Biography
With a background in mechanical engineering, Florida-native Ryan Murray worked in jobs ranging from sitting at a desk to traveling the country. However, after a few years he quickly realized he wanted to pivot his career into consulting. He started working as a supply chain consultant at EY in Atlanta, but soon felt he needed to build upon his skillset to truly excel at his job. “While I was there, I realized I was really rough around the edges,” Ryan says. “The best way to even out or soften those edges was to go to Emory and get an MBA."
Although Ryan had his mind set on consulting when he came to Goizueta, he underestimated the wide breadth of disciplines offered. “Being able to be exposed to a lot of these classes has really benefited me,” Ryan says. “While I'm still going back into consulting, I think that having little bits of finance and banking all rolled together will make me a better consultant post MBA.”
As an engineer by trade, Ryan knew he was lacking certain business acumen entering the Full-Time program at Goizueta. However, he soon discovered he could rely on his classmates to help him better understand the curriculum. “I think Emory does a really good job of not making it a completely complex, competitive atmosphere,” Ryan says. “It’s where you have students who are empowered to help out other students. I think the ‘small by design’ class structure plays a very good role in that."
The small class size has only helped Ryan find success as a student. By knowing every person in his program, he was able to capitalize on his strengths and weaknesses. One of his most impactful experiences in the program was a case competition with a focus on energy and cleantech. “I was tapped by somebody who found this case competition to participate alongside them,” Ryan says. “We ended up placing third out of 19 teams in the U.S. MBA teams. That is a true testament to small class size, and [classmates] know they can rely on you.”
Ryan looks forward to starting his job at McKinsey & Company in Atlanta post-graduation and continuing to build upon his growing network. “I think the ROI was there from day one in getting an MBA,” Ryan says. “Immediately you become part of every network, and I'm going into a great job because of the MBA, so I’m very happy with my decision to come here.”