Matt Wilson ’18: Make Bold Choices — Reflections of a Graduating Student




Columbia Bizcast show

Summary: In a graduation-themed episode, Matt Wilson ’18 discusses his journey to and through Columbia Business School: as a New Jersey kid who loved the creative freedom of punk rock to working in counter-terrorism and homeland security after 9/11, and then finding his path in Business School by going off script. “There is no template for how your career and how your life is supposed to go,” Wilson says. “There is no specific set of steps that anyone has in mind when they look at you... I think that the biggest takeaway I’ve had is that there is no rule book. There’s no way you must pursue your career. There's no way you must pursue your life — and frankly, often your life should take huge precedent over your career. I think a lot of times we forget that.” At CBS Wilson served as the Student Government’s VP for Careers. After graduation, he’s heading back to consulting – armed with insights gleaned from CBS. “The ability to be vulnerable, to be humble, and to take the time to look inside and figure out what it is that truly drives me, that’s the thing I’ve come to value more than anything,” he says.