How Does 180DC Help With Your Career Progression?

Many students are wondering exactly how a consulting club experience transfers to a successful career in the consulting industry. In this week’s article, we hear from our former president - Hudson Yuen regarding this exact topic. Going into his final year and currently working as an Associate Consultant Intern at Mastercard, he confidently states that his 180 Degrees Consulting experience has helped a lot when it comes to becoming a better leader, getting more involved within the consulting community, and developing genuine insights into impact consulting.   

How did he get there? - Hudson’s own stories with 180DC

It was a casual day in the fall when Hudson, our former president, took a restful stroll with his friends down to the club fair on the St. George campus. Back then, he was in his 3rd year, double majoring in computer science and statistics, and was about to start his PEY the following year. The 180 DC hiring posters immediately caught his attention as he wished to have some “real-life” experience. Soon after, he worked as a consultant for a year and then applied to become the president, leading the club through various initiatives to where it is today.

Though it was a heavy commitment, he believed that this experience has benefited his career progression in many ways, and the path would have rolled out quite differently for him without it. Hudson's roles, both as a consultant and later as the president, have polished his leadership skills and helped him greatly in terms of personal development. From working on a consulting team to later bringing the team together, he became much more proficient in managing all aspects of work and naturally grew his confidence in front of clients and other people (the expression of confidence is crucial in job interviews!). As someone who used to work in the back-end of data analytics, this role brought him more opportunities to deal with clients and other industry professionals in the front office.

Getting involved within the community also connected him with other like-minded peers who are aiming for consulting or related industries. From there, he became familiar with the recruitment timeline, conducted extensive mock cases and interview preps with peers, and formed deeper connections with industry professionals.

Finally, with 180 DC’s mission to bring social impact to the community, Hudson had spent many hours listening to clients speak about their concerns which brought him greater awareness of the harsh environment that encompasses many social impact organizations; as such, Hudson is actively participating in many initiatives that bring about positive social change.  

At the end of the day, the amount of impact 180 DC has made on his career progression is cumulative and substantial. “It’s the same piece of paper [diploma], what changes are the things behind it.” Joining the club does not necessarily mean one must consider the consulting industry as his or her final destination and forgo any other possible career choice. Instead, it’s more of a “trying out to see whether you are a fit”, and “learning by doing” to bring valuable transferable skills out of the consulting club experience. As for the future, Hudson has a clear idea of what he would like to pursue, and continues his career exploration journey with great confidence and excitement. 

Hudson's Advice

As students, we face stress and pressure to get the first internship, the next internship and then the return offer. It seems like a long and intimidating process at first, especially when many don’t even have a clear idea of where to start.

In facing such stresses in life, Hudson summarized his experience into two valuable takeaways. 

(1) Talk to people. People are willing to help out and are not as “cold” as you think. Talk to upper-year students who have been in the position and take advice from them. 

(2) Polish your resume. Get someone in the industry to look it over for you and then move on to extensive interview preparation.

Taking the time and effort is definitely important. But ultimately, “don’t overthink it,” said Hudson at the end of the interview. It’s not as complicated as you think once you take your first step. At the end of the day, everyone has a different journey and it is something you have to explore by yourself. It sounds intimidating but you definitely would enjoy it later on as it is a self-exploration process of getting to know what you really want in life.

However, if you do feel stressed or lost at any point, feel free to check out Hudson’s YouTube channel The Flying Moose and watch an educational video on the aviation industry to relax! 

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