Change Your Career with the Georgetown McDonough Flex MBA

Ha Young Shin, Georgetown McDonough Flex MBA Class of 2021

Age: 30
Hometown: Yeosu, South Korea 
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Georgetown University, International Business
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Assistant Director of Finance, Georgetown University, 4 years, Higher Ed/Finance
Post-MBA Work Experience: Senior Consultant, Slalom Consulting, 3 years, management consulting

Why did you choose Georgetown University? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I attended Georgetown for my undergrad and loved my experience there. Due to Georgetown’s Jesuit values, I knew that there would be an intentional focus on ethics and morality within the business curriculum. In addition, Georgetown thoughtfully encourages a spirit of community service through friendly competition among cohorts, and even recognizes those who prioritize volunteering, such as the Community Fellow distinction I was honored to receive at graduation. Finally, I also knew I was going to stay in the DMV (D.C./Maryland/Virginia) area post-graduation. As Georgetown’s alumni network in this area is especially robust, Georgetown was my top (and only) choice.

Why did you choose the Flex vs. Full-time MBA program at Georgetown McDonough?
As one of the younger students in the MBA program, I wanted to continue gaining experience while pursuing my education. Moreover, working at Georgetown came with the amazing advantage of full tuition benefits, allowing me to pursue both goals simultaneously.

Tell us about your work experience prior to joining the Flex Online MBA program. And, what are you doing now?
As the Assistant Director of Finance for Georgetown’s School of Continuing Studies, my role involved overseeing budgets and reconciliation for approximately 70 non-degree programs. While I loved my job, I wanted exposure to diverse industries, which drove me to management consulting.

Over the past 2.5 years at Slalom, I’ve been fortunate to gain the experience I desired. My clients have spanned from national hospital systems to global environmental organizations and asset management firms, and each project has truly been a learning journey. To provide a glimpse into the diversity of my work, I’ve undertaken building an enterprise financial model for the CFO to leading art-of-the-possible visioning workshops with CEOs and CIOs. More recently, I’ve begun to specialize in technology strategy and am leading our D.C. market’s cloud transformation capability. Earlier this year, I even authored a thought paper on building a robust technology strategy and hope to continue honing my expertise in this domain.

What McDonough Career Center resources did you leverage to make that switch?
Larry (from the career center) was my go-to point of contact. He was actually the one who encouraged me to attend Slalom’s employer session, which I’ll admit, was my first and only one I attended—though I’m grateful it happened that way.

To prepare for interviews, I also set up time for case study practice and resume reviews through the McDonough Career Center, which I strongly encourage students take advantage of.

During the program, how did you network and meet employers while working full-time?
I didn’t start networking and meeting employers until my last semester, after completing my classes a semester early. I didn’t follow the “traditional” MBA guidelines and schedules, as I was simultaneously writing my first book, planning a wedding, and juggling a full-time job with school, leaving little capacity for much else.

As for networking, I started with my classmates. Fortuitously, one of my peers in my cohort worked at Slalom and connected me to a recruiter. Additionally, I reached out to recent alumni via LinkedIn to schedule coffee chats to learn about their roles and experiences, which kick started my job search journey.

If a person wants to make a career switch coming out of the Flex program, what advice do you have for them?
I wish someone had told me that it’s okay to take things at my own pace. Working full-time and, taking evening classes while balancing family and other commitments, will feel overwhelming at times. There were moments when I felt anxious and insecure because I was comparing myself to others because I thought it’d be hard to make a career pivot without direct experience. However, I came to realize that many employers are not looking for those who check every box in the “experience” category. They are looking for those who have a growth mindset and will mesh well with their culture.

My biggest piece of advice is to be confident, have a clear and compelling story on your career goals and motivations, and demonstrate a genuine willingness to learn. Above all, I’m someone who believes everything happens for a reason. At times, it will be busy, and it will be hard. Create healthy boundaries for yourself and try to savor the moments when you can – time will fly by before you even know it. Be intentional in showing yourself grace. All things will work out the way they’re meant to be.