Mentors shaped Max Petrosky’s interest in an MBA while his personal interests and relationships drew him to Notre Dame Mendoza. In fact, it became the only school where he could picture himself for his full-time MBA experience.
In this Real Humans: Alumni, Petrosky shares his decision-making process, what stood out about the Mendoza MBA, why he chose JPMorgan Chase & Co. post-MBA and more.
Max Petrosky, Notre Dame Mendoza MBA ’23, Vice President at JPMorgan Chase
Age: 30
Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Penn State University, B.S. in Finance, B.S. in Economics
Graduate Business School, Graduation Year and Concentration: University of Notre Dame, Masters of Business Administration, Class of 2023, Corporate Finance concentration
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Balance Sheet Associate, PNC Bank, 2 years, financial services; Market Research Consultant, PNC Bank, 2 years, financial services
Post-MBA Work Experience: Senior Associate, JPMorgan Chase & Co., 2 years, financial services; Vice President, JPMorgan Chase & Co., 1 year, financial services
Why did you choose to attend business school?
My dad is my role model in all aspects of life, including professionally. I witnessed his leadership in his accounting director roles and wanted to advance my career like him. He doesn’t have an MBA, but through conversations with mentors and my own research, I knew an MBA would be the right decision for me. My first manager at PNC, who does have an MBA, told me about his experience at his full-time program and encouraged me to apply after gaining a few years of experience. He was the first person to tell me that going full-time is ideal for pivoting and getting to know your classmates, which is one of the reasons I went that route.
Why Notre Dame Mendoza? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
When I was narrowing down my business school list, the only school that I could picture myself at was Notre Dame, frankly. I am Catholic and have close friends who attended Notre Dame for undergrad and shared their experiences with me. I knew that the education, professorship, and student body at Mendoza would allow me to not only grow professionally but grow in my faith.
All are welcome at Notre Dame, but it was a wonderful place to be Catholic. I greatly appreciated getting to attend Mass between classes in the Stayer Center. I was able to connect with my classmates in meaningful ways outside of the classroom, particularly through the MBA Catholic Dinner Club, which I founded. We gathered every month for a home-cooked meal and fellowship. I would occasionally invite professionals to share how they integrate their faith and career, including a local CEO.
What about your MBA experience prepared you for your current career at JPMC? How do you feel that your MBA has been an asset when it comes to navigating new challenges, such as AI?
I found that the various consulting opportunities, both curricular and extracurricular, were invaluable. During my first year, we took a consulting course where we completed one case study per week. During my second year, I took another course where we consulted for local businesses for the semester (my team advised a solar panel company that employs ex-felons on franchising efforts).
We also had opportunities to travel and consult for businesses and non-profits between quarters. I had the chance to go to Bend, Oregon to support a health network’s expansion efforts and Mexico City, Mexico to engage in market research for an HR startup. I carried what I learned from these experiences with me into the Chase Associate Program at JPMC, particularly my second rotation, which was in internal consulting.
What was your internship during business school? How did that inform your post-MBA career choice of JPMC?
I interned at JPMC in the Branch Operations Product group within the Consumer Community Bank. I had no product management experience at the time, so I was eager to learn how a product owner manages a product suite and how to work with cross-functional teams. I had a great experience with my team and the Chase Associate Program, so I gladly accepted my return offer.
Why did you choose your current company? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to work?
Heading into business school, I strongly considered staying within financial services. I learned about the Chase Associate Program through job postings and found that a number of our MBA alumni were in the program. I scheduled coffee chats with them and they encouraged me to apply. I appreciated that the program allows associates to learn various functions within the Consumer Community Bank and grants some geographic flexibility. I already had some banking experience, but I wanted to explore more roles beyond Finance and Market Research, the two roles I held at PNC. I always liked Columbus and have family here (and met my now-wife here!) so selecting this office was an easy choice.
Advice to current MBA students:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of the job search?
Like everyone says, you must network like it’s your full-time job during your first semester. Thankfully, this isn’t a challenge at Notre Dame. I found that both MBA and undergrad alumni were willing to chat, though for MBA opportunities, it’s best to focus on networking with MBA alumni.
–One thing you would change or do differently as part of the job search?
It didn’t negatively impact my job search, but I probably would have focused on recruiting for financial services from the beginning. While I was considering staying within banking, I cast a wide net early on and interviewed for jobs in industries that I did not feel as passionately about. It was good to get more practice interviewing, but I could have spent more time focusing on coursework and getting to know my classmates.
–Were there any surprises regarding your current employer’s recruiting process?
The only surprise was how easy it was, at least when I applied in 2021. There was an HR screening call over Zoom, a Hireview video interview where you pre-record and submit answers to various questions, and a virtual super day with a panel of managers and associates. I received an offer by December.
–What piece of advice do you wish you had been given during your MBA?
I remember when I moved into my apartment in South Bend, I looked out the window and thought, “this is going to go by quickly.” I wish someone would have told me that it’s going to go by even faster than I thought at the time – there are only about 21 months between orientation week and graduation. I’m glad I had that perspective heading in, which allowed me to plan how I wanted to allocate my time between academics, recruiting, and campus involvements, but there were some weeks where I did not fully appreciate the limited time I had, like during busy recruiting or finals weeks.
