Current Position:

Finance Manager at Lowe’s Companies, Inc.

Degree (s)

• Bachelor of Science in Mathematics, NC State 2013
• Master of Business Administration, Duke University 2022

Questions below were answered by Laura, while she was in her previous position as an Consultant at Deloitte Consulting

Was the degree you earned required for the work you do? How did you find yourself in your current position?

No, not explicitly. I’m a technology consultant with Deloitte Consulting. We hire great problem solvers, which can be found in any major (especially mathematics). I discovered technology consulting at the College of Engineering Career Fair back in the Fall 2012. At that point, they had a list of companies looking for non-engineering majors. I went down the list, googled them to prepare, and then headed to the career fair. I hit it off with a Deloitte recruiter there and ended up landing an interview. I highly recommend math majors to attend the COE and PCOM career fairs in your sophomore or junior year to check out what’s available for you.

What skills or abilities do you find are most important in the work you do?

• The ability to learn. Consultants face different challenges every day, and that’s what makes it an exciting career. Consultants often find themselves in a situation that they’ve never been before, and they have to be able to use the resources available and catch-on quickly.

• Communication. If you’re a math major, we already know you can solve problems. If you can articulate complicated situations simply, then you’re more likely to excel as a client-facing consultant. (Think: being able to explain your real analysis proofs to a friend.)

• Interest in technology. As campus-hire consultant, you don’t need to be able to write code or use Tableau like a pro. However, you do have to have some interest in technology and be able prove it based on your classes, extracurricular activities, hobbies, etc.

What preparation would you recommend for someone interested in entering your field? Are there any courses at State you would recommend?

I recommend focusing on doing well in the classes you’re already taking. (Heads up: Deloitte Consulting has a 3.4 GPA minimum for campus-hires.) To do this, I suggest taking classes that interest you, so you want to study and learn more. For me, that was abstract algebra classes (Hey Stitz!), my Italian minor, and PHI/MA courses. Also, follow those interests outside of your courses to show your leadership and communication abilities. For example, I was a student leader in the NCSU Italian Club and a math tutor at UTC

What other career paths would you suggest a student explore before making a final decision?

As I mentioned before, I recommend going to COE and PCOM career fairs early in college to see what’s out there. I looked into math PhD programs, math education, finance, and actuarial careers – but there’s unlimited options for math majors! Keep an open mind and talk to lots of people (e.g., family friends, professors) about their experiences and careers.

If you had to do everything over again, would you do anything differently? Why or why not?

If I had to do it over again, I would explore double majoring in Computer Science and Math. Computer Science opens so many doors when looking for a career in technology and technology consulting – and it doesn’t mean you have to be a coder (like I thought). Also, I probably would have enjoyed based on my interest in languages and philosophy/logic.