My Shot: From the Oil Fields to Finance

Chip Hinkel (MSF’18)’s path to finance didn’t begin in a classroom. It started in the oil fields.

A petroleum engineering graduate from Penn State, Hinkel launched his career with Shell, rotating across technical teams and working on high-stakes acquisition opportunities in the Permian Basin. But amid detailed engineering models and reservoir analyses, he noticed something striking: small financial assumptions could outweigh months of technical work. That realization sparked a change.

“I wanted to understand how value is actually created,” Hinkel says.

Rather than pursue a traditional MBA, Hinkel chose the M.S. in Finance (MSF) at Georgetown McDonough — a decision driven by both precision and practicality. The program allowed him to build deep financial expertise while continuing to work, ultimately reshaping his career trajectory.

That shift proved timely. Following an industry downturn and a layoff, Hinkel leveraged his MSF to step into a financial analyst role, building long-term forecasts for energy assets. Soon after, he made the leap into consulting, joining Boston Consulting Group and later transitioning to Alvarez & Marsal, where he now focuses on transactions and financial strategy.

The move wasn’t without challenges. “If you’re asking someone to take a chance on you,” he says, “you need to clearly articulate your value.” For Hinkel, that meant combining deep industry knowledge with newly developed financial modeling expertise — a unique and compelling mix.

His advice to current students and alumni is straightforward: know what sets you apart, and don’t expect transformation to happen overnight. Importantly, “You don’t have to make the perfect leap in one step,” he says. “Build toward it.”

This story was originally featured in the Georgetown Business Spring/Summer 2026 Magazine.