that comes from hard work and a commitment to continued personal growth.
Corporate Success
Tran works as a supply chain capability professional for Kimberly Clark, a global consumer goods company. He is a part of the Talent Management and Enterprise Supply Chain and has more than four years of experience with the corporation.
Most recently, Tran succeeded in launching an initiative which helped streamline hiring contractors for Kimberly Clark’s 70-plus facilities across the globe. They utilize third parties for contracted work, and Tran’s instruction helps to maintain equality for the workers. The initiative was launched in June and was a personal milestone for Tran.
“It was pretty surreal because sometimes when you work on projects, you don't know the kind of impact that you have,” Tran said.
In his visits to facilities, he observes the little things that can make a difference when addressed by managers. Then, he finds unique ways to implement them. During this process, Tran negotiates the facility’s current status and the facility’s goals, and is left to fill in the gaps.
“Every project and problem is different, but the way you approach the problem is the same process,” Tran said.
An important part of this process is planning. As a developer of social compliance initiatives, Tran realizes that he must put in the work on the front end in order to make the initiatives feasible for implementation.
Tran’s strategy goes against many developer’s natural instincts to attack a problem. He said the key is to “take a step back and do more planning and structuring so that way the training or the initiative can last for years to come.”
Building a Path at Georgia State
Though he is now making an impact on many Kimberly Clark facilities, there was one point when Tran didn’t quite know his direction in life. He was a student in the IDT program at Georgia State and tasked with finding an internship for the last assignment in his degree.
In 2019, as Tran applied for internships, it was Dr. Mike Law, program coordinator for the IDT program, who had a connection and helped secure his assignment. This co-op at Kimberly Clark was a 10 month commitment which provided a space for him to build connections in a corporate setting and apply what he learned at Georgia State.
The co-op led to Tran’s full-time position where he continues to implement IDT strategies in his work. Though staying with the company was a streamlined career choice, Tran acknowledges that there were many opportunities provided to him during his time at Georgia State.
Professors at Georgia State host guest speakers for their classes to introduce them to new industries and ideas, and as a student, Tran was motivated to connect with these new contacts and inquire about possible career opportunities.
Making connections is one of the most important ways students can utilize their programs in school and secure careers afterwards. Tran reached out to connections when his classmates didn’t and moved forward in interview processes because of it.
“Guest speakers are there for you to reach out to, because now, when you apply for a job, it's all AI filters, so it's really important to have people refer,” Tran said.
30,000 Feet Up
Zooming out on his career, Tran has big goals for the future. He’s passionate about managing teams in structural design, and would eventually like to be a director of learning. He’s found a passion for meeting deadlines and seeing the impact that he can make on a large scale.
Tran’s work has allowed him to see how his initiatives make a difference in individual’s lives already.
“It's nice to work at a global firm because now you have global problems,” Tran said. “Just being able to solve them in different languages and different countries is fascinating, and I love it.”
