In this talk, I describe my journey from a first-generation college graduate (CUHK
Math, 1979) to the Head of the Marketing Department at Penn State. I will share
my experience publishing journal papers across diverse fields–including Marketing,
Operations Research, Operations Management, Psychometrics, and Statistics–as
well as placing my Ph.D. students in academic institutions and industrial firms. With
the rising popularity of data science and AI, graduates with solid quantitative skills
will find ample job opportunities across many industries. However, candidates for
highly sought-after positions (e.g., business faculty in the US) need careful planning
and preparation to succeed.