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“learned about so many different things in economics and geography,” said Justin Smith, a management consultant with KPMG UK in London, England, “and that includes learning to set goals, manage my time and how to get things done on time and of high quality.
“Right from my first year at CSU, I figured out you have to show up for yourself because it's true that you get out of university what you put into it. Working at KPMG, I find that it's a very similar mindset.”
As an economics and geography double major, Smith (Economics ’22, Geography ’22) learned how to analyze data, to lead economic-impact studies, and to develop digital maps. But he doesn’t discount the non-graded lessons and skills he gained as a liberal arts student at Colorado State University.
Prepared for Graduate School
Smith’s two degrees and the research and projects he worked on at CSU helped him get accepted to the London School of Economics (LSE) to complete the one-year master of science in local economic development in the school’s Department of Geography, ranked among the leading programs in the world. It was a dream come true to study at a prestigious institution in a global city.
Smith found graduate school challenging and exhilarating – and an opportunity he was well prepared for. At CSU, he gained familiarity with quantitative research from economics classes and competency with data-analysis software and apps through geography courses. Smith recognized that his majors plus the overall liberal arts education gave him an advantage.
“Going into the [LSE] program, I realize now I was one of the people with the most research experience, actually,” said Smith, who worked with geography professor Jason Sibold, geography professor Steven Leisz, and economics professor Stephen Weller as a CSU undergraduate student. “They all gave me opportunities to understand how research works through different approaches and different ways of working.”
Smith also realized that many of his European and other peers had been on a specialized educational track since high school, while his path through a more diverse but directed courseload felt “super rewarding” to him.
“I took psychology courses, sociology courses, history courses and, of course, economics and geography courses at CSU, so it was a very well-rounded education,” Smith said. “With a liberal arts degree, I think you can find what actually interests you, and it's never bad to be learning new things.”
Ready for Work
Determined to stay in London after completing his master’s degree, Smith was hired at KPMG in October 2022 after five rounds of interviews across seven months.
As a consultant, Smith works as part of a change management team offering services to large companies and clients – such as analyzing organizational performance and offering guidance on new strengths, capabilities, or areas for growth. Amid very large and complicated programs and assessments, Smith and his team are charged with reporting different data analytics using and implementing enterprise resource planning technologies, such as SAP.
“What interested me about management consulting is working on a large range of different topics,” Smith said. “Focusing on quantitative courses has helped a lot and it’s been an easy transition to understand how [enterprise resource planning programs] work after being at CSU and using geographic information systems (GIS), and other data software.
“If I hadn't done a liberal arts degree at CSU, I never would have been admitted to LSE,” Smith said, “and I definitely never would have been hired at KPMG.”