Luke Behnke, MBA ’11

Entrepreneurship vs. Getting a Job

I came to MIT to focus on entrepreneurship and still am focused on starting a company as a life goal.  But I refuse to start a company just to start something, and nothing has grabbed my interest enough to go all-in just yet.  And frankly, I have a ton of school debt.  This is a big problem for a lot of my classmates, and one which the MIT Entrepreneurship Center needs to better understand and address -- but that is a topic for another post.  So anyway, over the last few months I have been busy searching for a full-time job.

I decided to look for a role at a start-up.  Some people say the return really isn't there to "join" a start-up.  You get little of the credit, take on greater risk, the financial upside is limited compared to the founders, and in the mean time salaries are usually a bit lower.  

I disagree with this fundamentally.  This is esspecially true when making a major career transition like I am.  Before MIT Sloan, I was a mechanical engineer working for a defense contractor.  While at MIT, I became infatuated with web and software, an area where I have a lot to learn.  I think spending time in a start-up will give me important experience and credibility, as well as allow me to prove myself.  Additionally, it will be a great chance to build a network in the industry, beyond what I was able to build here at MIT.

I think starting a company is one of the most challenging, beautiful, and exciting things someone can do.  Put it is important that the time, fit, and team is right.

Final week of classes

Well, after almost two years here at MIT, the experience comes to an end this week with the last week of classes.  I have one final exam next Tuesday, then I will officially be done.

I am surprised to say that I am ready to go.  I have loved the experience here and have learned so much -- literally more than I thought I ever could -- but simply put, I am ready to get back to work.  I consider myself a "do-er", so I am ready to put all that I have learned into practice and begin the next part of my life.

That said, I will miss MIT a lot.  Getting the opportunity to attend a school like this was once in a lifetime, and was really special.  I will miss just walking around campus, meeting so many interesting people, and getting the opportunity to focus on learning and self-development.

But more than anything, I will miss my classmates and MIT friends.  Probably the most unexpected and profound part of this program has been the learning that took place through my classmates.  Through endless group work, real-life projects, and extra-curricular activities, I have gotten a chance to meet so many smart and talented people, each of which helped me learn so much.  

I think this is a lesson for everyone -- surround yourself with people who are smarter than you and have complimentary skills, and more importantly, be open to learn from them.  This may sound obvious, but I think in practice it happens much less than it should.