“You Belong Here”: My Pivot From the Army to a Career in Business Analytics

After 16 years of service in the U.S. Army, Dom Livas (MSBA’25) came to Georgetown McDonough’s M.S. in Business Analytics (MSBA)program ready to deepen his technical skills and expand his impact as a marketing officer. From overcoming imposter syndrome in the classroom to applying analytics to real-world marketing challenges, Livas found both personal and professional growth through the MSBA experience. Now preparing for his next chapter with the Army’s Training with Industry program at Lowe’s, Livas looks back on the experiences that defined his Georgetown journey.

Why did you decide to enroll in the MSBA program?

I spent 10 years enlisted as a signal support systems specialist, served as a recruiter in New Jersey, was commissioned as a human resources officer in 2020, and recently transitioned into marketing. I enrolled in Georgetown’s MSBA program because I knew a competitive graduate program would help position me to move into the U.S. Army’s marketing career field. While working on projects like the “Inside the Wire” campaign, I saw how important data is for connecting with audiences and wanted to strengthen my skills in Python, R, SQL, and Power BI to better support that work.

What is your favorite memory or proudest moment from your time at Georgetown?

My proudest moment was completing the capstone project with my team. The experience challenged us in every way and led us to build a consumer sentiment index designed for deployment through our company’s proprietary application. More than anything, the project showed how much we had grown since the first residency. Every course contributed to our success, and the capstone brought all of those skills together to culminate the completion of the program. 

Is there a particular person in the community who has been important to your experience at Georgetown?

The community at McDonough has been incredible, and I honestly wish I could give a shoutout to everyone. If I had to highlight one person, I would say Alana Cohen, assistant director of program management. Working behind the scenes, she organized events for our cohort, managed the class rep meetings, and answered literally hundreds of questions from the class on just about every topic or detail. Her support directly contributed to the success of our cohort and made our Georgetown experience better.

What has been your favorite course at McDonough and why?

My favorite course was Machine Learning II, taught by Professor Tommy Jones. This course marked the point where I finally shook my imposter syndrome. I started the MSBA program with little to no knowledge of coding and data manipulation, and at first, I felt like I was just treading water. Learning Python, R, and SQL was a struggle, to the point that when Professor Jones spoke, it sometimes felt like he was speaking a different language. In nearly every class, I would ask, “Professor, what does everything you said truly mean? What’s the ‘so what’ for the business stakeholders?” I asked that question so often during the first semester that, at the start of Machine Learning II, Professor Jones had a slide titled “Dom’s So What?” Looking back, all of those questions not only helped me but also helped my peers better understand the material and communicate it more effectively.

What are your post-graduate plans?

Right after graduation, my family and I will move to Mooresville, North Carolina, where I will begin a “Training with Industry” position at Lowe’s Corporate Headquarters. After recently transitioning into the Army marketing officer career field, I was selected for this highly competitive opportunity to work directly with Lowe’s marketing team. The Army’s Training with Industry program places service members in leading civilian organizations to gain advanced business and management experience that can be applied to improve military operations. Georgetown’s MSBA program helped me stand out during the interview process and played a key role in helping me achieve my goal of becoming a marketing officer.

What advice would you give to the next class of Georgetown students?

You belong here. You were selected. You have something to contribute. 

The best part of the journey was the people. It was Professor Babak Zafari making changes to the program to help the next cohort learn better. It was the Director of Career Services Lisa Dubler calling me and coaching me through an informational interview. It was the inside jokes my SAXA cohort carried with us, like sprinkling “firewall” into our presentations, and the shared sacrifice between Scott Kellen (MSBA’26) and Tyler Sovig (MSBA’26), who had a standing meeting every Sunday for our cohort to talk, teach, and learn from each other for 18 months. 

It took me a while to settle into a rhythm that gave me balance between work, family, school, and time for myself, so my advice to the next class is to trust the process, lean on your people, and give yourself grace as you find your footing.