Last summer, my wife and I packed up our apartment in Austin and started the drive to Durham. At the time, I didn’t feel like I was just moving cities. I was also trying to figure out the answer to another dilemma: How was I going to transition to a completely different career?
For context, I spent four years prior to Fuqua working as a consultant at Ernst & Young. My job was focused on helping my clients implement large-scale transformations and manage complex operational changes. Among other things, I learned how to collaborate with a variety of different people while dealing with ambiguous problems.
Living in Austin fueled my curiosity more than I appreciated at the time. It’s a city that runs on creativity, whether it’s in music, film, or live performances. It all started to click when I volunteered at South by Southwest (SXSW) a couple of years ago. Being in that environment, watching creators and companies try to market their films and connect with audiences, made me want to be on the other side of the table, figuring out how a brand tells its story.
My wife, Gabi, and I at Austin City Limits music festival
Fast forward a year, and I arrived at Fuqua ready to make the jump into marketing and brand management. One of the first things I got plugged into was the Marketing Integrated Learning Experience (MILE), a program run through the Duke MBA Marketing Club, where second-year students help first-years prep for internship recruiting.
Along with practicing different kinds of cases with first-years, second-years were also very open about their experiences. They shared what worked for them, what didn’t, and how they approached interviews. That kind of transparency helped make the recruiting process feel a lot more structured and manageable.
The Marketing Club also runs the Brand Challenge, an annual competition where students partner with real companies to develop and present a mock brand strategy. My team worked on a hypothetical extension of the Cheetos brand into the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. We were tasked with thinking through how to stretch one of the most recognizable snack brands globally into new territory while keeping it true to what people already love about it.
It was the kind of project that made everything feel real. For someone coming from consulting, this hands-on experience was exactly what I needed to further validate my interest in brand management.
My Brand Challenge team with our Cheetos table set up and ready to present our strategy
It’s inevitable to hear the phrase “Team Fuqua” a lot, especially as a student. To be clear, it’s not that everyone is relentlessly optimistic all the time. Rather, it’s that people here genuinely enjoy helping each other. You feel that in small moments throughout the day, whether it is a classmate sending over notes before an interview or a section mate grabbing coffee with you to talk through a decision or check in.
My section, Section 4, a.k.a. The Tablebangers!
That same mindset shows up even more during recruiting. Classmates and second-years were constantly willing to run mock interviews, walk through case frameworks, and share honest feedback on how I was positioning my story as someone pivoting from consulting into marketing. What could have easily devolved into an overwhelming process started to feel a lot more structured. More importantly, it reaffirmed that I didn’t have to figure it all out on my own.
This support played an integral role in navigating recruiting and ultimately landing my internship. This summer, I’ll be joining Mars as an MBA Marketing Intern in New Jersey. It all feels a bit surreal. I came to business school as a consultant with zero marketing experience, and now I’m heading into a role where I’ll actually get to work on how products are positioned and experienced by consumers.
I didn’t come to Fuqua with everything figured out. I came in wanting to pursue a career switch without a well-defined plan, yet confident that Fuqua would help me find my way. And it happened. Honestly, I still don’t have it all figured out. But even halfway through the MBA journey, I can confidently say the move was worth it.
The post Pivoting From Consulting to Marketing With Mentorship and Hands-On Experience appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.
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My Consulting Background
For context, I spent four years prior to Fuqua working as a consultant at Ernst & Young. My job was focused on helping my clients implement large-scale transformations and manage complex operational changes. Among other things, I learned how to collaborate with a variety of different people while dealing with ambiguous problems.
Living in Austin fueled my curiosity more than I appreciated at the time. It’s a city that runs on creativity, whether it’s in music, film, or live performances. It all started to click when I volunteered at South by Southwest (SXSW) a couple of years ago. Being in that environment, watching creators and companies try to market their films and connect with audiences, made me want to be on the other side of the table, figuring out how a brand tells its story.
My wife, Gabi, and I at Austin City Limits music festival
Mentorship and Hands-On Marketing Experience
Fast forward a year, and I arrived at Fuqua ready to make the jump into marketing and brand management. One of the first things I got plugged into was the Marketing Integrated Learning Experience (MILE), a program run through the Duke MBA Marketing Club, where second-year students help first-years prep for internship recruiting.
Along with practicing different kinds of cases with first-years, second-years were also very open about their experiences. They shared what worked for them, what didn’t, and how they approached interviews. That kind of transparency helped make the recruiting process feel a lot more structured and manageable.
The Marketing Club also runs the Brand Challenge, an annual competition where students partner with real companies to develop and present a mock brand strategy. My team worked on a hypothetical extension of the Cheetos brand into the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. We were tasked with thinking through how to stretch one of the most recognizable snack brands globally into new territory while keeping it true to what people already love about it.
It was the kind of project that made everything feel real. For someone coming from consulting, this hands-on experience was exactly what I needed to further validate my interest in brand management.
My Brand Challenge team with our Cheetos table set up and ready to present our strategy
What “Team Fuqua” Actually Means
It’s inevitable to hear the phrase “Team Fuqua” a lot, especially as a student. To be clear, it’s not that everyone is relentlessly optimistic all the time. Rather, it’s that people here genuinely enjoy helping each other. You feel that in small moments throughout the day, whether it is a classmate sending over notes before an interview or a section mate grabbing coffee with you to talk through a decision or check in.
My section, Section 4, a.k.a. The Tablebangers!
That same mindset shows up even more during recruiting. Classmates and second-years were constantly willing to run mock interviews, walk through case frameworks, and share honest feedback on how I was positioning my story as someone pivoting from consulting into marketing. What could have easily devolved into an overwhelming process started to feel a lot more structured. More importantly, it reaffirmed that I didn’t have to figure it all out on my own.
This support played an integral role in navigating recruiting and ultimately landing my internship. This summer, I’ll be joining Mars as an MBA Marketing Intern in New Jersey. It all feels a bit surreal. I came to business school as a consultant with zero marketing experience, and now I’m heading into a role where I’ll actually get to work on how products are positioned and experienced by consumers.
I didn’t come to Fuqua with everything figured out. I came in wanting to pursue a career switch without a well-defined plan, yet confident that Fuqua would help me find my way. And it happened. Honestly, I still don’t have it all figured out. But even halfway through the MBA journey, I can confidently say the move was worth it.
The post Pivoting From Consulting to Marketing With Mentorship and Hands-On Experience appeared first on Duke Daytime MBA Student Blog.
More...
How does this impact your International MBA decision?
I'd be glad to learn your thoughts on this story : Pivoting From Consulting to Marketing With Mentorship and Hands-On Experience