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Unlike many of his peers across the country, Ryan Moore kept an eye on the big picture throughout his undergraduate career and knew what he wanted to pursue from a short- and long-term perspective.
 
Graduate school and a career in finance were his ultimate goals — both fulfilled once his professional basketball career concluded.
 
"I took a bit of a unique path into my career after I graduated from UC Davis," said Moore. "I possessed aspirations of attending graduate school and building a career path that included some aspect of the financial industry, but my immediate focus was continuing to play basketball.
 
"Shortly after graduating, I played in a professional league in Mexico. This was an interesting situation because, in my original plans, I expected to compete longer than I did. After spending a successful season down there, I decided it was time to move on and figure out a career. My motivation to attend graduate school definitely became stronger at that time."
 
Through networking and contacts Moore already possessed, his transition from one career to another was a smooth process since the world of finance was one that intrigued him at an early age. After talking to people within the industry to figure out what path to take, the Brea, California native earned a full-time position at Merrill Lynch.
 
"Investment management was something that always interested me, starting in high school when I participated in a stock market simulation," Moore said.
 
(Moore's stock market simulation experience came full circle when he advised men's basketball student-athletes during their three-month-long project that took place last spring.)
 
"A lot of the classes I took at UC Davis were finance and investment-related within my managerial economics major. Most of my reading at a younger age, for whatever reason, were investment-related books. This was always an interest of mine, which I followed when various doors opened and allowed me to continue down this path."
 
Instead of immediately pursuing a graduate degree, he spent the next five years gaining hands-on real-world experience and strengthening his skills.
 
"You do not know what you do not know, people need to start somewhere. Someone can have all the education in the world but one cannot replace what is learned through hands-on experience. Experience helps people adjust their career path; one may think they want to start a career in one position or industry, and feel the need to venture in a different direction after a period of time.
 
"That experience may lead to another path within the company, or another direction altogether. Sometimes, you just need to start somewhere — it may not become the career path you finish — but that is part of the overall process."

It was during his three-plus-year tenure at the The Capital Group, an investment management firm located in Los Angeles that specializes in equity and fixed income investing (he worked in fixed income trading, specifically focused on municipals and emerging markets), that Moore returned to the classroom to pursue a M.B.A. from UCLA's Anderson School of Management. By choosing its fully-employed program, he was able to work full-time and earn his degree. 
 
"I really enjoyed my time at UCLA. The classroom environment was great, but the international travel and real-life case studies — I specifically worked with a company based in Brazil and created business plans for it — were pieces of the grad school opportunity I wanted to experience."
 
Shortly after he graduated from UCLA, Moore returned to Merrill Private Wealth Management in June, 2014 — his career began at Merrill in 2006 as a financial advisor before he joined The Capital Group — and remained with the company since. As a senior private wealth relationship manager at the Newport Beach branch, he is responsible for wealth planning, trading and investment research to help his clients reach their financial goals. 
 
Even though a program like Aggie EVO was not available when Moore was an undergraduate, he possessed the foresight and shrewdness to implement the strategies and knowledge every UC Davis student-athlete now receives through this multi-faceted student-athlete outcomes program. Experiences like the one Moore enjoyed is EVO's ultimate goal: preparing young men and women for a successful launch after graduating from the fifth-ranked public school in the nation.
 
"Building relationships is something important that I learned as a UC Davis student-athlete. The people you meet, and trust you earn, is important because that ethic and ability to work with others under pressure is crucial in a business environment."
 
Moore added, "I feel perseverance is another trait you learn through college athletics. Personally, I dealt with a number of setbacks throughout my playing career due to injury. Ultimately, I worked through them and arrived to a point where I was proud with the results I earned as a student-athlete. Perseverance to withstand the ups and downs, and challenges, and not allowing those challenges to define you, is important."
 
Through his professional experiences, Moore understood the value of another trait, patience, and how that influenced his career. Even though a lot of planning took place for him carve his career path, Moore believes the process is anything but linear since those experiences directed him towards the best possible opportunities and professional fit.
 
"When I started my process, I saw spending a lot of time abroad playing basketball as something I wanted to do. There were a lot of things that I missed out on and wanted to prepare for at home, which included going back to graduate school. This is why I made that shift, reacted accordingly to experiences that took place, and followed the path I thought was best. 

"A little bit of patience is always a good thing. You do not need to figure out everything in your 20s because creating a career is a long-term game. By taking things one step at a time, you can create a meaningful career."


Notable and Quotable
Re: Additional advice for undergraduates
"While you are a student, take advantage of as many internship opportunities as possible to gain exposure to fields that interest you."
 
"Initially, I had this mindset that I needed to figure out my career quickly. I did not have patience, and wanted to figure things out when I exited college and entered my mid-20s. In hindsight, unless you have a business idea or product you believe in, and want to create a company because one has that level of conviction, which I didn't, taking the time to understand what interests you and not being afraid to take on other jobs that interest you is important."

"We all understand what motivates us in sports, which is improving every day as an individual, a team, and winning championships. However, not many people take the time to understand what motivates us and makes us tick in the business world. Invest that time to figure out what makes you tick and how you can transfer that passion and interest to the business world."

 
Re: Why he chose to earn a degree and play basketball at UC Davis
"I was looking for a college-town experience and a good athletic program, in addition to a great education when I was deciding which college to attend. I discovered UC Davis through the recruiting process; once I visited campus, experienced a basketball game and saw what the program was about, I immediately fell in love with it."

"In the state of California, I have not seen a college town that provides a better all-around experience than UC Davis."

"The opportunity to compete at that level, play and beat talent that is perceived as better, felt great." 

"(Current Associate Head Coach Kevin Nosek) recruited me and was the one who showed me what UC Davis was all about. From the beginning of the recruiting process, watching a game inside the Pavilion and experiencing the crowd helped me realize how UC Davis possessed everything I was looking for.
 
 
Re: His UC Davis student-athlete experience
"(The transition from Division II to Division I) was a little tough because any postseason hopes were gone. The flip side is that we were given an opportunity to prove ourselves at a higher level. Any athlete, given the opportunity to prove themselves against competition that is perceived as better, will take advantage of that situation.
 
"I relished that opportunity. It was a big deal for me to, during my junior year, to have that opportunity and play a full Division I schedule my senior year against Big West teams."
 
"We went out and won 11 games as a team that had no new recruits form its Division II days, Eleven games may not sound like it, but given the circumstances when we played games in a conference that included three NCAA Tournament teams, that was a big deal."




 
ABOUT UC DAVIS
With the addition of equestrian and women's beach volleyball in 2018, more than 700 student-athletes represent the fifth-ranked public school in the nation on one of 25 intercollegiate athletics teams.
 
UC Davis, a national leader in Title IX gender equity and leadership, is centrally located between San Francisco, Lake Tahoe, and the Napa Valley; and offers an unrivaled student-athlete experience that features the ideal combination of elite academics, Division I athletics and personal growth.
 
Ranked annually in the top 10 in diversity and students' social mobility, UC Davis is uncommonly committed to preparing student-athletes for life after graduation with Aggie EVO — an innovative student-athlete outcomes program that helps young women and men develop passions, gain real-world experience, and enjoy a successful launch to full-time employment or graduate school. Through Aggie EVO, Intercollegiate Athletics provides unmatched resources and a vast network of working professionals to ensure post-graduation success for its student-athletes.