Landing a New Job While Balancing School and Life

Rishie Narula (mpd2 '25) talks about his new role at Pinterest and why his desire to continue growing led him to the mpd2 part-time program.

Rishie Narula (mpd2 '25) never wants to be called an expert.

"Call me a specialist or call me an enthusiast," Narula said. "Whatever subject matter I'm working on, it's going to evolve from time to time and there will be more to learn. Having that growth mindset is key."

Narula developed that mindset over the course of 11 years working at Google. He held nine different roles in that timespan, starting as an associate in advertising services based in India, and finishing this July in Chicago as a cross-media measurement lead.

In an effort to continue to grow, Narula turned to Northwestern Engineering's Master of Product Design and Development Management (mpd2) part-time program. He wanted to enhance his knowledge so he could continue to evolve professionally.

"My primary reason to join the mpd2 program was I want to be able to get the skill set, the experience, and the knowledge to become a product manager," Narula said. "That is the North Star. That's the ultimate goal that I'm working toward."

Narula quickly found himself applying lessons learned in the classroom to his work at Google. One specific example was the power of effective communication, a course he took during his first quarter in the program.

"After that class, I noticed that my communication with stakeholders internally and with customers had definitely evolved," Narula said. "Even in my performance evaluation, my manager pointed out how I had become more clear and articulate in my communication. He also appreciated the fact that I'd become a much better presenter."

Narula also credits mpd2 with an unexpected job change during his time in the program. During his first spring quarter in the program, he sat down with Birju Shah, who taught his product management course. Narula told Shah about his dream to become a product manager at Google.

Narula remembers Shah being excited, but also offering a bit of caution.

"Don't limit yourself to Google," Narula remembered Shah saying.

Narula kept that advice in mind as he connected with several friends who previously left Google. They told Narula about a unique role he would be a good fit for at Pinterest. Narula learned more about the opportunity, interviewed, and accepted the new position in July.

Before finalizing the new role, Narula turned to Shah and mpd2 director Jim Wicks for advice.

"I had a conversation with Jim on the phone, and I spoke to Professor Shah as well," Narula said. "Their advice, their guidance, and what I learned from them during the year played a significant role for me to make the decision and make the switch."

Today, Narula is senior product marketing manager for ads integrity and performance solutions at Pinterest. He started the job in July prior to his second year in mpd2. He could have been nervous about navigating a new job with school work, but he already considered himself a specialist at navigating school, work, and life. Narula bought a house shortly before starting the program and got married between orientation and the start of classes.

"Doing the part-time program is a balancing act," Narula said. "There are so many valuable reasons why you should do the program part time. Things that I learn in class, I am actually able to apply real time at work. I can see the application in real time, and it feels validating when I'm learning something in class and then have examples from work to prove that I understand these concepts."