From Goldman Sachs to Amazon: Building My Career Through Analytics

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During the COVID pandemic, I was working in the finance industry as a senior analyst at Goldman Sachs. I didn’t have coding skills or a business background from my undergraduate degree in petroleum engineering. 

I was in operations at Goldman and much of the work was redundant and manual. I managed millions, if not billions, in fixed income transactions daily, which required a great deal of management and focus. While exciting, the work was repetitive. 

I kept asking myself, “There has to be a smarter way to do this.” I realized I needed more skills that would allow me to bridge technical expertise with business insight.

I started exploring automation tools and earned a certification in Alteryx, a business intelligence platform. That sparked something in me: I could take control of processes, create efficiencies, and learn more.

It was clear that a master’s program in business analytics was the next step to accelerate my career into tech, which is where I wanted to land a job after.

Choosing UC Davis: ROI and Location

I was accepted at multiple programs across the country, from California to Boston. The UC Davis Master of Science in Business Analytics stood out for its top-ranked ROI and clear career outcomes. Tuition was significant, but I knew the investment would pay off. 

Not only did I want to land a job in the Bay Area, but I wanted to be immersed in the region’s innovation culture. You walk down the street, and you hear people talking about their startups, or the newest AI trend. So that’s why UC Davis had a lot of weight in my decision, because of the location in the heart of San Francisco.

Everyone in my UC Davis MSBA Class of 2022 cohort landed high-paying positions. The program allowed me to bridge the business and technical skills I wanted to develop. Looking back, UC Davis was the right choice. It helped me reach my goal of entering the tech industry.

I was able to finally bridge the business and technical skills that I always wanted to learn before entering the program.

My Defining Student Experience: MSBA Practicum Project 

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Our MSBA Practicum project became a defining experience: We were tasked with building a predictive model for KQED, the NPR and PBS affiliate in San Francisco Bay Area.

One of the largest public media organizations in the nation, KQED reaches an estimated 2.6 million people weekly across its public radio, television and digital platforms.

KQED executives asked us to explore how they could retain their existing users with their current funding. Otherwise, it might just go out of existence. 

Our yearlong project involved understanding KQED's data and different customer segments, learning the business side, and then being able to clean up the data using machine learning to provide our final recommendations.

My team included classmates from multiple backgrounds. Some had analytics expertise, others brought business insights, and a few specialized in data visualization. We scheduled weekly meetings to review progress, measure goals, and ensure alignment. 

I translated technical components, including querying and analyzing data, into insights that non-technical stakeholders could understand. This experience mirrored my work responsibilities and prepared me for real-world analytics and team management.

Thriving at Amazon and Empowering Latino Tech Leaders 

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Since graduating from the MSBA program, I’ve worked as a business strategy senior analyst at Amazon Games Studios. Every day I apply my MSBA skills in analytics, communication, and project management skills.

I’m also actively involved with Latino-focused professional communities, including Latinos in Tech and Tequeria San Francisco Bay Area. I participate in panels, share my story, and mentor others, especially Latinas, to empower them to pursue careers in tech and leadership roles.

Ready for a Challenge?

If you’re considering a UC Davis Graduate School of Management program, be ready for challenge and ambiguity. 

This environment suits students who are eager to apply technical skills, collaborate deeply and push themselves intellectually. 

Those seeking a prescriptive path may struggle. Embrace the mess, seek growth and your unconventional background can become your advantage.

Reflecting on my journey, I see that the seemingly mundane work, the pandemic and the risk of pivoting into a master’s program were all opportunities. 

The Practicum project exemplified the hands-on, real-world experience the UC Davis MSBA program offers. It gave me the tools, network, and confidence to turn frustration into transformation.