In these five MBA alumni stories, the biggest career breakthroughs came from finding job opportunities through clubs, utilizing career coaches, and selecting the right summer internship. Some of these MBAs further discovered their entrepreneurial direction during their studies or chose a program format that enabled optimal learning.
Real Stories, Real Outcomes
The best career moves MBA students make aren’t always the obvious ones. They are rarely just about landing the biggest brand name or the highest starting salary. More often, they’re the decisions that set everything else in motion – the club you join, the internship you use to get a feel of the industry, the career coach you put your trust in.
The five MBA alumni in this article made very different moves during their programs, but they share one thing in common: each decision was intentional and aligned with their goals. Some used their time to validate a complete career switch. Others discovered an entirely new direction they hadn’t planned for. One chose a program format that let her apply concepts in real time while staying in her role at the time.
Their stories show that the “best move” is not universal. It’s personal and often unconventional.
Alumni Stories
Pooja Dey, MBA ’16, UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School
Context: Pooja Dey came to UCD Smurfit School (Ireland) as an international student with a clear goal: build real work experience overseas before graduation.
Best career move in B-school: Among the other events and networking opportunities, Pooja joined the Thought Leadership Club where she got to meet and learn from successful leaders. That’s where she ended up connecting with recruiters from Zurich Insurance, which led to an internship offer.
Result: The internship let Pooja Dey test out everything she was learning in class in a real business setting. It made her CV stronger and set her up for product marketing roles after she graduated.
“During my MBA I interned with Zurich Insurance – I’d met them through the Thought Leadership Club. Getting that real-time, live exposure to all the theories we were learning was so good for me and was a great help in building my CV.” – Pooja Dey
Key Takeaway: Business clubs and societies can be much more than extracurricular activities. Research such opportunities where employers actually show up, then build relationships early. You never know if you might make your best career move thanks to that decision.
Disha Widge, MBA ’21, IESE Business School
Context: Disha Widge came to IESE Business School (Spain) from a public relations background, ready to make a serious career shift into consulting.
Best career move in B-school: For her summer internship, Disha intentionally looked for consulting roles and was able to get a spot at McKinsey & Company in London. That internship enabled her to put in the work to test whether this is the right path for her.
Result: The experience confirmed consulting was the right fit and gave McKinsey confidence to extend a full-time offer. She joined them after graduation where she continues to work today.
“Using my application phase to genuinely reflect on ‘why MBA’ helped narrow my focus and avoid distractions, including recruitment events and internships unrelated to my end goal of consulting. The idea is to have a plan A and a plan B, otherwise you risk spreading yourself too thin.” – Disha Widge
Key Takeaway: Use the internship as your testing ground before finally committing to a career switch. Target roles that will expose you to your dream role in the real world – an experience which cannot be replicated in class or through case studies.
Natasha Hsiao, MBA ’20, HKUST Business School
Context: Natasha Hsiao came to HKUST Business School (Hong Kong) for the international exposure she could obtain without straying too far from her home in Taiwan. She quickly found out that the career services team was an indispensable resource she could utilize.
Best career move in B-school: Natasha worked closely with career coaches throughout her internship search and points out they helped her with mock interviews, feedback, and follow-up with the recruiting company. That preparation helped her land an internship at BASF and to deliver a product launch roadmap for them during her summer.
Result: The internship turned into a follow-up offer. Natasha started as a full-time employee at BASF after graduation and she currently works in Global Supply Chain Excellence.
“Job hunting was a big part of my MBA, and I cannot thank my career coaches enough for helping me land my internship with BASF, which ultimately turned into a full-time position. […] I feel that the coaches truly cared about my experience and development.” – Natasha Hsiao
Key Takeaway: Treat career services like a performance team. Use coaching for reps (mock interviews), signal tracking (feedback loops), and conversion strategy.
Cyril Arrosteguy, MBA ‘20, HEC Paris
Context: Cyril Arrosteguy entered HEC Paris (France) as an engineer in construction. Although he says he always had an affinity for entrepreneurship, he picked the sector in which he wanted to start a business during his studies.
Best career move in B-school: During his MBA, Cyril tested his entrepreneurial skills and explored new sectors. He realized there is a niche – completely different from his previous experience – where he could build something from scratch.
Result: Cyril launched a business in childcare, specifically micro-nurseries, shortly after graduation. The MBA gave him the tools to achieve his newly found dream and just as importantly, it gave him confidence.
“Learning to lead a meeting, set deadlines, delegate, use individual strengths, and bring out the best in a group, as well as managing conflicts within teams, are all skills acquired at HEC that I use daily in my role as a business owner and more broadly as an individual.” – Cyril Arrosteguy
Key Takeaway: Your “best move” might be as simple as choosing the right direction. Use the MBA to discover what skills or functions energize you – then commit.
Archana Dhankar, EMBA ‘19, Warwick Business School
Context: Archana Dhankar was heading a Global Marketing team and juggling work, family, and her own side project. She wanted growth, but was looking for the right way to achieve that without stepping away from her career.
Best career move in B-school: Archana chose Warwick Business School (UK)’s Executive MBA format specifically because it allowed her to stay in her role while studying. She could take what she learned throughout the short EMBA modules and apply it to live business problems the following weeks.
Result: The real-time application sharpened her decision-making, built practical problem-solving skills, and expanded her network without disrupting her momentum.
“I was able to implement all of my in-class concepts practically in real-life situations, and even today, I feel like I have the confidence to strategically assess and act upon a situation better because of the knowledge I have gained during the course.” – Archana Dhankar
Key Takeaway: Match the MBA experience to your life situation and learning style. The “best move” for you can be choosing a format that takes more time to complete but allows you flexibility and immediate results at work.
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