The program has taught me to speak a new distinct language.

“I have the best job in the world,” says Andrew Gould, who scouts for new songwriting talent for EMI Music Publishing. As Senior Director of Creative for the A & R team, Gould signs both songwriters who write hits for big-name pop talent, like Kelly Clarkson, as well as musicians who write their own songs, such as Chiddy Bang, a hip-hop group from Philadelphia.

Even though Gould has his dream job, he realized that he could benefit from a formal business education – he works in a constantly evolving industry. Gould saw the value of a solid academic foundation. But not just from any school. Gould wanted the best program in which to immerse himself.

Gould talks about having a creative background in a finance-focused school, breaking out of your comfort zone, and taking one last school fieldtrip.

Staying ahead of the changing music industry

I do A & R for EMI Music Publishing. I sign songwriters -- some are artists who write their own songs, others are songwriters who write for performers. It’s the best job in the world; I’m very passionate about music. But the industry is volatile and I felt I needed a well-rounded education if I wanted to be a leader in the industry’s transformation.

Wharton is the best executive MBA program — and it’s recognized as such for a reason. I want to go as far as I possibly can in my career, and I knew Wharton was the program that would allow me to do that. From the beginning I had a good feeling about it. There was no pomp, no arrogance. It really was about the people — I did not get that feeling with other schools.

Commuting between coasts

I was transferred from New York to Los Angeles two semesters into the program. For the two following semesters, I commuted from LA to Philadelphia, and transferred to the San Francisco campus for the final two semesters. The cross-country flight every other week was brutal, but absolutely worthwhile. It’s a no-brainer.

Academically, Philadelphia and San Francisco are very similar. The faculty and staff are equally talented, and the classroom experience is the same. The one exception is the professional makeup of the student body. California drew more from the tech, start up, and venture capital arena and Philadelphia more from finance, health care, and the pharmaceutical industry.

One last field trip

My favorite experience while at Wharton was the international trip to China. After a year and a half of bonding as a class of fun, motivated, and accomplished students, we did something truly memorable together. We had been friends for over a year, and occasionally we’d run into each other outside of class, but now we were 110 people together, overseas. When am I ever going to have the opportunity to go on a class field trip again?

Furthermore, we had spent countless hours over many months collectively learning about and discussing China in class, and now we were actually there, adding another rich dimension to the curriculum. After China, a large group of us went to Tokyo for a few nights. The whole trip is one not soon to be forgotten.

Learning a new language

The program has taught me to speak a new distinct language. I now know what executives are talking about in a way that is much more meaningful. Business issues that were once less understood are now programmed into the way I think about and approach my environment. Since I began the Wharton EMBA program, the quality of my contributions has increased significantly.

First-class professors

One quality unique to Wharton is the caliber of the professors and faculty. I couldn’t believe it, one of our professors was former governor of the Central Bank of Turkey, and he is teaching me how to value companies. How often do you get the head of a country’s bank teaching you finance? The professors are the best in the world at what they do.

A creative background in a finance world

Coming from a creative background, I was slightly out of my comfort zone in the quant heavy program, but that is one of the main reasons I wanted to pursue this education – to strengthen all of my business skills. While I was definitely an outlier, people wanted to engage with me or hear about my experiences because it was very different from everyone else’s.

Balancing work/life/school

I’m not going to lie; it was very difficult. My schedule is very unpredictable — a lot of work is done in the evening, over dinners, or late night at studios. I tried to do school work whenever I could. Sometimes I’d get up early in the morning, sometimes I would work real late, and sometimes I would have to spend extra time on the weekends to make up for what I couldn’t do during the week. It was definitely a heavy workload.

A step in the right direction

Having a Wharton degree does change people’s perception of you. At some point, I’d like to have an upper level management position. It doesn’t necessarily mean taking a step back from the creative, but it does mean accepting or taking on more responsibility of the business, paying more mindshare to finance, company PR, marketing and general macro issues. The Wharton EMBA program is for me a very strong stepping stone in that direction.

Advice to incoming students

Put as much into the education as you possibly can; it’s a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s not even about the grades; it’s about learning as much as you can from your two years in the program.

Hometown: Los Angeles, CA

Previous Education: BA from Bowdoin College, major in German (Honors), minor in Economics

Work History Before Wharton: Analyst at RCG Longview (New York, New York); Intern, Assistant, Talent Scout, and Manager of A & R at Epic Records / Sony Music (New York, New York); Director, Senior Director of Creative at EMI Music Publishing (New York, New York & Los Angeles, CA)

Personal Information: Downhill skiing, fly fishing, classical piano, reading, traveling, running, and cooking

Commute: First two semesters, Amtrak train from NYC to Philadelphia. Second two semesters, flew from LA to Philadelphia. Final two semesters, flew from LA to San Francisco.