Matthew Moore
M.S. in Commerce '09, University of Virginia
B.A. in Economics '08, Hampden-Sydney College
Now that he’s out in the “real world,” how’s life for Matt Moore (M.S. in Commerce ’09)?
“It’s been quite an adjustment,” laughs Moore, who’s now working in Tampa, Fla., as an Analyst for investment bank Robert W. Baird & Co. “I think the biggest adjustment was to the long hours.”
While no amount of coursework may have been able to prepare him for investment banking’s famously long days (and nights), Moore says that his year in McIntire’s M.S. in Commerce Program has been invaluable in providing him with the hard skills he needs to meet the rigors of his new job.
“As an undergrad, I gained a lot of analytical, writing, and communication skills,” Moore says. “At McIntire, I was able to complement those skills with knowledge of business and finance.” It’s the combination of the two skills sets, Moore says, that have made the difference. “Having such a broad background has been beneficial, because it’s allowed me to look at things in different ways, and to deal effectively with ambiguity,” he says.
Moore also points out that his year at McIntire has saved him from a lot of potentially uncomfortable “on-the-job” learning situations. “There have been a lot of times when I really felt glad I’d taken an extra year of school,” he says. “Had I gone to work straight out of undergrad, I wouldn’t have had the understanding of my business, or of finance, that’s required to succeed in my job.”
Perhaps most significant all, Moore says, was the multifaceted help he received from Commerce Career Services. “They were so helpful in preparing me for interviews, in providing opportunities to go to resume workshops and career fairs, and in offering me the chance to meet with lots of different employers.” More, he says, being at McIntire afforded him access to employers from major firms such as Robert W. Baird. “I think hands down, U.Va. is up there with the Ivy League schools in terms of gaining access to the right employers,” he says. “When you tell someone you’re from U.Va., they say, ‘Wow, you guys have a really great business program there.’”