What a Senior Strategy Manager at Professional City Orchestra wishes they had known before entering the orchestra industry
Kevin's experience highlights the unexpected value of diverse prior work experience, noting that "all the things that I do day to day I pull from my previous experience," even across different industries. The interview also reveals the importance of accepting external constraints and maintaining perspective when facing challenges inherent in collaborative projects with external partners and vendors.
Project Management, Overcoming Challenges, Industry Realities, Workplace Challenges, Career Development
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Kevin Ma
Sr. Manager, Strategy & Special Projects
Professional City Orchestra
The University of Texas at Austin, 2014
MBA - UCLA Anderson School of Management
Business Management & Admin
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Business Strategy
Immigrant
Video Highlights
1. Prior work experiences across various industries are extremely valuable and applicable to new roles.
2. Experiences outside one's particular function are also very helpful in a new role.
3. Many external factors are outside of one's control, and it's important to maintain perspective when facing challenges.
Transcript
What have you learned about this role that you wish someone would have told you before you started?
Yes, for me, two things stand out. First, I didn't graduate and come straight into this role. I had some previous experience across different industries before I found myself here.
I've learned that those experiences outside of the industry and my particular function have been extremely valuable. This is applicable no matter what people end up taking on in their first job, which often isn't the role they stay with forever.
I've learned through this role that I pull from my previous experiences daily. This includes things I've seen in different industries or experiences managing different functions.
Another thing I've learned is that there are often things outside of your control, and outside of your organization's control. This is often due to working with external partners, vendors, or consultancies.
Inherently, there are many constraints in how an organization is structured and what it prioritizes. For me, understanding that and keeping that perspective when facing challenges is something I've certainly learned. It's something I have to remind myself of.
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