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AUGUST 1999 MBA JOURNAL: INTRODUCTION David Chang: Who I Am and Why B-School Is for Me...
As it turned out, I absolutely loved college life, but I just didn't care for the nature of academic work. I made it through the fall semester classes of my freshman year before I began to feel antsy. While I was interested in the subject matter, sitting idly and listening to lectures bored me to tears. As the spring months melted away the snow in upstate New York, my thoughts turned to opportunities outside of the classroom. Off-Campus Adventures At the summer internship placement office, I sifted through several thick binders before digging up a position designing software at Underwriters Laboratories (UL). Other than knowing that blowdrying my hair while standing in a pool of water was a bad idea, I was completely ignorant of UL's electrical certification business. Undaunted, I took the position and worked closely with UL analysts to learn the ins and outs of their business. By the end of my internship, I wrote a database application that saved hours of daily research and allowed some of the UL analysts to leave work at 6 p.m. instead of 9 p.m. Wham! I had found my calling. I was completely hooked on producing something tangible that impacted other people's lives. The following year I took a position at the Securities & Exchange Commission and helped build EDGAR, the SEC's ambitious vision of paperless filing. With a team of government contractors, I devised a cheap way to distribute and upgrade EDGAR to nearly every public company in the U.S., a task that the Internet has since completely changed. Energized by that experience, I started a software consulting firm during my senior year, spending much of my free time managing the fledgling company's legal, tax, and operating issues. Graduating into Corporate America Upon graduation, I found an ideal role at Goldman Sachs bridging technology and finance as a programmer/analyst. Over the next six years, I served various functions -- technical architect, team manager, market researcher, accounting specialist, product development manager, and global coordinator. When the core business became international, I packed my bags and headed to Asia and Europe. I never did get my bearings in Hong Kong, but soon I felt equally at home in New York City's Greenwich Village, Tokyo's Roppongi, and London's South Kensington. Last year, I was promoted to vice-president, ushering in responsibilities that include leading a team of eight people and introducing new financial instruments to the marketplace. There were days when I got into the office at 5 a.m. because I couldn't wait to start work. I was thrilled with my job, and I felt that my career had everything I desired...or almost everything. Why an MBA I still lacked the MBA experience. Why, given my great job, did I even entertain the thought of business school? The answer is simple: To improve my skills in two key areas that are important to my long-term career satisfaction: 1. A grasp of the big picture -- understanding how all of the different pieces of a business interrelate. Right now, I only have a skeletal appreciation of the different functions. When I spend a few hours figuring out an operational issue, an unforeseen marketing problem inevitably arises. The moment I turn my full attention to resolving technology design problems, the business model unexpectedly changes. In short, each time I try to learn more about an area, a different one requires my attention. 2. Management and leadership savvy -- improving my ability to guide and lead large efforts. Almost every meaningful project I've seen involves the efforts of more than a single person. Some of my biggest challenges involve uniting a group of people on a common goal and resolving conflicts. Working in a team and getting a group of people excited about their work is incredibly gratifying and something that I crave to do better. Which B-School? With my goals firmly outlined and a strong resolve to invest two years of my life in graduate school, I searched for a strong general management program where I could leverage my finance and technical skills. In the end, I felt that Harvard Business School was the ideal place for me. Although I was initially surprised by the lack of officially declared concentrations at HBS, it later made perfect sense -- a focus on a broad range of disciplines was exactly what I was looking for. Additionally, the school's heavy emphasis on active participation and the case study methodology will certainly keep me from getting bored. After the grueling five-month long application process came to an end, I eagerly sent in my HBS deposit and reluctantly submitted my Goldman Sachs resignation. I underestimated the hollow feeling that I felt as I packed up my office -- I was going to miss the thoughts, insights, and friendships of a lot of people. I turned my focus on the move to Boston, trying not to look back. The next day, after my girlfriend Shereen and I paid the final toll on the Massachusetts turnpike, the road led us to a beautiful drive along the Charles River. As I gazed at the sailboats on the water, I finally realized that a brand new chapter in my life was beginning. It could be the most memorable one yet.  | | [an error occurred while processing this directive] Learn about your online education options |
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