Hi All,
Sorry for the delay from the last blog, it has been chaotic to say the least. BUT, chaos is no excuse so without further ado.
I am on my 4th day, of the 8th week, as a 1st year. Because of the way our curriculum is structured we have our core classes in 8 week blocks…so this is finals week. I have 1 more tomorrow morning in Data & Decisions that – judging from the 1st exam – should be a walk in the park. A very scary…very unhappy…very fiery inferno/lake…So maybe I’m exagerating a little. It should be fun.
So that’s the quick update on school and where we are now. If you read my first blog then you have already been warned that from time to time I will rant. At length. So please, sit back, relax and allow me to enlighten you of the beauty and wonder that is the MBA Career Fair, as I just returned from my first one.
Imagine if you will, a place where your dream companies – the companies that you will send resume-after-resume to post graduation – pack into a single convention center room. They roll out their “Sunday-best.” There are recruiters, HR managers, hiring managers, and “goodies” in the form of novelty merchandise plastered with said company’s logo. There are job postings, and resume handling. And the occasional, and oh-so-coveted interview. Sounds fantastic right?
NOW, add 5,000 other ambitious, intelligent young professionals to the mix. It is organized chaos. A massive carefully choreographed dance of networking and selling. You target the company. You visit the company’s booth. You stand in line to speak to someone at that booth – ideally someone with the authority to hand out the “golden ticket” to the aforementioned oh-so-coveted interview. The line could be 5 minutes. It could be 2 hours. It depends on how well the person in front of you is doing with the person from the company that you want to work for – this is after all a competition for a finite number of jobs. You meet people from other MBA programs all over the countrty and academic spectrum. You meet people from companies all over the country and professional spectrum. You are in the “ON” position for as long as you are in that room and at 6 o’clock, the doors close…the chaos distentegrates… and you move onto the networking event sponsored by the company – nay, the dream company – that you stood inline for 2 hours to speak with – if you were lucky/persuasive/good enough to get an invite. Then you are still “ON”, and this my friends is where the magic happens. This is their chance to “woo” you. The food is good. The company is gracious and entertaining, and you finally get your chance to impress in a “more-intimate” setting. When it is over, they tell you to come by the booth the following day, and they will see if there is an interview slot with your name on it. You depart, with “goody-bag” in hand. You sleep, however briefly. You get up bright and early, you wait at the gates until the show starts again at 9 am the next morning. You run to that dream company’s booth…you search for the person you spoke with the night before…you find them, you hold your breath…and…and…and, then what?
That’s completely up to you my friends. It was an amazing experience and frankly I can’t wait for the next one. It’s why we come to business school. If you want it bad enough, if you want that company bad enough – that’s where you prove it. How far are you willing to push yourself past mental-exhaustion to get what you want? If you can handle it – you can inspire yourself. You can shock yourself. We don’t know what we don’t know: about business, about ourselves, and about our futures.
So, on this 4th day, of the 8th week, of my first year after my first MBA career fair I sit ranting and rambling about my experiences so far and frankly I’m psyched for tomorrow.
Until next time.
