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Career success | Meet Peter (BCom 2012)

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By taking advantage of the numerous opportunities to get involved in the school and to explore the workforce, Peter Yang discovered his passion for consulting and has landed a coveted role with Monitor Deloitte in Toronto.


Peter Yang:

UBC degree: BCom 2012 (Accounting & International Business)
Current job: Business Analyst, Monitor Deloitte (Toronto)

"To figure out what I really wanted out of a career, I decided to test the waters and try a bit of everything during my degree."

Exploring career options

When I first came to Sauder, I wasn’t sure what career was right for me. Like a lot of my classmates, I thought I would end up working in finance or accounting. However, part of me also knew that I had entrepreneurial aspirations. To figure out what I really wanted out of a career, I decided to test the waters and try a bit of everything during my degree. I spent my first two summers as an undergrad running my own College Pro Paintersfranchise. I spent the subsequent summers as an Assurance Intern at Ernst & Young in Beijing and as a Project Management Intern for HSBC Canada’s Global Payments and Cash Management Department. Throughout my undergrad I was also involved in the executive team for the UBC Finance Club and UBC Consulting Club, went to Singapore for exchange, and participated in the JDC West business competition.

Discovering a passion

Though I enjoyed a number of aspects of the Finance Club and my finance-focused summer internships, everything changed when I joined JDC West and participated in the New Venture Design course (an interdisciplinary entrepreneurial class for both business and engineering students) in my fourth year. Through both activities, I discovered that I really enjoyed the problem solving component of cases and the preparation required for pitch presentations. I went on to compete (and win) several other business and case competitions, including three international competitions. I realized that I could combine my interests if I pursued a career in consulting. To explore this career option, I applied for and was accepted into Sauder’s Strategy Consulting Mentorship Program (SCMP).

Finding a job with help from the SCMP

The SCMP was instrumental in my job search and interview prep. Working with an alumni mentor and other program participants, I prepared my applications for consulting firms and practiced for interviews. In the end, I landed a consulting job with Deloitte’s Corporate Strategy practice (now Monitor Deloitte) in Toronto. As a Business Analyst with Monitor Deloitte, I drive multifaceted projects that allow me to merge my entrepreneurial and consulting aspirations while drawing on my analytical skills as well.

Making the move to Toronto

Once I decided that consulting was the route I wanted to take, I knew that moving to Toronto (where the majority of the big consulting firm head offices are based in Canada) was just a step in that direction. As a native Vancouverite, I was a initially apprehensive about uprooting myself, but Toronto has exceeded my expectations in every respect. The city is a fun place to live and, from a career perspective, offers a lot of opportunities for young professionals. If you’re career driven in Canada, Toronto is where you want to be.

Advice to students

  1. If you have no idea what career path is for you: Get involved on campus and make use of the clubs and resources at your fingertips to figure out what interests you.
     
  2. If you are evaluating your current career path: Talk to professionals in different fields. Switch majors if you are not engaged with what you are learning. Now is the time to take risks, test your strengths, and look for new opportunities.
     
  3. If you looking for job opportunities: Be open-minded and flexible – don’t be afraid to expand your job search beyond Vancouver. Reach out to any Sauder alumni that have made their move out to other regions and hear their story.