From Opera Singer to Accountant: Three Takeaways from My Interview with Sarah Goldman, MBA ‘18

By Lindsey Plewa, Associate Director of GCMC

Recently I had the pleasure of sitting down with Sarah Goldman, a Baruch MBA student graduating this May, to talk about her experience at Zicklin the last two years.  I remember interviewing Sarah for the full-time MBA program in the spring of 2016.  Her music background was impressive, having completed a Masters already, along with numerous vocal performances, as well as experience teaching.  Naturally, my colleague and I were wondering, “So why the MBA now?”  We were impressed with Sarah’s articulate, thoughtful answers and sensed that she had what it took to do what so many come to the Zicklin full-time MBA program to do; make a career change.

Fast forward two years later: Sarah has accepted a fulltime offer with CohnReznick where she’ll be starting as an Assurance Associate this November.  In our conversation she shares many tips for students pursuing graduate studies, but I especially like the three below which are vital for career changers. 

1.  Know your transferable skills.

Transferable skills are the skills you have gained from your previous career that you can continue to leverage in your desired new career.  Before heading into the annual CPA fair to network, Sarah first identified her transferable skills.   So instead of leading with her minimal experience in accounting (at that time), she focused on the skills she already had that could be valuable to a potential employer. 

2.  Balance?  What’s balance?

Being a full-time graduate student and trying to make a career change is very hectic, especially at first.  The beginning will be overwhelming as you want to be a sponge and learn as much as you can from all the employer events happening on and off campus.

However, as Sarah pointed out, she gained more clarity around her career goals as time went on, and therefore became more particular about the events she chose to attend.  

3. Take it one day at a time. 

Sarah mentioned a few times about the “emotional journey” involved in making a career change.  Deciding to leave one career path to pursue another is challenging and exciting.  Allow yourself to recognize that it’s a process that takes time; so take it one day at a time, and you can get there eventually, just like Sarah did.

Lindsey Plewa has coached thousands of students on how to successfully navigate a job search for over 10 years. She is currently the Associate Director of the Graduate Career Management Center at Baruch College. She holds an MA and two professional certificates, one in Adult Career Planning and one in Leadership Skills, from New York University.