Career Path Of A Founder At Coach Lauren Wong
Lauren's career path began with entertainment internships, including a highlight at Disney, followed by a contractor position at NBCUniversal that turned into a full-time role. After realizing the entertainment industry was too slow-paced for a liking, the professional pivoted to tech and then consulting, ultimately "combin[ing] what [they] learned in consulting with [a] passion for education" to found a higher education admissions consulting business, leveraging diverse experiences to help international clients with their applications.
Entertainment Industry, Higher Education Consulting, Career Pivoting, Internship Experience, MBA
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Lauren Wong
Founder
Coach Lauren Wong
UC Berkeley
UCLA Anderson
Communications, Economics, Political Science, American Studies
Coaching, Speaking & Writing, Education
Education
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Greek Life Member, LGBTQ
Video Highlights
1. Internships are valuable for exploring career interests: Lauren realized her interest in entertainment during her third year of university and pursued multiple internships in the field, including a highlight internship at Disney.
2. Gaining a 'foot in the door' is crucial, especially in competitive industries: Lauren emphasized the difficulty of entering the entertainment industry and how a contractor position at NBCUniversal led to a full-time role.
3. Combining passions and experiences can lead to fulfilling career paths: Lauren integrated her consulting skills, love for education, and international experiences to start her own higher education admissions consulting business.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? Do you have any internships or jobs you had before your current role?
I had a really interesting path. I didn't know what I wanted to do in university, so I didn't even take internships in the first two years.
In my third year, I realized I wanted to do entertainment and decided to take a bunch of internships in that field. I was open to living in LA, so I worked at various studios, doing anything related to entertainment. A highlight was my final semester internship at Disney.
After that, I studied abroad, which I consider a very important, life-changing experience. Following my study abroad, I started looking for a full-time job. It was difficult to get into entertainment at first.
Luckily, a contractor position opened up at NBCUniversal, helping with the Winter Olympics. I did a good enough job that they kept me on for random projects. When a full-time role opened up, I applied and got it.
I decided to switch departments at some point. I loved entertainment but found the industry slow and corporate. So, I decided to try entertainment tech, working in mobile gaming at Scopely for a year.
Turns out, operations wasn't for me. It was during COVID, which, while not typically seen as lucky, was fortunate for me. My boss and I discussed me being let go, and he offered me a bit more pay, allowing me to get a good severance. At the same time, I was pursuing my MBA part-time at UCLA Anderson.
Being let go gave me a chance to explore more. I applied for entertainment roles again, but they were still very competitive. I decided to figure out what I really wanted to do, and consulting came up as an option. I worked hard and landed a consulting role at Cognizant for a year.
While working at NBCUniversal, I also tutored on the side. It was a nine-to-five job, and I wanted to earn more. I had tutored earlier in life and loved it.
With the consulting job, I realized I enjoyed helping clients and solving problems. However, I also really missed education. I decided to combine these passions and started my own higher education admissions consulting business, focusing on MBA and master's applications.
This allows me to use my consulting skills with my passion for education. Currently, I'm working with international clients on their admissions, which uses my study abroad experience. I help them brainstorm and edit their applications, building their confidence.
Advizer Personal Links
https://linkedin.com/in/lwong89, coachlaurenwong@gmail.com, instagram.com/coachlaurenwong, facebook.com/coachlaurenwong