Madilyn Cataloni, Staff Writer
On Monday, Nov. 3, the Management department hosted speaker Scott Pearson to share his journey from the liberal arts to a career on Wall Street and offer advice to Gettysburg College students looking to pursue a similar profession.
To begin the presentation, Pearson discussed his educational background. He explained that he attended DePauw University for his bachelor’s degree in economics. He also shared how he took a variety of courses, including ones in history and classical studies. Pearson further mentioned how he received his MBA in finance and accounting from the University of Chicago.
Pearson then described his work experience after he left school. Once he received his MBA, he spent the first 15 years of his career in capital markets and investment banking. After that, he spent a few years as the CFO of a startup in 2001, which had been affected by the tech crash. He has been working in Wealth Management Trust for the past 15 years.
Pearson then went on to give career advice to the attendees. He suggested that students take time to ask themselves what they really want to do. Pearson provided an example of how to find that out.
“One good test for finance majors is reading the Wall Street Journal. If you think, ‘oh, this is really interesting,’ and ‘yeah, I’d like to read it every day,’ then maybe a job in finance is good for you,” Pearson said. “If you pick up the Wall St Journal, you say, I cannot believe people actually read this thing… then maybe finance might not be the best fit.”
The second point Pearson made is that networking is extremely important during the job search. He said that the Gettysburg alumni network is great for students to utilize, as alumni feel strong loyalty to other college students. Pearson also recommended that students reach out and ask for advice.
Pearson suggested that students make such requests by asking: “Look, here’s where I am, and this is the career track that I’d like to pursue. Can you take 15 to 20 minutes to talk to me?”
By following up after one’s interview, Pearson explained how the company is more likely to take an interest seriously, which would then strengthen an application for an internship.
Pearson shared that LinkedIn is also an important networking tool. He explained that a LinkedIn profile is a digital resume. Many recruiters don’t look very closely at a resume or cover letter, so a LinkedIn profile is a good way to distinguish oneself.
He described the third important aspect of career planning being to research the companies for which one applies ahead of time. By coming to the interview prepared to show interest and dedication. It can also be beneficial if to learn about the people who are conducting the interview, which would make it easier to find a connection that can spark up a conversation.
One of the last topics Pearson discussed was artificial intelligence. While Pearson himself admitted that he’s “a bit of a novice” when it comes to AI, he suggests to the attendees that students should learn how to use it.
After going through his presentation, Nora Crowther ’26, Amir Habil ’26 and Patrick Maroney ’27 conducted a question-and-answer portion.
The first question Crowther ’26 asked was, “What are the biggest risks and learning moments you faced when starting your longshore fund, and how did that experience shape the way you led teams or make investment decisions today?”
Pearson replied by discussing how he would describe himself as a recovering stock picker, something he was doing with the longshore equity fund. He describes how the stock market can easily humble you and that learning is constantly ongoing.
Maroney ’27 began by asking about his thoughts on maintaining contact with people in a network to build those genuine connections.
Pearson replied by comparing networking to being in a friendship. He explained that one must prioritize relationships with those who correspond to an intended career track.
Amir Habil ’26 asked the last question about artificial intelligence and how it might affect the job market.
Pearson also expressed his hope that AI will make business more efficient and expressed his belief that the rise of AI will make retaining human connection even more important.
Pearson concluded the event by thanking those who attended as well as the students who helped with the question-and-answer.
