Career Path Of A Career Changer In The Tech Industry
Christopher's career path began with an economics degree, which they valued for its broad application to problem-solving, followed by accounting roles before shifting into industrial engineering where they worked on process improvement projects for clients like Apple. Later, after realizing the need to develop strategic thinking skills, Christopher pursued an MBA which proved "very pivotal" in career trajectory as it allowed them to contribute to both strategy development and implementation, eventually leading to a role in the tech industry.
Career Change, Process Improvement, Strategy Development, Finance and Accounting, Project Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Christopher Speed
Category Business Manager
CSU San Marcos
MBA University of San Diego
Economics
Manufacturing, Operations & Supply Chain, Technology
Strategic Management and Executive
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Undergrad in Economics: Christopher highlights the value of his economics degree in developing a framework for understanding the world, applicable beyond academic pursuits and preparing him to think critically in the workforce.
2. Transition to Industrial Engineering: His experience as a continuous improvement leader in manufacturing, particularly the project involving Apple, was instrumental. It gave him a foundation in process optimization and organization that proved valuable across various industries like manufacturing, banking, finance, and project management.
3. MBA for Strategic Thinking: Getting an MBA was a pivotal career move for Christopher. It enabled him to transition from being an executor to a strategic thinker, capable of developing and implementing strategies.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Please include any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
Absolutely. I didn't do any internships before college. When I graduated, I went straight into the workforce.
My first job out of college was for a company in Del Mar called Am in Healthcare. They help hospitals with staffing, like with travel nurses. I worked in their finance and accounting department, doing accounts receivable and reconciliations.
In college, my undergraduate degree was in economics. It's highly quantitative and qualitative. I loved economics because it provides a way to think about the world. It's applicable not only to pursuing a PhD in economics and being good at math, but also just to understanding how the world works.
I felt well-prepared for the workforce after college because my degree taught me how to think, rather than just knowing accounting. From a career trajectory standpoint, I spent a couple of years at Am in Healthcare in an accounting role.
Then, I moved to a manufacturing company in Carlsbad called Simtech. I did similar work there as an accountant for a couple of years. Afterward, I transitioned into industrial engineering, where I was a continuous improvement leader.
My job was to help the factory run more smoothly. One of the most interesting projects involved Apple, one of their largest clients. Apple needed a lot of machines but didn't know exactly when. My role was to set up a process in the factory to build white-label machines.
This process allowed us to fulfill Apple's orders when they were ready. It also enabled us to supply machines to other customers who placed orders. Setting up this process was a great experience.
Industrial engineering is really about process, organization, and doing things better. This discipline has been invaluable throughout my career. I've applied it in manufacturing, banking, finance, and project management.
If you look at my LinkedIn, you'll see my experience is diverse, but it has common threads: project management, analytics, process improvement, and strategy. These have been consistent throughout my career.
After working in manufacturing, I moved into banking and finance for about 10 years. Then, I transitioned into tech.
How did I get into tech? I earned an MBA. I wanted to change my career because I realized I was good at executing strategy, but I didn't know how to build or develop one.
Before business school, people valued my contributions, but I was primarily an executor, simply doing what I was told. After business school, I could analyze the numbers and suggest strategies, then help implement them. This was a pivotal moment that significantly changed my career trajectory.