From Finance to Tech at JPMorgan Chase With a UC Davis MSBA

By Shiv Goel MSBA 24

After five years in finance at JPMorgan Chase, I stepped away from my job to return to school. A year later, I returned to the same organization in a technical role.

I wasn’t starting my career over. I was building on what I already knew.

My path began in engineering, followed by an MBA in finance and a career in the financial industry. As artificial intelligence, machine learning and automation changed how businesses operated, I wanted the technical skills to help shape those changes.

The UC Davis Master of Science in Business Analytics gave me a way to connect my finance experience with technology. Today, as an assistant vice president in operations automation at JPMorgan Chase, I lead projects that bring those two areas together.

Why I Chose the UC Davis MSBA

As a professional returning to school, I had to weigh the time away from work against the financial investment. I didn’t want to spend two years out of the workforce.

The one-year MSBA format stood out. Tuition was also an important consideration, and a scholarship helped make the investment possible.

For me, the decision came down to finding a program that could help me move forward while building on my existing experience.

I wasn’t starting my career over; I was building on what I already knew and adding a new dimension to it.

Returning to School Took an Adjustment

One thing I underestimated was how difficult it would be to return to student life after five years of working.

I assumed my professional experience would make the transition relatively smooth. Instead, I found myself juggling classes, projects, group assignments and tight deadlines. Some weeks felt overwhelming.

Being comfortable at work didn’t automatically prepare me for an intensive academic program. I had to adapt my approach to learning and manage my time differently.

For prospective students considering the same move, that adjustment deserves as much thought as tuition and career goals. A one-year program requires a substantial commitment throughout that year.

Connecting Classroom Skills to Financial Operations

Python, machine learning, SQL and Tableau were among the most valuable parts of my studies.

I already understand business processes and financial operations. What I needed were the technical skills to approach those processes differently.

In my current role, I automate financial operations, work with internal and external application programming interfaces, or APIs, and use automation tools for data validation, cleansing and reporting.

The skills I gained at UC Davis helped me connect a business problem with a potential technical solution. My finance experience gave me context; my technical training gave me new ways to act on it.

I’m no longer just working within financial processes—I’m helping rethink and automate how they operate.

Returning to JPMorgan Chase With New Skills

After completing the MSBA, I returned to JPMorgan Chase in a technical role. I have now been back for two years, leading automation projects that combine my knowledge of financial operations with the skills I developed at UC Davis.

That transition has been particularly rewarding. My previous experience remained relevant, but I could apply it in a different way.

The combination of finance and technology has become more valuable in my work than either skill set would have been on its own.

My Advice for Prospective MSBA Students: Invest in Yourself

My return on investment has been positive, but leaving a stable job and navigating an uncertain job market were real risks.

I encourage prospective students to consider the full investment: Tuition, scholarship support, time away from work and the demands of returning to school.

From my experience, professionals who want to move into analytics or technology can benefit from connecting classroom concepts to problems they have already encountered at work. Students entering directly from college can use practicum projects and hands-on learning to develop those connections.

You don’t always need to start over to change your career. Sometimes, you need the right skills to turn your existing experience into something new.

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