One year ago today, I was registering for classes at MIT Sloan as a first year MBA student. Without sounding too dramatic or profound, I can honestly say that my life has undergone a quite a transformation. What I have learned and who I have met over the past year have changed the way I see the world in front of me. The extra inches on my waistline are also a reminder….
A year ago today, I had never been to New York City, believe it or not. Now, I have spent more than 11 weeks there as a Summer Associate at an investment bank during one of the most turbulent times in our nation’s financial history. A year ago today, I had never traveled abroad. Now, I have spent 10 days in Japan with 200 of my classmates and 8 days in Spain traveling with my wife. This is just talking about the places I have traveled.
Looking back at my first year and all of the people I had the chance to meet and listen to, two people had the largest impact on me. The first is Bob Metcalf, who continues to be a very involved supporter of MIT and the entrepreneurial culture. Not only is he one if the founding members of 3Com (and hence Ethernet) and a general partner at Polaris Venture Partners, but he is also one of the most influential supporters of the entrepreneurial spirit at MIT. He was a keynote at the MIT 100K final awards, a hosting member of a salon for MIT entrepreneurs gathered by the MIT Sloan VCPE Club, and he even held a dinner at his Back Bay home for the finalists of the MIT 100K Business Plan Competition. The second person I refer to is Paul English, CTO of Kayak.com. I think I was immediately drawn to Paul English because I have been such a fan of Kayak.com since it was started in 2004. To hear him talk about his philosophy on hiring and firing, building teams, and his obsession with customer satisfaction are all kernels of wisdom to any aspiring entrepreneur.
Going back to travel and the original update I promised from the Japan Trek over Spring Break. Simply put, the trip was unbelievable, and our Japanese classmates pulled off an amazing feat by organizing the logistics to get 200+ people to the right places at the right times. The race to cram into the bullet train was interesting…. We visited Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe, Hakone, Nagoya, Tokyo, and Himeji. High points of the trip were the Sumo Championships, the Red Sox season opener in Tokyo, the hot springs and enkai party in Hakone near Mount Fuji, the evening booze cruise on Tokyo Bay, the Toyota plant tour, the cherry blossoms in Ueno Park, Akihabara (the Electric City), and all of the other traditional dinners our hosts put together for us.
My summer internship was interesting to say the least. Considering the economic downturn, there was not the panic that one would expect to see on Wall Street. While the workflow was much slower in some groups, generally it was the business as usual attitude thinking that this is just another downturn that happens every 5-7 years. Needless to say, the 10 week internship was just enough time to dip a foot in the water. Just when I figured out where to find everything I needed, the summer was over. While Excel and Powerpoint skills are crucial, I found it surprising that data mining was the most necessary skill needed. Knowing where to find quality, up to date data at a moment’s notice proved to be a very important talent. The good news at the end of the summer was that I received an offer to return full time as part of the Energy industry group in investment banking.
As a married student leaving for a summer internship, I think that my wife and I coped with the distance better than we thought we would. Due to the hours I was working, she made it down to New York City 5 times, and I was able to make it back to Boston for the 4th of July weekend. I was rather daring with my lodging choice in New York City, but it actually worked out very well for me since it was a great location only 5 blocks from my work. I moved all of my stuff to New York on a Friday afternoon, searched for apartments on Saturday, moved in on Sunday, and started work on Monday. Although I normally consider it to be a bit sketchy, Craigslist was an invaluable tool in finding a furnished place. I also found New York to be an amazing place full of so much to do and see. I went to Yankees vs. Mets at Shea Stadium and Yankees vs. A’s at Yankee Stadium, saw a Bon Jovi concert on the Great Lawn in Central Park, went to the Belmont Stakes (and saw Big Brown flop in his Triple Crown attempt), went to the Metropolitan Museum, and took a bus tour just to name a few of the activities. All in all, it was an unforgettable summer, especially with so many of my fellow classmates interning in New York also.
