Career Path of a Senior Strategy Analyst at Disney
Mike's career path was unplanned, beginning with an accounting major chosen on a whim, ("my brother thought I'd like it"). After a stint in tax accounting, Mike realized a desire for a more impactful role and a career shift to the entertainment industry, leading to their current position as a Senior Strategy Analyst at Disney where Mike gets "to be on that front" of business decision-making.
Career Exploration, Career Development, Overcoming Challenges, Achieving Goals, Real-World Examples
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Mike Magagna
Senior Strategy Analyst
Disney
Penn State University
Penn State (Master of Accounting) and Villanova (Master of Taxation)
Accounting
Arts, Entertainment & Media
Business Strategy
Honors Student, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Mike's career path was not straightforward; he initially majored in accounting based on a suggestion, then switched to a career in strategy after realizing tax accounting wasn't his passion.
2. His experience highlights the importance of internships in exploring different career paths and gaining practical experience.
3. Mike's desire for a career in entertainment led him to relocate and pursue a role at Disney, demonstrating the importance of aligning your career with your interests and goals.
Transcript
Mike, could you walk me through your career path? Start with why you chose your major in college, your experience there, and any internships or jobs you had before your current role.
The reason I chose accounting as my major was because my brother thought I'd like it. When you're entering college, you don't know much about the majors or what you're really deciding. It sounded like it involved numbers and math, and you had to be organized, which I loved.
So I majored in accounting and entered a dual Masters and Bachelors program to get my Master's and 150 credits to become a CPA. I was all set for the accounting track. I interned in public accounting and had to choose between tax and auditing. Both sounded bad, so I took what seemed like the lesser of two evils and did tax.
I started my career in tax but realized after a while that I didn't like it. It wasn't that the work wasn't interesting, but I just didn't see myself doing it for a whole career. Taxes are at the very end of a business's decision-making process. Businesses don't make decisions because of tax applications; they deal with them as a result.
I wanted to be more involved in the front of that process and understand what drives businesses. More specifically, I wanted to get into entertainment. I'm originally from Philadelphia, where companies are mainly in manufacturing and healthcare. Now, I wanted to work in entertainment.
So, I moved across the country and am now doing strategy for Disney. This is where I get to be on the front end of that process.
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