Vargic’s career didn’t start in marketing. His educational background is in organizational development and human resource management, and he spent more than twenty years working in the corporate world.

Throughout his career, he has also had the opportunity to live and work in different parts of the world. He spent six years living in Southeast Asia with his family and also lived in the Czech Republic where he transitioned from human resources into the field of digitalization.

His teaching journey began in 1999 while he was in graduate school. What started as a requirement eventually became something he enjoyed.

In 2003, Vargic attended a professional development program at IESE Business School in Barcelona, where he learned about case-based teaching. This approach focuses on using real business situations to encourage discussion and problem-solving.

“I’ve always been of the mindset that classroom experience should be equal partnership and discussion based”, Vargic shared.

Today, he teaches Marketing Management, Logistics and Supply Chain, and Marketing Research at Seidman. He enjoys bringing his professional experience into the classroom and encouraging students to look at business from different perspectives.

Along with teaching, Vargic is involved in TalentSquare, an online business that helps companies with recruitment and branding.

He explained that running a small business means taking on several responsibilities at once. However, one of his favorite parts of entrepreneurship is seeing the impact his business has on clients. “You are much closer to the success of your clients”, Vargic explained.

Being a business owner has also influenced how he teaches. He shares examples from his own experiences to show students how concepts discussed in class apply to real businesses.

When asked what advice he would give students preparing to enter the professional world, he emphasized the importance of gaining experience in different areas of business.

“Go and spend two-three years collecting [a] diversity of work experiences”, he advised.

He explained that understanding areas such as finance, operations, logistics, human resources, sales, etc. can help students better understand how businesses operate as a whole.

Vargic’s own career is an example of how exploring different opportunities can lead to unexpected paths.

Next time you see Professor Vargic, don’t hesitate to ask him about his travels, favorite books, or what it’s like to run a business!