By Yvett Gong, MAM2025
So, you just graduated! You are excited, maybe a little nervous, and the world is your oyster… If you are anything like I was three years ago, you are probably wondering: Okay, now what?
Or perhaps you’ve got a year or two of experience under your belt! You are feeling more confident, maybe a bit restless, and starting to ask bigger questions about the future and wondering: What’s next?
No matter where you are in your journey, each stage presents its own crossroads and choices. It’s at these junctions that we craft our unique paths, in which when we look back, reveal themselves as pivotal moments. In this blog, I’ll take you through the three “junctions” I encountered over the past few years. From kickstarting a career in consulting to taking a leap back into a Masters in Analytics & Management (MAM) at LBS, my hope is to inspire reflection on your journey and provide some encouragement to embrace change, resilience, and growth. Moreover, if you’re considering an Early Career Master’s after some work experience, this might just be the nudge you need. Ready? Let’s dive in!
Junction 1: Fresh Out of Uni – Now What?
Figure out your short-term goal: the earliest opportunity to experience being a working professional in your “dream” job.
Graduation was surreal, it felt like standing at the peak of possibility – but also like staring down a dizzying number of paths. My own journey began with the classic choice that many graduates face: should I continue learning or dive into the workforce? With a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia in Canada, I was surrounded by friends jumping straight into masters programmes. Business Analytics was all the rage at the time, but I wasn’t sure if the technical route was for me. So, I decided to start my career in strategy consulting, something I had dreamed of for years (yes, I was one of those kids).
The decision to step into a full-time role was a reality check. Full-time experience wasn’t a mere extension of internships; it was a whole new world of responsibility, self-discovery, and a true test of my interest in consulting. Looking back, it was a critical turning point that clarified my future decisions about further study. So, standing at this junction, take a moment to ask, “what do I really want to learn about myself short-term?”
Option 1: Continue education with a Graduate Masters Programme straight away
- Buying Extra Time: Explore career options if you haven’t made up your mind
- Deepen Expertise: Gain advanced knowledge in the chosen academic field
- Pivot Academic Background: Build cross-disciplinary skills and pivot from undergrad degree
Option 2: Kickstart career in consulting or other fields
- Real-World Exposure: Get firsthand full-time experience that differs from internships significantly
- Testing Career Fit: Find out if the “dream job” is truly so dreamy
- Skill Discovery: Identify your strengths and practical skill gaps for further investment
Junction 2: Two Years In – Skills Gaps and Growth
Knowing your own professional persona, assessing skill gap, and the first taste of your desired workplace culture and corporate value
Fast-forward two years and I found my stride in consulting. I genuinely enjoyed the work, from delivering technology and data strategy projects that assess organisational technology landscape, data management practices to evaluating AI readiness and crafting AI strategy. The growth opportunity was invaluable. However, like many consultants, the inevitable ‘imposter syndrome” kicked in. I found myself facing a realization – with every AI strategy discussion and data project, I began to sense that something was missing – a deeper analytical foundation and more forward-looking insights of technology and data to help me advise my client more confidently.
Those two years also brought another insight: the importance of team culture and dynamics. Working with a team of truly intelligent, collaborative, and supportive colleagues and mentors and having given the opportunities to lead meetings, manage client relationships, represent the firm in panel discussions at recruitment events showed me the kind of workplace culture I wanted to seek and advocate for. This realisation about people and values turned into a guiding factor in my career pursuit later on.
Food for thought:
Option 1: Continue growing in my current role
- Career Growth: Invest in building a career with trusted team and colleagues within the company
- Professional Relationships: Strengthen and build lasting relationships with a compatible team
- Hands-on Learning: Continuously gain practical experience from hand-on projects
Option 2: Pursue a full-time Graduate Masters Programme at LBS
- Focused Learning: A dedicated to systematically acquire targeted skills of interest
- Career Pivot Opportunity: Ideal timing to explore a new direction early in my career
- Global Perspective: Transition to a new location (e.g., from Canada to London) and gain a global outlook beyond one organisation, region, or industry
Having chosen option 2, I realized that my full-time experience set me apart in multiple ways:
- Career-Driven Motivation Statement: Full-time experience provides a strong foundation for a well-positioned, purpose-driven reason to pursue a specific programme
- Clear Career Plan and Objectives: Work experience shapes a thoughtful, actionable career path with both short- and long-term goals
- Leverage Real-Life Project Experience: Showcase complex, hands-on project work that adds depth beyond typical school or internship examples.
- Dynamic Classroom Contribution: Being able to bring real-world insights and professional dynamics to elevate classroom discussions.
Junction 3: What’s Happening Now & Next – Lessons In and Beyond the Classroom
How full-time experience allows me to get the most out of the programme, stay true to my goals and values, and empower exploration of other career opportunities.
Being part of the LBS community and a Graduate Masters Programme after two years in consulting is as fruitful as it gets. The work experience has shaped how I approach learning: every lecture, concept, or tool now feels like something I can connect directly to real-life scenarios. With clear goals in mind, learning feels grounded, purposeful, and I was able to identify and focus on the practical content that I can bring back to future projects.
Socially, my work experience has also added depth to how I interact within the LBS community. I can approach networking and connections with a bit more focus and confidence. There’s comfort in knowing how to present myself, whether at LBS events or when interacting with MBA students and mentors with skills I’d honed in the workplace.
But let’s be honest – LBS is no walk in the park, nor is the MAM. Between a demanding schedule, the pressure of job hunting from day one, the overwhelming FOMO of events, and the challenge of finding your own place in a mega city like London, there’s a lot to balance. This is why I’m grateful for the resilience and problem-solving mindset I gained through work. Handling high-pressure situations with a structured way of thinking, staying grounded during crisis, and adapting quickly have been invaluable skills in navigating the academic and social demands.
Returning to school with a clear purpose to pivot careers is common among those with work experience. For me, having enjoyed two years in strategy consulting, I always wondered what else is out there. Investing in a Graduate Masters Programme at LBS opens the door to other opportunities. With the two years of consulting experience under my belt, I’ve felt encouraged to explore new career paths, such as innovation consulting and product management, knowing that my consulting background and the transferrable skills I acquired remains a solid foundation I can always rely on.
Food for thought:
Option 1: Continue in Strategy Consulting
- Competitive Edge: Leverage the more advanced technical knowledge and deeper understanding in data & analytics, as well as a holistic global perspective
- Leverage Existing Experience: Accelerate growth in a familiar field
- New Perspectives: Work in a different country and company to gain fresh insights
Option 2: Explore New Career Areas
- Diverse Experience: Gain exposure to various industries or functions early in the career, adding flexibility and potential to future career path
- Skill Diversification: Develop a broader skillset beyond typical consulting skills
- End-to-End Perspective: Experience end-to-end project from strategizing through execution
Final Thoughts: There Are No Right Choices, We Make Our Choices Right
You probably noticed that I’ve listed some pretty convincing reasonings for each decision at each of these junctions, it is apparent that the choices weren’t always obvious or easy. Whether it was stepping into a full-time role, going back to school, or exploring new career paths, every decision required both courage and conviction. The biggest lesson is that there is no single “right” choice – only the choices we made right by fully committing fully, learning from every step, and adapting along the way.
So, if you’re standing at your own crossroads, remember that “sometimes you make the right decision, sometimes you make the decision right.” Embrace the choice wholeheartedly, stay resilient, and trust that each choice will shape you in ways that will become clear only in hindsight. Here’s to making our own paths – and making them right.