OR-Path – OR Career Roadmap #1

Welcome back to OR-Path!

This is the first edition of a series where I’ll share practical advice and real experiences from more than a decade applying Operations Research across different industries.

This series is not about technical deep dives or academic theory. Instead, my goal is to help you understand how to build an optimization-driven career—whether you want to work at a FAANG company, join a smaller team, or even build your own business or startup.

Is there a formula to go from academia to applying Operations Research in the “real world”?

Some of the most common questions I hear are:

There isn’t a single correct path—but there are essential skills you’ll want to develop:

You must translate your optimization strategy into something actionable.
A company won’t improve profitability by looking at pseudo-code, summations, or inequalities on a whiteboard.

(Almost) no one will understand your technical jargon.
Prefer “How do you evaluate if your decision is good?” over “What’s your objective function?”
Use your stakeholder’s language, not yours.

Again, (almost) no one will understand numbers on a Terminal.
“GAP? What the heck is GAP?”
You need to present results clearly—using tables, charts, visuals, and narratives that actually communicate value.

You can’t optimize what you don’t understand.
Optimization is not a “hello world!” exercise.
And while LLMs help, they won't replace your foundational reasoning.
You are responsible for the optimization.

Do these points make sense? Great — but what comes next?

How do you put everything together in practice?
How do you actually become an Operations Research professional?
What steps should you take to grow to the next level in your optimization career?

That’s exactly what I’ll continue covering in the upcoming editions.

**Have a specific career topic or practical advice you'd like me to cover?

If you’re navigating your path in Operations Research and want some guidance, I’m happy to help.

See you next time! 👋