JOURNEYS & FRAMEWORKS

MSBA Presentation �Fall 2023 �(Jan 2025 Revamp)

A Presentation in Two Parts

1. My Journey
2. Frameworks

How do we think about things?

1. The frameworks and ideas I built from experiences deeply impacted my experience in the program�
2. Understanding other’s decision-making frameworks�
3. How you, and others, think about the world matters

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Part 1�Journey

Note: Throughout the presentation you will see red notes like this - these are intended to add detail for people not listening to this as a presentation

This presentation was originally created after I graduated from the MS in Business Analytics for UW Foster, and was given to to next year’s class during the leadership speaker series. It was designed for students entering a 1 year accelerated MS program, primarily to transition careers.

ABOUT ME:

Note: From Vashon, like mountains, think a lot about energy

New Product and Services Market Analyst

Note: Current Role

Interest in Systems:

(From a very early age)

Iceberg models very underrated IMO

Fascination with Frameworks: OODA Loops

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/OODA_loop

Note: I find this concept fascinating and it underscores many of my thoughts

Political Economics & Systems Change

Undergrad -> Conflict -> Political Economy -> SE Asia

Undergrad thesis on drivers of Foreign Direct Investment in Myanmar

Geopolitics and Chinese Pipelines in 2014 - 2015

Myanmar 2015

Myanmar: 2015 - 2021

FDI & Infrastructure

Note: My experience was a mix of roles

Kachin State – Agribusiness Social Enterprise

Co-founded social enterprise

Supply Chains

Learned a lot of about grant writing + Agribusiness

Walnut Supply Chain

RISK

Myanmar - Military Coup - Capitol S systems collapse

Cumulative Risk - My Bad Life Choices

My poor risk assessment / life decision Winter 2023 -> Don’t break your bones!

https://climatereanalyzer.org/clim/t2_daily/

Society is terrible at cumulative risk assessments

https://www.ipcc.ch/report/sixth-assessment-report-cycle/

Start of the MSBA Program: Interest

• Knew climate is going to be thing
• I had a weird mix of skills and backgrounds
• Focused on systems and their interconnectedness
• Sought a role that integrated strengths/interests

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Attended MS in Business Analytics starting June 2023

Climate Risk

• Interest in Climate + Analytics

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• Understand program
• Understand UW
• Understand Seattle

Summer: Discover

Summer:

• Interest in Climate + Analytics

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• Understand program
• Understand UW
• Understand Seattle

• Independent research project

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• Talk to companies
• Understand market
• Future hiring?
• Skills needed?

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Fall: Research

Summer: Discover

Fall:

• Research Climate Risk
• Work with other research teams
• Talk to companies
• Focus on program, presentation skills, networks

Understanding Impacts:

Who is getting hit?

Consumer Level

https://www.ngfs.net/ngfs-scenarios-portal/

Systems Level

• Interest in Climate + Analytics

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• Understand program
• Understand UW
• Understand Seattle

• Independent research project

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• Talk to companies
• Understand market
• Future hiring?
• Skills needed?

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• Teams and connections

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• What products can I build?
• How can build relationships?
• How do communities organize?

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Winter: Build

Fall: Research

Summer: Discover

Winter:

Focus and Projects

Global Climate Models

• Regional Climate Models (Downscaled)

https://carbonplan.org/research/cmip6-downscaling-explainer

Interlude: How is it Going?

fundamentally, I think we have to rethink the system toward one where we need to actually try to be focusing on climate stability, otherwise all these systems are going to break

Climate change and insurance: a growing fustercluck

Update: Insurance still a problem….

Spring: Push

• Interest in Climate + Analytics

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• Understand program
• Understand UW
• Understand Seattle

• Portfolio + Interviews

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• Turn projects -> portfolio pieces
• Informational interviews
• Networking supercharge
• Hired

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• Independent research project

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• Talk to companies
• Understand market
• Future hiring?
• Skills needed?

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• Teams and connections

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• What products can I build?
• How can build relationships?
• How do communities organize?

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Winter: Build

Fall: Research

Summer: Discover

Spring:

Capstone project on using LLMs to understand climate risk in corporate reporting

Hosted Work on Climate Meetup

Made a ton of connections through WoC

New Product and Services Market Analyst

Current Work: EVs

Time-Varied-Rates

Adaptation and Risk Mitigation

Changing Energy System

Net Zero Northwest in 2050

Innovation and Energy Orchestration

https://www.westernpower.com.au/resources-education/network-improvements/pilots--trials/project-symphony-pilot/

Part 2�Frameworks (6)

EVERYONE’S JOURNEY IS THEIR OWN

How it feels to transition careers sometimes….

Framework 1:� �Storytelling

“Getting a job is less about who you are on paper, and more about who you are in a story...preferably a success story” �– Hiring Manager

Spring: Push

• Interest in Climate + Analytics

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• Understand program
• Understand UW
• Understand Seattle

• Portfolio + Interviews

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• Turn projects -> portfolio pieces
• Informational interviews
• Networking supercharge
• Hired

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• Independent research project

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• Talk to companies
• Understand market
• Future hiring?
• Skills needed?

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• Teams and connections

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• What products can I build?
• How can build relationships?
• How do communities organize?

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Winter: Build

Fall: Research

Summer: Discover

Good Narrative

Spring: Push

Winter: Build

Fall: Research

Summer: Discover

Reality is Messy

Worked part-time while in program, failed at both

Accomplished 15% of my research goals

Tried to launch 5x projects, 4/5 completely failed.

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Realized my entire goal of consulting would fail

Told I was not a fit for 95% of the positions I was looking at

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Felt like entire process was a failure�

Did not sleep several days in April and May

Storytelling & Icebergs

• Moving past STARS
• Narrative
• Information exchange
• Understanding frameworks

Framework 2:� �Passive v Active � � Job Searching

"Applying to jobs on LinkedIn without networking is like jumping in water to catch fish with a cheese grater. Sure, you’re in the water, but you’re not getting anywhere.” �- ChatGPT

Passive v Active

• Scroll Linkedin, rely on search algos
• Quantity over quality
• Automate letters and easy apply positions
• Apply and move-on
• LOW time per job investment

• Search out information / interview people to find best areas
• Quality over quantity
• Ask where you can best fit in and who is doing hiring
• Develop strong understanding of role
• Recommendations and referrals
• HIGH time per job investment

Passive v Active Stats

“Whatever you do, always give 100%. Unless you’re donating blood”�– Bill Murray

Framework 3:

�Depth & Breadth

Slider between Approaches

Extremely Selective Targeting

Few Applications

All the Applications

Little Targeting / Follow-up

• No correct answer
• Depends on personal situation, goals, and over all economy
• Adjust as needed

Depth versus Breadth

Wide BREADTH to gather information and test

When you get good lead / following / start interview cycle -> go DEEP

How to do active networking? ��How do I balance depth/breadth?

• First you need to explain WHAT you are and WHERE you are going to yourself
• Then get good at explaining to others
• Abstraction Laddering - https://www.danielstillman.com/blog/abstraction-laddering-for-problem-framing

“Who are you and how did you get in here?”

“I’m a Locksmith…and I’m a Locksmith”

- Frank

Framework 4:

�Your Pitch

Your Pitch: MSBA

• No one really understands Business Analytics
• Your opportunity to define what the program is
• Leverage interest in LLMs & challenge to find actual value

• Mix of R / Python / SQL
• Supervised and unsupervised learning
• Expand as needed

• Grad level business classes
• Strategy, pricing, finance, marketing
• Change as needed

Business

Analytics

Note: This part is more intended for people in MS in Business Analytics

Your Pitch: Yourself

• Your experience
• Your uniqueness
• What you bring

Your Pitch: Interest

• Where do you want go?
• Why are you the correct person for this?
• How do you want to build connections?

Note: Understand BOTH

https://lauchlanmackinnon.com/rethinking-ikigai-how-to-find-work-you-love-and-make-a-difference/

My Pitch

• I’m Sam, I’m in an MS in Business Analytics program at UW Foster. It’s a mix of analytics, Python/R/SQL, and grad level business classes. My background is in startups both abroad and currently through research at the UW, and I have set of experiences dealing with risk and systems change. I’m looking for roles at the intersection of business, analytics, and climate risk, especially in the utility or finance space.

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Note: I probably repeated variations of this 200+ times during my career transition

“Just know someone dumbass” – Anon MSBA 2023

Framework 5:

�Networking

Note: Amazing career journey, next framework is from him

Networking:��Product �& �Distribution

Product:

• You are the product
• Experiences, skills, talents ideas
• Understand job product-market fit

Distribution:

• Who is seeing your product?
• Who do you want to see your product?
• How build feedback cycles scale your distribution

Networking as Product & Distribution

Note: Right dashboard in right place/time, transition to very cool role from MLB background

Dashboard at the Right Place + Time

Continued Use

Note: Still was being referenced 9+ months later

Product in the Program

Note: Project example from my course

Networking Notes

• Find people that serve as connection points �
• Offer help / support / have something of value to give
• Volunteering at intro tables are great)�
• Role of local and virtual organizing�
• Repeated interaction is extremely helpful �
• Balance maximizing hits while maintaining intention
• Networking for sake of networking is of mixed usefulness

My Path -> Distribution

1. Met several energy experts at networking event -> utility hiring needs
2. Met a way more people in clean energy/tech community in Seattle
3. Started researching utilities
4. Met PSE exec in April at WoC meetup – worked through open roles and applied
5. Arranged interviews with 15+ people in utility space, including connections to role
6. Met Kelci through startup ecosystem -> invite to Madrona/McKinsey climate eco system event
7. Interview for PSE role after applying and getting ~3 referrals
8. Met VP of Clean Energy for PSE at Madrona/McKinsey event
9. Team interview round - build off interviews with people who know the team
10. Hired

“People, ideas, hardware—in that order.” – John Boyd

Framework 6:

�OODA

Note: This is not the full OODA loop, only a simplified graphic�https://www.usmcu.edu/Outreach/Marine-Corps-University-Press/MCU-Journal/JAMS-vol-14-no-1/Colonel-John-Boyds-Thoughts-on-Disruption/

Spring: Push

• Interest in Climate + Analytics

​

• Understand program
• Understand UW
• Understand Seattle

• Portfolio + Interviews

​

• Turn projects -> portfolio pieces
• Informational interviews
• Networking supercharge
• Hired!

​

• Implement independent research project

​

• Talk to companies
• Understand market
• Future hiring?
• Skills needed?

​

• Teams and connections

​

• What products can I build?
• How can build relationships?
• How do communities organize?

​

Winter: Build

Fall: Research

Summer: Discover

Act

• Interest in Climate + Analytics

​

• Understand program
• Understand UW
• Understand Seattle

• Portfolio + Interviews

​

• Turn projects -> portfolio pieces
• Informational interviews
• Networking supercharge
• Hired

​

• Implement independent research project

​

• Talk to companies
• Understand market
• Future hiring?
• Skills needed?

​

• Teams and connections

​

• What products can I build?
• How can build relationships?
• How do communities organize?

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Decide

Orient

Observe

OODA

Candidate qualified for job

Candidate has A/B/C relevant experience

Candidate is ideal fit for role and has direct experience

Candidate knows exactly what the organization needs �

Walk out of interview: �“Why are we not doing Y’s idea right now?”

OODA Loops & Time Competition

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Develop understanding of needs / roles faster than other candidates

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Leverage skills, networks, and ideas

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Interviews not just about technical skill level

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Value to team

What Can you Do?

• Talk to classmates & other MS students

• Talk to other programs, departments, and students. Do competitions

• Reach out LinkedIn, attend meetings, go to speeches, bring external groups into projects

• Build personal interest projects, tinker

• Design a portfolio project from a class assignment or personal interest

• Create something shows you can produce value from a messy problem

On AI / ML - One Useful Thing

• BCG consultants given/not given AI and tested on tasks
• “Looking at these results, I do not think enough people are considering what it means when a technology raises all workers to the top tiers of performance”

Navigating the Jagged Technological Frontier: �Field Experimental Evidence of the Effects of AI on Knowledge Worker Productivity and Quality

• On tasks within the frontier, AI significantly improved human performance. �
• Outside of it, humans relied too much on the AI and were more likely to make mistakes�.
• Not all users navigated the jagged frontier with equal adeptness. �
• While some completed their task incorrectly, others showcased a remarkable ability to harness the power of AI effectively.

Note: Dated, but still very helpful

Things I cut out:

• Complex OODA, speed of decision, environmental factors
• Magic puzzle book theory
• Capture | Control | Coerce Frameworks
• Getting inside someone’s feedback loops
• Explore/Exploit Feedback Loops
• Risk drivers as function of economic change

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• Map is not the territory
• Interviewing as a confidence game
• Job Search & Information Algo Design
• Pretty much everything about LinkedIn optimization
• Enshitification and impact on ad tech space
• Comedians, Actors, and Story Delivery
• Effective conversations in networking

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Note: LMK if additional questions

*Not representative of experience

• I did this all as a white guy with several years experience in different sectors
• Your experience will vary
• Each person has their own journey and difficulty level
• Good luck

What you should take away:

Loops

Understand Your Loops

Run Your Loops

Program –> Goal

Integrate program work and career journey

Human Connection

Most important thing you can do as an analyst is to make a human connection

Energy

Energy > Time

Burnout will get you

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Note: If you read this far thank you! This was designed for students doing a 1 year MS in Business Analytics Course course