Ken Shen, '26SPS, Wealth Management

1. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to prospective students?
My biggest advice is to be intentional from the very beginning. When I entered the program, I realized very quickly that the value was not only in learning the material, but in thinking about how to apply it to real client situations and long term career goals. I would encourage prospective students to treat every assignment, case study, and class discussion as preparation for real life. I would also strongly encourage them to build relationships with their cohort and learn as much as possible from the lecturers, many of whom are experienced professionals still actively working in the field. Their practical insight and industry experience are incredibly valuable. Just as importantly, students should make full use of the school’s resources, because a great deal of growth happens outside the classroom as well.

2. What are the benefits of this asynchronous program from a learning and networking perspective?
One of the greatest strengths of the program is that it offers flexibility without taking away from the quality of the experience. As a working professional, I appreciated being able to continue advancing in my career while fully engaging with the coursework. At the same time, the program is really what you make of it. If you put in the effort, you can have an experience that feels just as rich and meaningful as a traditional in person program. From a networking perspective, I found it especially valuable that classmates and lecturers came from different parts of the country and different areas of the industry. That diversity created thoughtful discussions, broadened my perspective, and made the learning experience stronger. The live sessions and in person residency added another layer by turning those academic connections into real professional relationships.

3. How did your career change during and/or after earning an M.P.S. in Wealth Management?
This program was an important turning point in my professional journey. My background before and during the program was more closely tied to lending and transactional work, but through the M.P.S. in Wealth Management, I began to see the bigger picture of what it means to truly advise clients. The program helped me move from a product focused mindset to a more holistic and advice driven approach. It gave me greater confidence in speaking about more sophisticated topics such as tax planning, estate strategies, portfolio construction, and broader wealth management issues. It also helped me feel more prepared to serve higher net worth clients who expect deeper insight and more comprehensive guidance. Most importantly, the program reinforced my long term goal of transitioning more fully into wealth management and becoming the kind of advisor who can deliver thoughtful, well rounded solutions.

4. Why did you choose the Master of Professional Studies in Wealth Management at the Columbia School of Professional Studies?
Initially, I was drawn to the program because it fulfilled the education requirement for CFP certification, which was an important step in my long term career path. But as I looked more closely, I realized the program offered much more than that. Columbia’s reputation and network were certainly attractive, but what stood out most to me was the way the curriculum reflected the real world of wealth management. It was not limited to one area. Instead, it brought together investments, tax, estate planning, and client psychology in a way that felt both practical and complete. For someone like me, coming from a lending background and looking to expand into comprehensive financial planning, it felt like exactly the right bridge. It gave me not only stronger technical knowledge, but also a clearer vision of the professional I want to become.