Career Path of a Business Consultant and Professor at Lucid Morpho LLC
Richard's career path began with an unexpected pivot after graduation during the recession, as a desired organization introduced a requirement that made planned opportunities "evaporated". Richard then moved into finance for a couple of years before transitioning into operations and financial consulting in the automotive industry, which "snowballed" into later work in life sciences and other areas.
Career Pivot, Consulting, Finance, Automotive Industry, Operations Management
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Richard Clarke
Business Consultant and Professor
Lucid Morpho LLC
College of Charleston
University of San Diego (MBA, MS Finance, PhD)
Economics
Education, Manufacturing, Operations & Supply Chain
Consulting
Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Transfer Student, First Generation College Student
Video Highlights
1. Graduating during a recession-like period (similar to the end of COVID) made targeted career paths difficult, requiring adaptability.
2. A specific job opportunity was eliminated due to a new universal health clearance requirement, demonstrating the need to pivot when faced with unexpected obstacles.
3. Experience in finance and consulting within the automotive industry (specifically Fiat Chrysler) provided a foundation for later career growth in life sciences and other areas.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college? What internships or jobs did you have before your current role?
Okay, cool. I graduated during an interesting time, towards the end of the recession.
It was a strange space to be in. It's kind of like graduating towards the end of COVID, when lots of things were in motion and changing.
For me, it wasn't about getting a specific, targeted job. The organization I wanted to work for suddenly implemented a universal health clearance requirement. Everything I'd been working towards for my undergraduate degree became impossible.
I had to pivot. We all face those things in life. So, I stayed working where I was, and then moved into finance for a couple of years.
After that, I got into consulting in the automotive industry. I focused on operations and financial consulting, with a technology component, for Fiat Chrysler at the time. I did that for a couple of years before things snowballed, and I moved into life sciences and everything else you can see on my profile from there.