Meet Zachary Wagenius

This week, we want to highlight one of our superstar Media Coordinators, Zachary Wagenius . At Pathlabs, Zach is well-known for being a team player, always providing support and pushing the envelope for excellence.

Let’s learn more about Zach below.?

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What was your original career prospect when growing up??

I never had a passion for any specific career for my entire life, but I’m so happy I ended up here at Pathlabs. When I was in college, getting a degree in marketing, I heard about Pathlabs and was in a class taught by them and noticed how enthusiastic everyone was about their jobs.

That's all I truly wanted out of a career was to work somewhere I would be happy, and I can say I have found that here at Pathlabs.

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Where are you working from (physical location-wise)?

I am currently working from Great Falls, Montana, but I hope to move back to Missoula when the time is right.

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What is the one activity that you are obsessed with??

I’m obsessed with MMORPGs. It is a unique type of game where it’s almost like a second life. A household name MMO would be World Of Warcraft. It is a unique hobby that most people never get into or even hear about because even though they are games, they are a massive time investment and can almost feel like a second job. I would say society shouldn’t care about this interest.?

MMOs are a very niche market, with it even getting more niche as you look at individual MMOs. They are not for the masses. They are for people who want to spend time in them, which is why only 1-3 MMOs come out a year, compared to hundreds of regular games. I’m obsessed with this hobby because I started playing games like this when I was young and have never stopped.?

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What societal or career expectations do you struggle with??

One of the biggest societal complexes I struggle with is needing to buy a house and have kids. I’ve always wanted to live in multiple parts of the world, like Japan, England, Taiwan, Germany, and several different parts of the United States. I have never wanted to be tied down to a singular location; there is a lot of the world to see, and I want to go out and see it.?

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What is your favorite summer activity? What is one goal that you have for the summer?

My favorite summertime activity is swimming or any water-related activity. I own some kayaks, so my girlfriend and I typically go kayaking, but this last summer, I got some paddleboards, and it was one of the best purchases I have ever made! It’s just so nice to be able to jump into the water and get right back onto the paddleboard.?

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It’s Friday night, and you are given $5,000, who are you taking to dinner, and where are you going??

I would take my girlfriend out to dinner. With $5,000, I would get us some plane tickets to New York City, find one of the fanciest restaurants, and get a nice steak.?

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If you were a plant, tree, (fungi?), what kind would you be??

I would be a bonsai tree. For no other reason than that, they look cool, and I’ve always wanted to own one.?

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Do you love winning, or do you hate losing?

I hate losing. Winning has always felt nice to me, but overall I feel like losing is always terrible and sticks with me longer than the feeling of winning. I’m competitive to no end, and what truly makes a competition fun is knowing that you beat someone and not that you won. It doesn't even need to be a competition just knowing that you are better than someone is gratifying to me.

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Are you a Spotify, Apple Music, or Pandora Person? Or do you like to listen to the radio, records, CDs??

I don’t use Spotify, Apple Music, or Pandora. I’m a huge fan of Amazon Music. It’s such a great service, and they have every song you could imagine, and it has a superb interface. Imagine Spotify without the social media aspect of it, and it all comes included with the Amazon Prime service I have.?

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Why do you work? Period.

I work because I would be insanely bored otherwise. I’ve always looked at work not only as a place to make money but also as a place to keep me entertained, challenge myself with actual thought, and learn new skills.?

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Why did you want or choose to work at Pathlabs??

I chose to work at Pathlabs because whenever I met someone from the company, they always talked about their work with a smile on their face. I always got the impression that they truly enjoyed what they did and enjoyed the people they were working with, which is all I wanted when looking for a career.?

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When people meet you, what do you think is their biggest mistake when forming an impression of you?

I feel like the biggest mistake people make when meeting me is that they assume I’m very quiet or shy. I’ve just never been a person that enjoys small talk. When I first meet someone, I’m very basic with not much personality, but it’s just because I don't know how to keep a conversation going off of "Did you have a good weekend?". I would much rather talk about hobbies or something relevant, which can lead to an actual conversation.?

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What excites you about the future?

Almost everything about the future excites me. I look forward to my personal growth and definitely have several goals I would like to achieve.

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If you had to work, but didn’t need the money, what would you do??

If I had to work but didn’t need the money, I would run a candy store. I’m a big fan of all types of candy, and I definitely think it would be a lot of fun just running a nice whimsical store full of products that I personally enjoy.

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Thanks for sharing more about you, Zach! We are excited to have you around.?