Michael Fiddelke, chief executive officer of Target and a University of Iowa industrial engineering alumnus, returned to his alma mater October 5 for a conversation with students at the College of Engineering, offering candid advice about careers, leadership, and lifelong learning.

A native of Manchester, Iowa, Fiddelke said the University of Iowa appealed to him because it combined the opportunities of a Big Ten institution with a close-knit engineering community.

“I wanted an engineering program where I got to know my professors and I got to know my classmates, and so Iowa engineering ended up being a good fit.”

Throughout the discussion, Fiddelke emphasized that students should focus less on having a perfectly mapped-out career plan and more on learning from new experiences and seeing where that takes them.

“I wish I wouldn’t have sweated so much over ‘what’s the next step,’” he said. “It’s impossible to know until you try stuff. I realized it’s okay not to know.”

When considering internships or jobs, he encouraged students to ask themselves what they’ll learn from it and if the culture is a good fit: “Sometimes learning what you don’t want to do [from an internship] can be just as valuable as learning what you want to do. … And especially when you’re considering your first full-time job, the culture of a place is every bit as important as the job description.”

Drawing on his own path from finance roles to store operations and ultimately the CEO’s office, Fiddelke highlighted the importance of curiosity, vulnerability, and asking questions. One of the most valuable lessons from his internships, he said, was learning to step outside his comfort zone.

“Become a better asker of questions. Get out of your comfort zone and ask. That’s a skill I still use today.”

He also credited engineering with teaching him how to define problems before trying to solve them, a skill he believes is essential in any profession.

“The world needs great problem solvers,” Fiddelke said.

In a lighthearted lightning round, he named Airliner pizza as his favorite Iowa City food, the Law Library as his favorite study spot, and a Hawkeye football game day as his ideal way to spend one more day on campus.