Guest blog by Philip White
If you’re like me and didn’t truly know what you want to explore at Booth, know you’re not alone!
Many folks come into Booth with the aim to switch careers and there are plenty of fulfilling opportunities across industries and functions, how can you pick just one?
Of course, having some ideas of where you’d like to explore is a great start.
Background
I served in the United States Army for 5 years primarily within the Military Working Dog Program. Prior to that, I majored in legal studies and Chinese. There was no clear pathway to a business role in my mind, but I determined areas in business that I was passionate about and went from there, knowing that Booth would enable me to succeed with the depth and diversity of career pathways. A Pre-MBA internship at Blackstone also helped.
Interests
For starters, I was very interested in the energy sector and joined a team through the Booth Energy Group to compete at the Michigan Ross Renewable Energy Case Competition. The Energy Group had a ton of motivated professionals, some with energy backgrounds and some without, who I teamed up with to learn about the sector. This is one example of how student groups support the career exploration journey.
Next, I was interested in the sports space. I have been an athlete my entire life and wanted to see what sports business could be like. Second year students at Booth provide a wealth of knowledge from their own internship experiences. I was able to chat with second year students who worked at Titleist and Nike who helped me with my job applications to both to navigate the nuances and learn the lingo of sports and retail. This is one example of how involved and supportive second year students are in the career exploration process.
Recruiting
I pursued management consulting alongside the Management Consulting Group. Nearly a third of Boothies recruit for management consulting, creating a strong, tried and true network that enabled my success in the recruiting process. Second year students led the group through weekly meetings and established small group leaders to help us prepare for the behavioral and technical components of interviews.
Established Booth alumni in the management consulting firms served as a strong support network as I had questions about the firms and what life would look like as a consultant. This is one example of how not only second year students help in career exploration, but also Booth alumni who are heavily invested in the success of current students.
After all of these experiences in just my first few months at Booth, I was able to learn an extraordinary amount about business and hone in on the career path I wanted to take. I went on to intern on the strategy team at Nike for the summer and accepted a full-time position with McKinsey & Company where I will be headed in a few short months after graduation.
Parting Thoughts
What I hope all interested candidates can take away is that Booth is extremely supportive in helping you navigate the career search, whether it is our fantastic Career Services Team, second year students who have been there before, Booth alumni, or your own peers – everyone is supportive.
Figure out some ideas of paths that would be fulfilling to you, explore them at Booth further, and know that you can go and do anything, anywhere from the University of Chicago.
