3 Career Changers Who Found Their Futures At The University Of Minnesota

Some may think getting an MBA is only for someone with a business background who is looking to move up the corporate ladder in their industry. But that is far from the reality in the Carlson School MBA as more and more people with non-business backgrounds are pursuing an MBA to accelerate or alter the trajectory of their careers.

At the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, our full-time and working professional students see incredible results from their hard work when it is supported by the school’s teaching and career resources. In 2021, 95 percent of our Full-Time MBA students were employed within 90 days of graduation, and 84 percent of our Part-Time MBA graduates earned a promotion or switched companies, roles, or industries. Typically, 30 percent or more of our Executive MBA graduates receive a promotion within one year of graduation.

Read further to see how three Carlson School students used their MBA to achieve a transformative career change.

 

Sarah: From teaching to entrepreneurship to consulting

Education—and its importance—was always a passion for Sarah Adams. After receiving her bachelor’s degree, Adams taught Spanish language in high school.

It was while she was a teacher that Adams began exploring if there were new ways to teach Spanish. She soon launched her own company called Españolx, a virtual language instructional company. 

After enrolling in the Carlson School’s Full-Time MBA program, Adams was able to apply what she learned in the classroom to building her company. Her venture received a John DePodesta Leadership Fellowship, which provides University of Minnesota graduate students the opportunity to co-design or launch a new venture in partnership with existing educational organizations that seek to improve the quality of postsecondary education.

“If you take things one step at a time, doors will open,” she says. “An MBA is challenging, but it can help in so many ways.”

Adams also recently accepted a consultant position at Deloitte, where she will work once she graduates in the spring.

“If you don’t have that traditional business background, that’s OK,” Adams says. “In business, we need more diversity in backgrounds and more diverse thinking at the leadership level. No matter your background, you can bring a lot of value.”

 

Nachiket: From higher education admissions to consulting

Nachiket Karnik also began in the education sector before making a career pivot. Karnik worked in higher education admissions for several years before feeling like he needed to make a change. 

“I was left thinking ‘What’s next?’” he says. “I wanted to find something that interested me more. I knew that if I wanted to pivot, I could always try that and if I didn’t like it or didn’t work out, I could always come back and do something similar to what I already was.”

Karnik enrolled in the Carlson School’s Part-Time MBA program and began exploring different industries of interest to him. At first, he thought that might be marketing. But after meeting with Carlson School career coaches, he shifted his focus to consulting.

“Making a career change was challenging,” he says. “I can’t thank my career coach Brigette from the career center enough for helping me through the process. Having them there to advise me and encourage me to learn more about consulting was crucial.”

Karnik now works for Boston Consulting Group as a consultant.

“This change was 100 percent the right decision,” he says. “I truly enjoy it. I can work on high-impact projects that are very exciting and motivating.”

 

Adam: From commercial contracting to entrepreneurship to renewable energy

Adam Iliff spent more than a decade in the commercial contracting field before making a pivot. It was after a business of his failed that he felt he could benefit from an MBA. He soon joined the Carlson School’s Executive MBA program and began plotting out his next career move.

“I have an entrepreneurial bent,” he says. “I’m extremely curious. I don’t mind starting businesses. But I wanted to make sure that my next business venture had a robust process around it. There were things that I thought I could take from an MBA to help my businesses succeed in the future.”

Since getting his Executive MBA degree, Iliff has worked in the renewable energy sector. He worked at Tesla for more than five years before joining OnSwitch. He and his wife also started Vessyll, an energy storage company.

Iliff credits much of his current success to the skill he gained from the Executive MBA program. For those who are interested in getting an MBA to make a career transition, Iliff says you should jump right in and not be afraid to make a change.

“I think every 7 to 10 years, people should evaluate if this is the right trajectory for you,” he says. “Is this the right career path? Is this the right industry? Because there are a ton of transferable skills across industries. I don’t think people hold enough value in the skills they’ve already learned and how they can be used in another industry entirely. 

“If you’re a project manager, you can work across construction or retail. But those same skills apply to a Target as they would to a Tesla. Maybe you still need to learn 20 percent of the job or the industry. But you shouldn’t be scared about learning the 20 percent when you already bring to the table 80 percent.”

The Carlson School MBA challenges every student to grow professionally and pushes them to reach for more in their career. No matter which MBA format students choose (Executive, Full-Time, Part-Time, or Online), the Carlson School can help them make successful career pivots.

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