This month, Marshall’s newest Full-Time MBA (FTMBA) cohort got an early jump on their professional journey with the program’s Career Launchpad. Now in its third year, the Launchpad uses workshops, panels, classes, and networking opportunities with industry leaders and Trojan alumni to give students the inside track on their job search.

Each member of the Class of 2028 could choose among five tracks to pursue within the Launchpad: consulting, finance, technology, entertainment, or entrepreneurship and innovation. Over the course of three weeks, they attended courses, learned the ins and outs of recruitment, and gained valuable advice from insiders, many of whom are Trojan MBA alumni themselves.

“Launchpad has become an important part of how we prepare our MBA students for recruiting and career exploration from the very beginning of the program,” said Scott Abrams, academic director of the FTMBA program. “Our industry tracks giving students early exposure to career paths, opportunities to hear directly from alumni and industry professionals, and the chance to begin building the knowledge, relationships, and confidence they need to pursue their goals.”

With Hollywood in close proximity, several MBA candidates joined the entertainment track, hoping to convert their MBA education into a successful career in the business of film and television.

In one panel,“Career Paths for MBAs in Entertainment,” Scott Englar MBA ’21, director of studio business operations at Warner Bros. Discovery, reflected on the interpersonal lessons he took from his own time at Marshall and urged students to develop more than technical abilities.

“This program in particular will get you all the hard skills that you need,” Englar said. “It’s really the soft skills that will have a huge impact on your roles for at least those first five years [after graduation] and, I would argue, for the longevity of your career.”

In an industry of “who you know,” it can be difficult or intimidating for a new graduate student to build a network. Michael Glassman MBA ’16, executive vice president of Acquisitions at LD Entertainment, encouraged students to look to each other for these valuable connections.

“Here’s your network right now,” Glassman said, referring to the students in the room. “These people are all interested in entertainment and they’re all really smart. They’re all going to get really good jobs. And 25 years later, you will know everybody in the industry.”

Much of the technology track focused on product marketing, a vital skill given the rapid development of artificial intelligence. Yet, Alexandra Jaeggi MBA ’20, a director of product marketing at Salesforce, told students they needed to promote something far more valuable than any one product.

“You are the product marketer of yourself,” Jaeggi said. “Whether you are a product marketer or not, you are product marketing and you are your own product. And you have to figure out what is your core differentiator.”