"In the end, my recruiting trip lasted a grueling three months with little sleep and lots of caffeine, but I'll be moving to Los Angeles in June, armed with the confidence of my newly minted MBA degree..."
On a breezy Sunday afternoon in March, about 120 HBS students disembarked from two luxury buses after traveling about four hours from JFK airport to Boston and about 18 hours from Cape Town to JFK. We had just returned from an exhausting week in South Africa, where we decided to go for Spring Break to make new friends, enjoy picturesque scenery, take in a few safaris, and tan under the hot African sun. Like other trips I've taken with HBS colleagues, it turned out to be extremely memorable vacation. Not only did I bond with friends I don't always see around campus, but I also had a chance to see Africa firsthand, in all its splendor -- and, unfortunately, poverty.
But, the most memorable aspect of my trip had nothing to do with sitting by the pool sipping on martinis, cruising off-road in a Land Rover only a few feet away from a pride of lions, or driving around busy Cape Town intersections with my roommate Marco in a go-kart just slightly larger than a tricycle. Instead, as our jeep roared onto the playground of an elementary school in a poor village outside of Bongani, near Johannesburg, where we were on our safari, I was immediately amazed at the enthusiasm of the children we met, and the ebullience with which they greeted our group of 20 strangers. Dozens of kids came running up to our jeep to say hello, their eyes wide with excitement, their hearts eager to make contact with new friends. As I took pictures with many of the children and visited a tattered classroom where they were taught, I sat back and marveled at just how much of an impact any one individual can make in the life of one child. I resolved to continue working with those less fortunate than myself no matter what city I settle down in.
My safari leaders and I in one of many moments of joy.
My HBS education is slowly drawing to close, and with it perhaps the most important chapter in my social and professional development. Although I can look back very fondly with the rigor of the coursework, the panoply of frameworks, and the endless hours of classroom discussion and student debate, I look forward with immense anticipation of what this next phase has in store for me.
Certainly, I'm very fortunate to be able to pick among a few different offers in the Los Angeles area, where I've wanted to establish myself for some time now. I currently have an outstanding offer from Trammell Crow, a leading full-service nationwide real estate firm, in addition to a business development position with a consulting firm, and a similar position with a very successful real estate and banking entrepreneur.
Theresse, Marco, and Aurore enjoying night life in Cape Town
Although our Career Services office tried very hard to encourage firms from a variety of industries to post jobs in our job database, I didn't come across too many in the real estate field or in the Los Angeles area. Therefore, my job search was conducted mainly through friends and colleagues, many of whom were able to refer me to other colleagues, which eventually mushroomed into a backlog of over 100 people to call and follow up with. I certainly didn't mind leaving the frigid Boston winter behind and traveling to L.A. for numerous job interviews; I also had a chance to visit old friends and spend time with my family.
Myself and Matt in Cape Town. Matt served his country in the Air Force prior to entering HBS.
Another major highlight of my recruiting trip was the chance to be a part of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) policy conference in late March. While in Washington, DC to meet with potential employers, I attended many of the panels and keynote speeches and was witness to the incredible outpouring of support for Israel and America's relationship with this key ally. Notable speakers at the event included Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, US Secretary of State Colin Powell, US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert, and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi. Each reaffirmed America’s strong support for Israel and America's ardent hope for peace in the Middle East.
Since I had helped sponsor a debate on the Middle East at HBS, it was inspiring to witness these events in Washington and link ideas from the classroom to real-world policy issues and how they are framed by leaders today. I also had a chance to meet dozens of business leaders in the Jewish community, swap ideas, and gain advice about my future after business school, which I found invaluable.
In the end, my recruiting trip lasted a grueling three months with little sleep and lots of caffeine, but I'll be moving to Los Angeles in June, armed with the confidence of my newly minted MBA degree, dozens of contacts, and unbridled enthusiasm to enter the real estate world.
My new friends and I at the school I visited in Johannesburg.
Back in Boston, our class discussions have improved quite a bit since the early days of first semester when everyone was just testing the waters with their comments. However, at least for me, it has been a bit harder to spend time outside of classes preparing as vigorously as I once did. Ten-page cases now seem like 30, and crunching numbers has lost some of its allure. Still, I'm cognizant of the fact that I'm paying $60,000 a year to be here and these last few weeks have the potential to be the most rewarding of all. That's because everyone is so well adjusted to the HBS methodology, more eager to take intellectual risks in class, and more experienced in adding comments that help enhance our discussions.
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