College Experiences That Helped a Private Equity Associate at Apex Capital Growth Partners Succeed
Jerry's undergraduate experience at UCLA lacked focus on a corporate career path, initially driven by entrepreneurial aspirations; however, the MBA program allowed for exploration of various career trajectories—"consulting, IB, tech"—leading to a deep dive into the chosen path, and ultimately a position as a Private Equity Associate.
Career Exploration, Networking, Entrepreneurship, Overcoming Challenges, MBA
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Jerry Zhou
Private Equity Associate
Apex Capital Growth Partners
UCLA, 2012
UCLA Anderson School of Management, MBA Candidate
Economics
Finance (Banking, Fintech, Investing)
Finance
None Applicable
Video Highlights
1. Jerry's entrepreneurial journey, starting a business in his junior year, provided valuable experience.
2. He recommends joining career-specific clubs early in undergrad, especially in competitive fields like finance.
3. Exploring various career paths during his MBA helped him identify his passion for private equity.
Transcript
What did you do in undergrad to set you up for success in your career?
That's a great question. My undergraduate studies weren't very focused. I attended UCLA for my undergrad, and honestly, I wasn't sure where my career path was leading me.
My family had a business, and I always equated business with entrepreneurship. This influenced me greatly to start my own business. I actually tried starting a business in my junior year with friends, which is where my entrepreneurial journey began.
During undergrad, I didn't pay much attention to the corporate route. Looking back, I wish I had joined more career-specific clubs from the start, like in my freshman year. It's become even more competitive nowadays, especially with finance.
From what I've heard, you need to know by freshman year that you're pursuing finance and join all the clubs, participate, and prepare for technicals from the outset. I really started focusing on corporate and general career trajectory during my MBA.
I joined all the major professional clubs to figure out which path I liked best. I wanted to explore quickly: was it consulting, investment banking, or tech? Those are the three main trajectories in my MBA.
I also considered other options to figure out quickly which path to delve deeply into. I have no regrets; I just went deep into it.
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