How to Advance Your Career at Schwab: Exploring Monica’s Journey in Pursuing Her Master of Business Administration
By Andie T.
Among Schwab’s many core values and beliefs, the desire to further one’s self in their career and ignite their passion is one that many Schwabbies have in common. The ability to gain additional knowledge and expertise in one’s business acumen or even a completely new field is an opportunity that many would not want to pass up. At Schwab, that opportunity is provided to our Schwabbies in many ways, one of which reimburses employees’ eligible expenses for approved, qualifying education and training. Education reimbursement is a benefit offered by Schwab, which aims to provide Schwabbies with opportunities to develop their skills and advance in their career.
For the past three and a half years, Monica L. has worked as a Talent Advisor here at Schwab. Monica mentioned how early in her tenure she, “started out on our Service & Support group serving Advisor Services and Participant Services. Then I transitioned to the Investor Services group where 
I support three regions within the Branch Network, Schwab Private Client, and a few other business groups. I work directly with the candidates to help connect them with the firm as well as with my hiring managers and business partners with anything hiring-related. In addition to that, I have been fortunate to take part in a lot of different projects that support Schwab’s initiatives and future goals.”
Before starting her career in Talent Acquisition at Schwab, Monica received her undergrad degree from the University of Arizona in Marketing. She explained how even though her degree was in Marketing, she never had any positions that were within this area, but realized she used these skills every day in her current role. “I started to look at my professional trajectory and things that I wanted to have a deeper understanding of. I could’ve gone a few different ways, but I chose to get my MBA or Master of Business Administration.” Monica chose to partake in an in-person program where she was able to be surrounded by other individuals, learn from other industries, and ultimately, gain perspectives that she could bring back to Schwab and share her experiences.
Now serving as a Manager within Talent Acquisition, Monica touched on how the additional degree provided value in her career journey and progression at Schwab: “I got way more comfortable with in-depth conversations with my business leaders. I was able to bring additional context to conversations that I wouldn’t have necessarily had and the research and case studies or resources that backed up my opinion when I felt strongly about something. It made me more comfortable researching things that I didn’t fully understand and it also kind of brushed the dust off of things I hadn’t done in a long time when it came to presentations and different Microsoft tools while gaining exposure to new technologies.” Additionally, Monica adds that her new degree was, “pivotal in understanding Schwab going through acquisitions. I understood a lot more of that because of the education that I was getting. I did take undergraduate finance courses, but going through more finance courses after having some real-world experience with personal finance and having more exposure to corporate finance, really helped me get more in-depth and granular with my business partners than I would’ve previously felt comfortable with.”
Not only did Monica’s desire for personal growth help her achieve her career and education goals, but she was also supported by her managers and team throughout it all: “I would say a huge motivator for me to do it when I did it was I truly felt like I had the support of not just my leadership but also my team and my local peers. That was a huge factor. It came into play a few different ways. I didn’t have to miss a lot of work or anything like that, but they were there for so much emotional support as you’re going through the challenges of trying to balance everything.” 
For those considering advancing their knowledge, whether that’s pursuing higher education or earning additional licenses and certifications, Monica offers advice and learnings from her own experience: “What I would encourage people to do is make sure that you have a strong support system – personal support, professional support, and don’t underestimate the commitment. It is worth it, and you will be better for it. I’m much better at time management, I’m much better at having competing priorities and competing thoughts than I was. I would encourage it, but I would also tell individuals it is a lot of time, energy, and effort. I would encourage people to do it to learn, not for the three letters behind their name. Do it because you want to be better.”
