Sean Swift
MBA 18
Consultant
Boston Consulting Group
I entered the MBA program intending to pursue a career in real estate development and I got my certificate in real estate, which prepared me well for my internship and my first job after graduation in that sector. Then, family matters made a move to Southern California a priority and I changed course.
Thanks to the Haas Alumni Network, I connected with a classmate working at BCG. He described the consultant role and the company’s culture and encouraged me to apply. I never targeted consulting as a career path, but the Berkeley Haas curriculum prepared me well for the interview process and for the work I’m doing now.
I love being at BCG. I get to work across a lot of disciplines and industries. I have exposure to best practices and love being in a position to think strategically with my clients.
Outstanding real estate resources
The real estate resources at Berkeley Haas are top-notch. Being able to take classes with someone like Nancy Wallace, and to have Bill Falleck as a mentor is invaluable.
Being co-president of the Berkeley Real Estate Club gave me a great network. A group of us still has a weekly standing conference call just to keep up with each other.
The Real Estate Investment & Market Analytics class was an opportunity to work on a real-world project. My team developed a proposal for micro-unit student housing at Cal. We talked with architects, developers, and contractors to cover every aspect of the project.
Driven by culture and mission
My visit to campus was the deciding factor in choosing Haas. It was immediately obvious that the students, faculty, and staff really embody and value the Defining Leadership Principles, which are also the principles that guide my life.
Being a Consortium student brought home to me how important it is to be mission-driven in your career and in life. It has made me determined to become a mentor and a resource for others.
Berkeley is a place where cross-pollination happens almost without effort, from real estate to urban planning to design thinking to law.
INTERNSHIP
Carmel Partners
San Francisco, California
JOB PRIOR TO HAAS
Assistant Vice President
Bank of America Merrill Lynch
Los Angeles, California
PREVIOUS DEGREE
BS, Business
California State University, Channel Islands