Custodio’s Drive, Degree Boost Verizon Career
Custodio’s Drive, Degree Boost Verizon Career
By Dan Silvia, Communications Manager
Out of work when the retail chain he had worked at for nine years went out of business, Mark Custodio’s job search was hampered by an incomplete bachelor’s degree.
“I found that since I had not completed my degree, it made it much more difficult to find a new career, despite all of my experience,” he said.
After landing a job with Verizon managing a store in Long Island, NY, he made a promise to himself that he would not allow the lack of a degree to obstruct his career plans again.
Enter Bellevue University.
“I first learned about Bellevue University when we received a poster in the location advertising the partnership,” Custodio said. “I started to advertise this program to my employees and the more I spoke about Bellevue and learned about their offerings, the more I realized this was a path that I should pursue.”
Custodio enrolled in the Bachelor of Science in Professional Retail Sales and Management program and completed the degree in 2013.
“I was able to learn about and meet with individuals from all over the country. It was interesting to hear about their points of view, how their stores operate and their motivations to join Bellevue,” he said. “Each of the folks I met was very passionate, driven and motivated. I found that I was much more involved and engaged with them and my course work then I ever was within the large lecture halls of a traditional in-class experience.”
Custodio has been promoted several times since starting with Verizon in June of 2009 and is currently a Client Partner in Mobile Solutions in Woodbury, NY.
“I manage a set of large enterprise organizations within the Finance and Insurance Vertical on behalf of Verizon Wireless. My goal is to partner with these enterprises to ensure that together we are providing the maximum value for each other,” Custodio said. “I look to find areas where these very unique and different businesses can use technology to improve productivity, efficiency, revenue, security and more. The biggest challenge I face is to sift through the noise and provide focus and clarity as to the areas where it makes sense for us to do business today and help them create a roadmap for the future.”
His Bellevue University degree has served him well in his career growth at Verizon and he champions higher education to his coworkers.
“I quickly found that as the years went on at Verizon, the demand for employees with a degree grew,” Custodio said. “This became extremely evident when I applied for a management position within our Learning & Development department. At the time I was finishing my degree at Bellevue University. The hiring leadership asked me if I had a degree, because one was required for this job. I explained that I was completing my degree and was scheduled to graduate in just a short few months. They were excited by that and allowed me to apply. I ultimately received that position and excelled in the role. It is a fact that without my education from Bellevue University, I would not have been able to apply for that position which was a fantastic move for me both personally and professionally.”
Now that he has completed his bachelor’s degree, Custodio has time to tinker on his classic cars, a 1974 Corvette and a 1966 Mustang. He gives credit to his wife, Annmarie, for her support, while Bellevue University Student Coach Anna Benton gets a shout out as well.
“My wife, Annmarie, has been by far my biggest supporter, both personally and professionally. She has supported and motivated me throughout the entire process and throughout our lives. Without her support, it would be extremely difficult to be successful!” Custodio said. “I also have great things to say about my academic advisor, Anna Benton. She provided advice and recommendations that were crucial to my success. I believe that I finished with better grades and much sooner because of Anna’s guidance and support.”