Deborah Horn W'09
Email: deborah.garber@live.com
What did you study at Penn and when did you graduate?
I studied Marketing and graduated in 2009.
What were you involved with as an undergraduate?
I was the President of MUSE and participated in the marketing case competitions! I was also involved with Wharton Leadership Ventures, Wharton Women, and I did work study all 4 years.
What was your favorite part of Penn/Wharton?
I would say the feeling of Huntsman Hall! There was so much possibility around me at all times. I grew up in Wyoming in a small town so coming to Penn was much different than what I grew up with. I loved how much Penn and Philly had to offer. Once you enter the workforce, you go into more of a “track” whereas during college you have so much freedom. I loved how much optimism, community, and opportunity I had at my fingertips.
What has your career journey looked like?
I always knew I wanted to do marketing and during the summer between my sophomore and junior I interned at a marketing agency right outside of Philadelphia. Between my junior and senior year, I interned at Microsoft. During the typical recruiting period of junior year, I was studying abroad so I did all my interviews virtually and recruited in the Fall as well. I had a really great experience at Microsoft and have been there for the past 11 years in 4 different roles. I have worked in digital marketing, ecommerce, enterprise device partner sales and now I’m working in digital marketing again for a consumer subscription product.
What has been the biggest challenge of your career?
The biggest challenge for me was getting stuck in a role I didn’t feel passionate about and not knowing how to self-advocate for the right change. I pride myself on being open to new possibilities and having a high tolerance for risk, so I took a really big pivot into my third role at Microsoft. Within 6 months, it was clear that I didn’t like the role and felt like I’d hit a dead end. However, at that time I was going through a lot of life changes. I was newly married and I became a mom. I was navigating those new identities and what my priorities were. The sponsors I’d had up until that point in my career were no longer at the company. I internalized that there was something wrong with me or that I wasn’t a high performer anymore, when it was really just about it not being a good fit with the work. After having my second child, I came back grounded and connected to my intuition. I got a coach that helped me get through the fear of “not being good enough” and who gave me the tools I needed to be my own sponsor and find the perfect role. I’m super happy to be back in a digital marketing position today and I truly love what I get to do everyday.
How has being a woman affected your career trajectory, if it has?
Overall, in tech and the teams I’ve worked on, being a woman hasn’t noticeably affected my career trajectory. I do think being a parent has affected my career trajectory, not because of the kids themselves, but because they encouraged me to confront my identity. My ambition isn’t just about rising up in my career, but who I want to be and how I am personally growing and having an impact on the world. If there’s any takeaway from this, it’s that your job or career isn’t just what’s going to make you happy which I think can be a huge misconception coming out of Wharton. My work is what I do, not who I am, though I continue to grapple with that. There’s so many more factors to consider for what makes a good life.
What advice do you have for our members as they begin exploring careers and internships?
A piece of advice that has been super helpful for me is, “Careers are shaped one conversation at a time.” What I love doing has changed so much over my career. Seeking out new perspectives and exposing yourself to different options is a great way to figure out what you want. Great advisors and mentors can definitely help you have these conversations.
I would also recommend going to career fairs as early as you can! A lot of people started their junior or senior year and found it quite intimidating, so exposing yourself to them starting freshman year will make you much more comfortable with the process.