Photo of Chen Song

Chen Song

MBA 18

Manager, Talent Development
Credit Karma

When I wanted to get a bit of experience in executive coaching, I posted on the class Facebook page asking if anyone would be willing to discuss their career passion. Forty people replied! That speaks not only to their curiosity, it speaks to Haasies' generosity in helping others explore their passions.

Now at Credit Karma, I research, set, and execute our talent development strategies. I also write and design many of the development programs that support those strategies. To do that, I have to understand the needs of the business and our stakeholders—something I am able to do using the knowledge gained at Haas.

Flexibility and freedom to design your MBA

The program office gave me a lot of freedom to craft a class schedule that allowed me to devote a lot of time to project work. That meant I was able to get a lot of practical experience, from designing a leadership development program for a local nonprofit to co-facilitating culture change workshops at a national healthcare provider.

In Social Sector Solutions, my team designed a leadership development strategy for a local nonprofit in the food and nutrition sector. I loved being on a consulting team that played to my passion for talent development.

All the threads of my past experience were knitted together at Berkeley Haas, with the addition of strong business acumen and skillsets.

Career advice to fuel your passion

The Career Management Group helped me funnel my passion to create spaces for people to grow and develop into a career path in talent and leadership development.

They helped me frame my story in a way that allowed prospective employers to understand and appreciate how my nonprofit experience in the education sector could benefit them.

Browse All Student Perspectives

INTERNSHIP

Cisco

San Jose, California

JOB PRIOR TO HAAS

Manager, Teacher Leadership Development

Teach for America

Tulsa, Oklahoma

PREVIOUS DEGREES

ME, Education Administration & Curriculum Studies

University of Oklahoma

BA, Psychology

Rutgers University