Pivot: From the Cockpit
A former fighter pilot finds purpose in financial planning while keeping one foot in the air.
Andy Christopher (MSF’18) caught the aviation bug at a young age. His uncle, a pilot in the U.S. Navy, took him on a Tiger Cruise — a voyage for family and friends of service members — from Florida to Virginia. Following in his uncle’s footsteps, Christopher later went on to serve 10 years in the Navy as an F/A-18 pilot and has been in the Navy Reserves for the past six years.
Toward the end of his time in active duty, Christopher began to wonder if a career in the Navy aligned with his personal life — he was recently married and starting a family. Unsure what he wanted to do, he discovered the Master of Science in Finance (MSF) program at Georgetown McDonough and decided to apply.
“I knew it would be a good idea to use that experience at Georgetown in the MSF program and leverage the connections I made there to help inform my next career move,” he said.
After graduating from the MSF program, Christopher got a job in wealth management before moving to PwC as a manager for mergers and acquisitions deals advisory. Currently, he is the lead planner at Leading Edge Financial Planning.
Christopher credits experiences in the MSF program — the Global Consulting Project, summer clinics, and networking opportunities — with giving him the knowledge and confidence to make the pivot from the military to finance.
“In the Navy, you get a lot of responsibility and leadership roles which, of course, employers are all looking for,” he said. “But finance in particular is hard to pivot into without having that experience level.”
Christopher often turned to his peers in the MSF cohort for insights into launching his finance career.
“The military and government are very different than the corporate environment in terms of how they operate,” he said. “You’re missing out on those reps and sets, if you will, to really find what you like.”
After graduation, Christopher stayed involved with the MSF program by serving as a career coach and executive- in-residence for the program’s Summer Clinics. Though Christopher professionally pivoted into finance, his passion for aviation lives on, serving as a contract instructor pilot for Lockheed Martin.
Looking back on his career transition, Christopher advises others who are considering a pivot to leverage their network, ask questions, and think about what they enjoy doing. He also encourages fellow veterans to not feel like they’re behind as they transition into a new career.
“You’re not a failure because you’ve made changes and pivots, because that’s a learning experience,” he said. “You’re just finding what you like and what you enjoy, and that’s totally okay.”
This story was originally featured in the Georgetown Business Fall 2025 Magazine. Download the Georgetown Business Audio app to listen to the stories and other bonus content.