If there’s one thing that Vanderbilt Business alum Andrew Mitchell (MBA ‘19) has gotten adept at, it’s jumping into the deep end of things. From his first post-college job teaching high school science through Teach for America, to leading large change initiatives at Deloitte, to launching his own business, Mitchell has become a master of the career philosophy known as “trial by fire.” And in this second episode of the new season of “One Thousand Ways to Lead,” he shares his secrets for navigating that philosophy. Teaching high school science maybe isn’t the most obvious path to a career in consulting, but for Mitchell, it actually made a certain amount of sense. When he first joined Teach for America, the program was billed as “Teaching as Leadership.” The whole idea was to step into a leadership role through classroom teaching. Something that Mitchell excelled at during his three years in the program. But it wasn’t until working for non-profits that he realized the missing piece of the puzzle for his career aspirations was a business education. As Mitchell tells it, going from non-profits and classrooms to B-school was a solid recipe for imposter syndrome. But he quickly realized that the trial by fire he’d experienced as a first-time teacher was all the preparation he needed. Because it taught him that thriving in those types of situations is simply a matter of digging in and figuring things out. A strategy he employed when he began recruiting for a job in consulting, and then again when he arrived at Deloitte, and most recently with launching his own business. That business, which helps companies set up and manage their AI strategy, is yet another career notch requiring a healthy degree of trial by fire. And over the course of this episode, Mitchell provides insight into the many ways he has managed these career leaps. Plus, he discusses how his desire for a better work-life balance shaped his decision to leave consulting behind to pave his own path. Mitchell’s story is an inspiring reminder that a successful career comes in all shapes and sizes. And that great leadership is really just great teaching, and vice versa. Listen in! Remember to subscribe now so you never miss an episode. Learn more about us: https://business.vanderbilt.edu/