The Surprising Path To A Great Career

What do you want to do with your MBA? That can be an easy or daunting question, depending on the day—or hour—you hear it. Even if you have a quick answer, it’s often enlightening to break down the where, the how, and the why.

At Yale SOM we observe year after year that our students would shine in many jobs, organizations, and industries. They know they want to make an impact, but not necessarily how to make it. If they’re overwhelmed by all the choices, we tell them this isn’t a “one and done” conversation. If you think of your first job after graduation as “what comes next” rather than “forever,” you can tackle the process in a calmer and more meaningful way.

Some students choose traditional, structured MBA paths like management consulting or investment banking. Others initiate sustainability or DE&I roles at organizations. Either way, Yale SOM students are always asking themselves, our Career Development Office team, alumni, and each other why they are choosing their internships and post-graduate roles. 

It may be reassuring to learn that while most Yale SOM students start the program committed to a particular industry or role, those preferences often change over time. Most students care deeply about where they live post-MBA, so geography is a big driver as well. Every student has a unique perspective on their priorities, their reasons for pursuing a goal, and what impact they want to have. Those very personal values should make all the difference as they choose their internship and first post-MBA roles.

One recent graduate’s journey comes to mind. He cares deeply about the environment and landed a sustainability internship at his ideal apparel company, where he thrived. When he got a full-time offer from that company, though, he struggled. It was exactly what he thought he wanted, but it wasn’t sitting right. He realized he didn’t want to live in the East Coast city where the company was headquartered, but the location wasn’t the only thing that felt off to him. Would working in sustainability at a company already committed to it be how he could make the biggest difference? 

The student revisited his goals and asked himself how else he could make a similar or even bigger impact on the environment. Through his research and our feedback, he found a great job at a consulting firm based in Colorado, where he worked on supply-chain, sustainability, and purchasing projects for multiple companies. In his first year there, he had access to—and influence on—senior decision-makers he might not have met for years at the apparel company. Getting clear on his priorities opened up new ways his career could look, and a new category of organization that he could be excited to work for.

In many ways, the easy part of career services is guiding students through the recruiting process. Though they take focus and effort, there are basic steps that work. The more complex enterprise is guiding students through their own explorations and discoveries. Since self-assessment can be uncomfortable, it’s understandable to want to jump over that phase. Nevertheless, it’s crucial to do an honest check-in. Some of the questions we use as prompts include: What do you like and dislike? What do you want to learn? What are your strengths and challenges? Where do you want to live? In what kind of environments do you thrive or struggle? What do you care about and want to impact, and how do you define impact? What skills do you need to acquire to get where you want to go? What salary range do you expect post-MBA and how flexible are you regarding that? The answers often lead to unexpected new career ideas.

For the environment-focused student I mentioned above, consulting wasn’t an option in his mind until he focused on the impact he wanted to make rather than the industry, position, or title he initially thought were non-negotiable. The most important career outcome of all is the one you’re energized and excited about after you’ve articulated your values and commitment to your goals. Answering those difficult questions can lead to the most fulfilling and successful professional journeys, even (or especially) when they look very different than students imagined as they began their MBA program. 

As thriving professionals, the more we learn, the more we question and refine our answers to all these questions—and embrace the discovery and possibilities they bring. We encourage Yale SOM students to do the same, and we support them every step of the way. 

Learn more about the Yale School of Management and apply here.

Abigail Kies, Assistant Dean, leads the Career Development Office at the Yale School of Management. Prior to joining Yale SOM, Abigail led the Career Center for Working Professionals at NYU Stern. She has also worked as a leadership coach and trainer, in consulting at the Mitchell Madison Group, in marketing at American Express, and in financial services at Sanford C. Bernstein & Co. She holds an MBA from Columbia Business School and a BA in anthropology and history of art from Johns Hopkins University.