Alumni Interviews

Alumni can provide valuable information about various career tracks. UC San Diego has a vast alumni network and our alumni generally like to talk with students, so feel free to reach out to an alum to start a conversation.

The conversations you have with alumni are called “informational interviews.” Talk with alumni about their career journey, what they find meaningful about the work they do, the skills they think are important for you to pick up, and more. Ask where you should be looking for opportunities in their career field. The wisdom and experience they share can be valuable in your career development.

To help you get started, we recorded a few sample interviews. Click on the image to watch the recorded interview with our distinguished UC San Diego Alumni!

Caeden Hart

Caeden Hart is an economist at the Bureau of Labor Statistics. He works on the Eatr Price Index (CPI), which is the nation’s most widely used measure of inflation. He graduated from UCSD in 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in economics.

Caeden Hart Interview Transcript | More information on the BLS’ Student MLR

Jason Emmons

Jason Emmons ( ’92) has consulted in the information technology field since 1996. He has worked for Deloitte and PwC and currently sells and delivers IT risk services for Moss Adams. He graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in economics. 

Emmy Sobieski

Emmy Sobieski is a co-founder and Chief Operating Officer of Competitive Storytelling, Inc. Emmy has extensive experience as an investor and an entrepreneur. She has written a book to help high-performing young adults: $100M Careers: The 5 Fastest Career Paths to Wealth Beyond Your Wildest Imagines. Follow Emmy on LinkedIn and visit emmysobieski.com

Education: UC San Diego, B.A., Economics | University of Southern California, M.B.A

John Olinski

John Olinski is the managing director at PennyMac Financial Services. John has held executive-level positions in investment management, private equity, venture capital, corporate/commercial banking, residential mortgage banking, investment banking/equity research, mortgage loan trading, and the syndication of bank loans and lines of credit.

Education: UC San Diego, B.A., Management Science