Babson MS Career Outcomes Reflect the Power of a Strong Network
Graduates of the Babson College Master of Science programs bring a unique skill set and entrepreneurial mindset valued by employers across industry sectors. So, it comes as no surprise that even in the midst of a pandemic, the Class of 2021 MS graduate career outcomes were impressive:
- Master of Science in Management in Entrepreneurial Leadership (MSEL) graduates saw 94% employment within six months with the average starting base salary up 26% from 2020.
- The average starting salary for Master of Science in Finance (MSF) graduates increased 32% from 2020, and 95% of graduates had secured employment within six months.
- 100% of Master of Science in Business Analytics (MSBA) graduates had secured employment within six months of graduation. Both the MSF and MSBA programs have a STEM designation, which enables international MSBA and MSF alumni on an F-1 visa to apply to work in the United States for up to 36 months after graduation.
Read about the success of the Babson MBA Class of 2021.
We asked recent and soon-to-be MS graduates to share their thoughts on how their Babson experience shaped their career paths.
What interested you about your current or future role? How did your partnership with Babson’s Graduate Center for Career Development (CCD) help your job search?
Kristin Carosotto ’20, MSEL’21, assistant brand manager, Hasbro Toys: “What drove me to join the Nerf team and Hasbro, in general, is their commitment to philanthropic endeavors, creative problem solving, and, of course, fun! I always knew I wanted to find myself at a company where I can express my creativity, and Hasbro has been the perfect place to do exactly that. CCD played a large role in me landing my position at Hasbro. Jay Robie coached me through interview questions and scenarios until I was confident in my answers and felt natural telling my story. He was there through the whole process, checking in after every round of interviews and helping me gain confidence.”
Michael Nocchi ’20, MSEL’21, brand associate, Thrasio: “Once Thrasio acquires a brand from an Amazon seller, my job is to take over management of the brand and run it as if it were my own, continuing to optimize the sale of the products on Amazon. What interested me in this role is the ownership and responsibility I have. I naturally developed a passion for entrepreneurship during my time at Babson, and this role encompasses every part of that. I get to be a business owner with an abundance of resources at my disposal. Babson CCD helped me differentiate myself from the pack during the application and hiring process. The job market was as competitive as ever upon my graduation, so being able to learn the best ways to showcase myself, from interviews to résumés, made an incredible difference.”
Aishwarya Chheda MSBA’21, senior associate in advisory, PwC: “I help companies realize the short-term and long-term goals of their acquisitions, mergers, and divestitures, and provide guidance on integrating or separating the business post-deal. I had always been interested in consulting, and PwC was a dream come true. Babson CCD and Susanne Schneider-Kivelitz in particular guided me a lot in my job search. I participated in networking events, career fairs, and different workshops that helped me build my brand and prepared me for the opportunities that followed. I learned that I had to think of myself as a brand, and just like any brand, I had to market myself. The way you market yourself decides the course of your future and sets you up for success.”
“I learned that I had to think of myself as a brand, and just like any brand, I had to market myself.”
Aishwarya Chheda MSBA'21
Lee Sipes ’21, MSF’22, incoming consulting associate, Mergers and Acquisitions Delivering Deal Value team, PwC: “I will be responsible for advising clients across the deal life cycle. I have always enjoyed seeing how business works and solving complex problems. I was lucky enough to find my passion working on deals through internship opportunities at private equity firms. I accepted PwC’s offer because of a strong cultural fit and the opportunity to learn from an experienced, prestigious team early on in my career. I could not be more grateful for Margaret Jones and the rest of the Babson CCD team. Margaret understood my background and had great advice on how to differentiate myself from other candidates. In all honesty, I would not have found this job if not for Margaret and the CCD team.”
Caleb Giess MSF’22, incoming analyst, Crescent Capital Group: “I will be working in direct lending at Crescent Capital, an alternative asset manager. I am excited to begin my career on the buy side at a firm with many opportunities for professional development. The biggest takeaway from my search process was the importance of networking and leveraging the resources of the Babson community. CCD was also an invaluable resource throughout the job-search process, from alerting me to potential opportunities to discussing networking strategies.”
Was there a particular class or experience at Babson that had a significant impact on your career path?
Carosotto: “Professor Jack McCarthy taught my Creating You class in the MSEL program. This class focused on not only our professional development but also our leadership skills, interpersonal conflict skills, and most importantly taught us how to follow our passions. Professor McCarthy teaches students how to grow into great leaders and people, and, of course, find happiness. He had a great impact on me during my time at Babson, and I will forever apply the lessons I learned from him.”
Nocchi: “The Leading Entrepreneurship Action (LEAP) class had a tremendous impact on the work I do now. The ability to learn how to work on a team and communicate my ideas, while also taking in the ideas of others is an incredibly valuable skill that I use every day. Working with my classmates through the process of launching our own business challenged me in ways no other class did. The successes, the failures, the disagreements and triumphs are all things that happen every day in the real business world. Being able to go through that before I started my professional career was incredible.”
“Working with my classmates through the process of launching our own business challenged me in ways no other class did.”
Michael Nocchi '20, MSEL'21
Chheda: “An experience that had a significant impact on my career path was a marketing project I worked on for an apparel company. That project required us to combine our marketing knowledge with analytical skills. I still use the concepts that I learned through that project.”
Geiss: “The Babson College Fund had an impact on my career path. Gaining hands-on investment management experience as a graduate student increased my confidence when interviewing for roles at investment firms. Professor Glenn Migliozzi’s Fixed Income course also influenced my career search by sparking an interest in credit investing strategies. I knew I wanted to work in the alternative investment industry and after taking Fixed Income, I decided to explore more opportunities in private credit.”
How would you describe your Babson network?
Carosotto: “From CEOs to startup founders, the Babson community is always prepared to propel you into industries you are passionate about and give you the resources you need. My Babson network includes professors, volleyball alums, and coaches, and I can confidently say I would not be where I am now if it weren’t for the opportunities I found through my network.”
Nocchi: “For any position I considered applying for, I first checked LinkedIn for any Babson alumni who worked there or had connections. Several alumni from Babson were already at Thrasio, and they offered a lot of guidance and support during the application and interview process.”
Chheda: “I would not be where I am today without the support of my professors, Babson CCD, classmates, and all the other resources. Babson provided me with an excellent network of people and an entrepreneurial spirit.”
Sipes: “I cannot stress enough the value of the friends you make at Babson and the alumni network. Thanks to help from a Babson classmate, I learned how to really use LinkedIn and grew my network tenfold. I reached out to alumni and found that they wanted to help, wanted to have conversations with me over the phone, and wanted to work with fellow Babson graduates. The Babson network is tight, and Babson brand recognition in New England is among the strongest in the business community. A Babson degree carries a lot of weight.”
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