This is the last newsletter
of the year! Included in this newsletter are alumni profiles, links of
interest, and words of wisdom from the staff at Commerce Career Services.
Please let us know if there is a topic you would like us to cover! If you know
of an alum who would be a perfect fit for the alumni profiles, you can send me
their information at gilley@virginia.edu.
1. Alumni Profile
Yanek Korff (MS in MIT ’09) Vice President –
Mandiant Computer Incident Response Team,
Mandiant (Alexandria, VA).
1)
What were your favorite parts of the program? What were the most important
things you took from your time at McIntire?
Honestly, it's difficult to
narrow down the list of "favorite parts." If I were to pick
three, they'd be: the faculty, the residencies as a whole, and the team
projects. Every member of the faculty was committed to making sure that the
students got as much out of the program as possible. They were always
available, engaging, and weren't scared to challenge ideas and
assumptions. The high volume of in-person with both faculty and other
students made for weeks of entertainment during the residencies. The team
projects varied wildly: some teams just "clicked." Others just
didn't. In either case, the teams offered an opportunity to develop
strong relationships that continue to this day. I certainly came away
with many such relationships and a host of stories that I hope never show up on
the Internet.
The most important thing that I
took away from the program though was an unexpected skill. Vastly
improved time management. When the deadlines can't move and you're
juggling a full time job and personal commitments too, you become pretty good
at proactively setting others' expectations and carefully managing your own
time.
2)
Have you made a career change since you completed the degree? What elements of
the program were helpful in making this change?
I've had two job changes since
completing the degree program. During the interview for the first as a
Product Manager, I was asked how I'd spin up on an industry about which I knew
nothing and how I'd be able to effectively map out a product strategy. The
interviewing team had assessed several technical candidates for the role like
myself but these candidates lacked the ability to articulate how to develop an
understanding of the market, how to assess the competitive dynamics, and how
ultimately to even attempt sustainable competitive differentiation. I
described Mod 4. I got the job.
In the case of my second
interview, I walked in with something I wouldn't have had without the program:
confidence that I could do the job. I was being asked to take a theory
that had played out well for a few distinct contracts and build a highly
technical security-oriented managed service business line. Capital P and
capital L. Without the fundamentals from the program I would not really
have known where to start. Instead, I got this job as well and have
delivered three consecutive years of 100%+ revenue growth.
3)
What advice/words of wisdom do you have for current or future MS in MIT
students who are considering either a job change or career change now that they
are working towards the MS in MIT degree?
Every situation is
different. As far as the program is concerned I'd recommend giving it all
you've got. Learn everything you can, experiment with all that you have
at your fingertips. Ask a lot of questions.
Disagree with things you said
five minutes ago just for the sake of exploring competing viewpoints. All
of this taught me a lot about business strategy... but achieving business
success is a lot like achieving success in the program: all the strategy in the
world won't help you if you can't execute against it. So, execute.
In my case, getting the freedom
to execute required a change in job. For some of my colleagues, they were
able to move into new roles at the existing organizations where they could
execute against new strategies they'd developed. I won't tell you to
change jobs or not to change jobs, but I will say that you need to be in a role where you
have the freedom to execute and win.
2. Articles of Note
3. Career Advice 2.0 – Words
of Wisdom
From Cynthia Huddleston,
Associate Dean, Graduate Admissions & Corporate Relations
Key Lessons in Strategic Career Management
Many of our M.S. in MIT alumni point to the Capstone
Strategic Project (CSP) as the experience that helped them think more
strategically about IT. For some, it was the impetus they needed to
create new ventures. Others were in a position to transform their IT
operations from service units to partners in enabling and driving business
strategy. Regardless of your post-graduation plans, I encourage you to
take a fresh look at the key lessons from the CSP and how they can help you think
more strategically about managing your career.
Lesson 1: “The better you understand your
industry and company the more unique and valuable your insights will be.”
Sound familiar? It was Professor Gray’s advice for
researching potential CSP companies, but I would suggest that it is also
extremely valuable career advice. Career opportunities no
longer follow the proverbial ‘ladder,’ but are more like a series of
interconnecting pathways. Developing a deep understanding of your
organizations’ strategic landscape is like having a roadmap to where the next
opportunities for career advancement are likely to arise.
Lesson 2: Seek differing perspectives and
multiple data points.
CSP teams who were able to identify an innovative use of
IT that truly resonated for the company and its customers had one thing in common.
They incorporated information from multiple sources, including individuals who
represented differing perspectives, to arrive at their unique insights.
Now think about your own career. How often do you interact with mentors,
colleagues, or others who challenge you to look at your career from a different
perspective – i.e. help you think about it strategically?
Lesson 3: Develop and tell your unique
story.
What are your signature
strengths (competitive advantages)? What patterns emerge when you
analyze your career? How can you use your strengths to deliver value
to your customers or organization in unique or innovative ways? As you
complete the integrated assessment of your company’s strategy for your CSP,
think about how you could apply a similar integrated analysis (including
financial!) to your career strategy. What compelling story can you
tell?
4. We’re Here to Help
Commerce Career Services will be
presenting the Rebranding program next Friday (June 14th) after your
last session of the day. We’ll be discussing the importance of integrating new
skills, knowledge, and goals into your professional identity. Please don’t
hesitate to contact Kelly Eddins (keddins@virginia.edu)
or Aaron Gilley (gilley@virginia.edu)
with any questions you might have. Have a great week!
Aaron
Gilley
Assistant
Director of Career Development
Commerce
Career Services
University
of Virginia
(434)
243-2144
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