Position: Manager
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Where did you go to school and how did you decide your major?
I went to Northwestern University and went in undecided on what I wanted to study. I had an interest in neuroscience and took some cognitive science and psychology classes, as well as working in a psych research lab, but found the research grind to be unexciting. My spring semester of freshmen year I took an Economics class and it was history (pun intended as I also minored in history). Although not a major or minor, my favorite subject was Russian Literature. Intro to Russian Lit is perhaps surprisingly the most popular class at Northwestern. I always enjoyed reading growing up but wasn’t overly interested in “Great” Literature. This professor was incredible at showing us how to enjoy reading literature for meaning and enjoyment.
How did you choose healthcare consulting and what was your recruiting process like in college?
I became interested in consulting my sophomore year after joining a business fraternity. I originally didn’t have a focus on healthcare and cast my net wide. After initial frustration with the recruiting process, I participated in the Chicago Field Studies program during my senior year, which is an internship program. My internship was at Healthscape Advisors, a payor-focused consulting firm, and led to an offer after graduation. After being in healthcare consulting for a few months, my interest heightened when I realized how many sub-industries and perspectives there are within the healthcare industry. One of my ultimate career goals is to find comprehensive solutions to challenges in healthcare that span across payors, providers, pharma, etc. Working on both the payer and now provider side has equipped me with different perspectives in the field.
What would you recommend to someone who is interested in consulting?
My biggest piece of advice would be to truly understand the day-to-day work, rather than the “glamorous” tropes of traveling to exotic places, going to fun social events, and having meetings with C-suite execs. While these can exist, they certainly do not represent the majority of the time. There is a lot of data analysis, deck making, and project management. You don’t need to love every aspect of the job, but finding enjoyment in at least a few areas is critical.
I believe that the skills you learn in consulting are transferable to many roles. While the actual subject matter at my insurance-focused jobs did not translate much to the provider-side supply chain world, the skills I gained were highly transferrable and enabled me transition smoothly. I would also recommend that you should find enjoyment in the tasks that make up consulting. You might not love making decks or analyzing data all the time but enjoying one of these is important.
Is this job what you expected it to be?
Yes and no. I had experience working at a smaller firm of about 100 employees, but the smaller team at Pathstone leads to a more intimate dynamic, which is great when you like everyone. I will say that I expected there to be more transferable knowledge from my payor experience. While that wasn’t the case, the skills and experiences from one type of consulting are highly transferrable to another type.
What’s something that happened that can only happen here at Pathstone?
I genuinely like everyone I work with, which I think is a cool, rare part of our firm. You won’t ever have to be worried about not getting along with your team at Pathstone.
You grew up around the Chicago area. If you had a weekend in Chicago, what would you recommend to do?
I’m personally not a big fan of the tourist traps, especially the Bean (it’s just a bean…). Summer is the best time to be in Chicago. If the Cubs are playing at home, going to Wrigley is a great experience followed by time on the lake. I’d recommend exploring different neighborhoods throughout the city for a taste of different subcultures.
What is one thing you are good at/proud of, but doesn’t really matter to anyone else?
I’m great at mental math, which has become borderline useless with computers and calculators. Sometimes I wish we were back 100 years ago where I could really shine. I am also a self-proclaimed master at Mario Superstar Baseball on the Gamecube, an extremely random game that I’d highly recommend!