How UNI sparked Cody Stirling’s product management career at Pinterest
How UNI sparked Cody Stirling’s product management career at Pinterest
Like many college freshmen, Cody Stirling ('14) arrived at the University of Northern Iowa without a clear career path. He began as an elementary education major but soon switched to the Wilson College of Business in search of something that inspired him. That inspiration came in the form of an Introduction to Marketing class with Professor Matthew Wilson, igniting an unexpected passion for digital marketing.
That spark, combined with UNI’s hands-on approach to education, laid the foundation for Stirling’s career and ultimately led him to his current role as a product manager at Pinterest, where he helps shape the advertising experience for businesses around the world.
“That was one of my favorite classes,” Stirling said. “That’s what made me realize that marketing was definitely something I was passionate about.”
Stirling majored in management and marketing, diving into the then-emerging world of digital advertising. At the time, concepts like social media and search ads were gaining mainstream traction, and UNI was already integrating them into its curriculum. Stirling learned about lead generation, conversion rates and user-centric design, topics that were both cutting-edge and highly sought-after in the job market.
“Digital marketing was still kind of a new thing when I was in school,” he said. “The concept of Facebook ads and Google ads — really, the first time I was exposed to all of that was through that class.”
Outside the classroom, Stirling was heavily involved with the American Advertising Federation and its National Student Advertising Competition, where student teams developed comprehensive marketing campaigns for actual clients.
We took everything we learned from the classroom and applied it to specific use cases for specific clients, and those were real-world experiences. I think it just kind of gave me a head start, thinking of marketing in a digital-first way.
After graduation, Stirling honed his digital marketing expertise at various companies, including a tech startup in Charleston, South Carolina, and the publishing giant Meredith in Des Moines. These roles gave him hands-on experience managing online marketing campaigns and eventually led to his transition to product management. As a product manager, Cody has worked on building a variety of marketing-related software tools and has most recently joined the product team at Pinterest.
Today, he works on Pinterest’s Ads Manager platform, designing and refining tools that businesses use to build and manage their campaigns. He still leverages his UNI education, particularly the soft skills he picked up through the Professional Readiness Program.
“As a product manager, you’re at the core of a lot of cross-functional teams,” Stirling said. "Its important to be able to relate to different types of functions and communicate effectively. You may need to communicate with engineers differently than you would with designers or sales. Having a well-rounded background helps you understand and work with all your partners."
UNI also offered more than just a great education. It was where he met lifelong friends and his wife, Alyssa. Today, the couple has two children, continuing to build on the foundation created at UNI.
“Those experiences and relationships really stand out to me,” Stirling said. “There was a great blend of social life and professional preparation that was unique to UNI.”
