Jessica Ng W’13

What did you study and when did you graduate?

I graduated in 2013 from the Huntsman dual degree program (BA in International Studies and BS in Economics) with a concentration in finance and minors in Math and French.

What do you do now and where are you based?

I started in finance in traditional investment banking. I pivoted and am now in tech, based in Seattle, focusing on strategic partnerships and product integrations with tech companies.

What was your favorite part of Penn/Wharton?

I was involved in Global Platinum Securities, an intercollegiate investing club and the Wharton Asia Exchange. I was also in the International Affairs Association and Penn Microfinance. For fun, I was involved at one point in Penn Music Mentoring.

What prompted you to switch to tech?

Coming out of Penn, I felt I had to go into finance or consulting. During OCR, those are the types of companies that come on campus. After I did my two years of banking, the next step was PE/hedge fund, but during the interview process, I realized I was not excited about the work. I thought about what I actually wanted to do rather than feeling like I just needed to have a job in finance because I was trained to do it. I took a job in M&A for Microsoft which was a good mixture of banking/finance skill set, then switched more to the tech side.
What has been the biggest challenge of your career?

Following my gut and what I wanted to do rather than what everyone was telling me to do. People questioned why I was going to Microsoft when I had a promising road ahead in PE. You have to zone out of what everyone is telling you to do and hone in on what you want.

How has being a woman affected your career trajectory, if it has?

I don't think it has negatively impacted my career. I was lucky in both finance and tech, which are very male dominated, that I had strong female mentorship in both companies. They taught me little things––like when you are sitting in a conference room with mostly men, make sure your hands aren't touching your face or your arms aren’t crossed, how to position yourself in a meeting, and how to project yourself as a woman. I think that there are a lot of things you can leverage being a woman, it gives you a different point of view. In negotiations, men tend to be more aggressive, being a woman, you sometimes step back. 

What advice do you have for our members as they begin exploring careers and internships?

There are two frameworks that I think about in terms of figuring out what I want to do next. First, there is an equilibrium to consider between the mix of people, the work being challenging and interesting, and compensation. Second, think about how you want to make an impact ––are you as a person critical to the team and is that team critical to the company––if yes to both, you are well positioned to make an impact.

What is the worst career advice you have received?

You need to be doing this thing because it’s going to look good on your resume or for compensation. I took the advice and found myself very unhappy.

Favorite Book?

“Educated” by Tara Westover