As an engineer, Paul Gennett understood that the barriers to progress in solving problems like clean energy, transportation, and housing are not technical; they are financial, legal, and human. In this Real Humans: Alumni, Gennett shares how he wanted to play a larger role in helping to build great things as well as how the Yale School of Management (SOM) MBA and other courses at Yale prepared him to achieve his goals at Bain.
Paul Gennett, Yale SOM MBA ’25, Consultant at Bain & Company
Age: 27
Hometown: Charlotte, NC
Undergraduate Institution and Major: Clemson University, Civil Engineering
Pre-MBA Work Experience: Civil Analyst, Kimley-Horn, 2 years, Engineering/Construction
Post-MBA Work Experience: Consultant, Bain & Company, 1 year, Management Consulting
Why did you choose to attend business school?
As an engineer, I realized that technical know-how is not the gating factor to progress. We have the capacity to build great things – carbon-free energy, efficient transportation, abundant housing; however, the barriers are non-technical. I chose business school to better understand the financial, legal, and human factors that impede progress and to shift my career into a position where I can play a greater role in building great things.
Why Yale SOM? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to attend?
I chose Yale because it best aligned with my vision of attending a smaller program in the Northeast that emphasized both a business education and a wider liberal arts education. At Yale, I quickly established a wide network of friends and frequently traveled to conferences in New York and Boston. Furthermore, I took classes across Yale at the School of Law, School of Global Affairs, and School of the Environment. I chose Yale because I wanted to join a community of likeminded peers, and I found it.
What about your MBA experience prepared you for your current career?
A fish in water doesn’t necessarily know it is in water. Likewise, it is difficult to understand the career benefits of a great MBA program without attending. I believe the greatest career preparation is the friendships and professional networks you build. Internal to Yale, I quickly met many amazing people taking fascinating career paths, which opened my mind to the boundless opportunity that exists post-MBA. Upon deciding a path, I worked daily with both second-year students and fellow first-years to actualize it. Finally, at Yale, I felt empowered to reach out beyond my immediate community and forge lasting connections with business leaders across the country and globe. My MBA experience prepared me for future career success with a supportive community that I continue to rely on and contribute to.
What was your internship during business school? How did that inform your post-MBA career choice?
I interned at Bain during business school and interned at Astranis, a satellite startup, post-MBA, before starting full-time at Bain. During both internships, I realized that an MBA is only the beginning of one’s education and that I would likely learn and progress the fastest post-MBA at Bain.
Why did you choose your current company? What factors figured most prominently into your decision of where to work?
My primary focus was to continue my business education and to learn as much as possible. Bain enables this. I also value my personal well-being, and I chose Bain over competing consulting offers as I believed (and still believe) that Bain uniquely cares about its employees and empowers them achieve both career and personal goals.
Advice to current MBA students:
–One thing you would absolutely do again as part of the job search?
Be open. I arrived at Yale knowing I certainly did not want to be a consultant. Look at me now!
–One thing you would change or do differently as part of the job search?
Don’t be afraid of failure and throw yourself out there. Attend conferences, join campus speaking events, and reach out to potential mentors who have taken career paths you hope to follow. I did all of this, but I started late and was somewhat inconsistent. Put yourself out there!
–Were there any surprises regarding your current employer’s recruiting process?
All of it! Pre-MBA, I never visited websites like Clear Admit or r/MBA. I read about schools on their websites and applied to the ones I liked, assuming I would find a job later in the two-year program, not start in September/October of my first year. I’m not sure I would change that! Those first few months were stressful, but I came in with an open mind and probably learned more because of it.
–What piece of advice do you wish you had been given during your MBA?
The best piece of advice I was given was that of cold outreach. You are an MBA student, a hot new commodity of boundless potential. See a conference you’d love to attend but could never pay for? Contact the organizer as an interested MBA student and ask to volunteer. See somebody with a unique career path you’d love to follow? Reach out to learn more. The worst that can happen is a non-response, and people tend to respond more frequently to students than non-students. The MBA is a two-year window of boundless time and opportunity. Use it! One major caveat: cold outreach does not apply to structured paths like consulting and investment banking. Follow the strict processes outlined by the firms and second year students.
