Gone are the days when employees would stay at one job for their entire careers. While long-term tenure was once common for generations past, today’s workers and employers alike have realigned their expectations to account for a much more mobile and fluid workforce.
What happens, though, when you not only want to switch jobs, but your entire career? When you reach one of those defining life moments when you know you want something different but aren’t sure how to get there?
The MBA programs at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley offer a transformative experience designed to facilitate this kind of dramatic pivot. Through an elite curriculum, extensive network, and world-class resources, Haas equips students to navigate pivots with skill and confidence.
The Berkeley MBA advantage
Berkeley offers the MBA as a full-time program, an Evening and Weekend part-time program (in the form of online-hybrid Flex or on-campus), and Executive MBA. Each program is strategically designed to offer a signature Haas experience, enabling students to “move seamlessly from ‘what is’ to ‘what could be.’”
I can definitively say, this would not have been possible without an MBA.”
Depending on if a student is on a full time or part time track, the program runs for 2-3 years and contains core courses, signature experiences, experiential learning, and student-chosen electives. While pursuing their MBA, students are mentored by world class faculty and enjoy distinguished guest speakers and simulations.
The curriculum, mentorship, and hands-on experiences all contribute to helping students to fast-track their career goals and make smooth transitions to their new careers. They are also introduced to key players in the business world and get plugged into a huge alumni network that can also facilitate their pivots.
Case study 1: financial advisor to investor
Xavier Jefferson, MBA 24, began his career as a financial advisor after earning his undergraduate degree in finance. While working with high-net-worth clients, he developed an interest in stocks and envisioned a future as a full-time investor. To gain the skills, network, and mentorship necessary to make this shift, he enrolled in the Full-time MBA program at Berkeley Haas.
Throughout his time in the program, Xavier participated in several transformative experiences that helped pave the way for his new path. He spent a summer interning as an equity research analyst with ClearBridge Investments in New York City, gaining first hand experience in his new field. He also joined Haas’s Investment Club, where his team won second place at the Chicago Booth Investment Conference and Competition.
Xavier’s journey was further enriched by The Consortium for Graduate Studies in Management, being a Haas Finance Fellow, and serving as the VP of Finance in the MBA Association.
These experiences, combined with Haas’s extensive network, rigorous curriculum, and phenomenal mentorship, have paved the way for Xavier’s dynamic transition to a full time investor.
Click here to read more about Xavier’s story.
Case study 2: a trio of pivots into venture capital
Will McKelvey, Aparna Chaganty, and Alex Rohrbach, all MBA 23 graduates, successfully leveraged the skills and network of their Haas MBA to transition into new careers in venture capital. Their stories represent just a few of the fourteen 2023 graduates who all began careers in this field.
During his time at Berkeley, Will immersed himself in the world of venture capital. He shared, “If you decide it’s your thing, go all in. It’s not a space for tourists.” For Will, this meant embarking on a pre-MBA road trip to meet with startup founders, interning at multiple VC firms, and serving as co-president of the Haas VC Club. His dedication paid off, as he secured an investor position at Lerer Hippeau.
Aparna entered Berkeley Haas as a data scientist and product manager at Salesforce and was curious to explore opportunities that would merge her tech expertise with entrepreneurship. After graduating, she landed a coveted role at Bessemer Venture Partners, which she describes as a “once-in-a-generation opportunity.”
Coming from a consulting background, Alex found venture capital to be a natural fit for his skills and experience. “Many MBAs don’t realize that they have a lot of skills they can apply on day one with a VC firm,” he says. While at Haas, Alex participated in fellowships, internships, and mentorships—key experiences that helped him secure a job at Thomvest Ventures after graduation.
Students looking to make a similar pivot can take advantage of the clubs, mentorships, fellowships, and internships offered by Haas. In addition, Haas has a strong curriculum that includes courses in venture capital and offers a robust alumni network and an unbeatable location in the heart of Silicon Valley. Haas provides students ample opportunities to build strategic connections and facilitate a successful pivot into VC.
Click here to read more about Wills, Aparna, and Alex.
Case study 3: from Navy SEAL to account executive
Joseph Choi had been interested in joining the military since high school. Recruited by his water polo coach, he ended up enrolling in the Naval Academy. After graduation, he embarked on the rigorous journey of SEAL training and spent seven years serving on a SEAL team—including three deployments.
While Joseph had long aspired to serve in the military, he admits that he wasn’t sure what he wanted to do after his service—a common challenge for many veterans. However, he believed earning an MBA at Haas would “be a good launchpad,” and says that “business school is a great way to shift careers into the civilian sector, and, also frankly, to have a whole lot of fun!”
Joseph’s strategic decision paid off, as he is now thriving in a new role as an Account Executive for Amazon Ads. To hear more about Joseph’s incredible journey, click here to listen to or read his Haas podcast episode.
Case study 4: from non-profit advocacy to the private sector
During her undergraduate career, Tess Krasne, MBA 22, studied Environmental Biology, Economics, and Anthropology. After graduation, she spent six months in Ohio working for Hilary Clinton’s presidential campaign. Following the election, she moved to Washington D.C. and began a career in environmental advocacy.
This led to her work on the plastics team at Ocean Conservancy. Within that role, she had the opportunity to see first-hand the ways public and private markets could make a difference in environmental work. She says, “I really saw more hope in private markets at that time.” But as she was working with Fortune 500 companies, she started recognizing some knowledge gaps—particularly in the area of finance—that eventually led her to business school.
Tess was excited about the environmental work that was emerging from Silicon Valley at the time and went to Berkeley to be immersed in that world. Tess found the most valuable part of her MBA to be all the different internship opportunities available and having the ability to hone and prove her business acumen despite her nonprofit background.
During one of her classes, she met and worked with Alante Capital. This turned out to be a wonderful fit and Tess began working with them part time while still at Haas and then moved to a full time principal role after graduation. While pivoting from the nonprofit sector to venture capital, Tess has been able to stay closely connected to the work she’s most passionate about through Alante’s focus on sustainability.
Case study 5: from English teacher to global strategist
After completing his undergraduate degree in business, Chase Thompson, MBA 22, spent two years teaching English in South Korea. While he was enjoying his international experience and wanted to continue in that direction, he knew that teaching didn’t align with his long-term goals and he wanted to return to business and finance.
He attended many different career fairs and was essentially told the same thing at each one: it would be impossible for him to pivot directly from English into international business. Chase says he was lacking the business experience and language skills to make that happen. He decided he needed to make a change into the business realm as soon as possible to avoid being “gated out of it for the next five years.”
Chase moved back to the United States to get some experience under his belt and worked for a regional investment bank. During this time he still had an itch to go international and also wanted to move into a tech position.
Typically one can leverage an MBA to pivot in role, industry, or location. Hoping to achieve all three pivots at once, Chase enrolled in Haas and discovered transformational support that helped him meet his lofty goals.
Chase says Haas provided this support in three main ways: the strength of the coursework, the career center, and the alumni network. During his time in the program, there was an increased emphasis on globally-focused curriculum that proved invaluable. The tech and consulting branches of the career center were also instrumental in helping him secure an Adobe internship.
During his second year of the program and during his career hunt, the career center also helped Chase prepare for a once-in-a-lifetime interview with the coveted Samsung GSG program in South Korea. After an offer from Samsung, Chase credits the alumni network for freely sharing advice and experiences to help him feel comfortable evaluating the opportunity and accepting the offer.
Making the impossible, possible
For dreamers who want to make big changes in their career paths, Berkeley Haas offers the education, resources, and network necessary to turn those dreams into a reality. These case studies represent thousands of graduates over the years who have been able to leverage their MBA degree into a new path.
Chase sums it up well when he talks about being very fortunate to have been able to make all three pivots at once and credits a good deal of his success to his Haas MBA. He says, “I can definitively say, this would not have been possible without an MBA.”
