I’m skipping way ahead, but it’s necessary :). My husband has an interview for a summer internship today – probably RIGHT now!! It’s his second interview of 5, which I guess, isn’t that many for the average b-school student? It seems like lot to me (considering every available position gets at least 100 applications), but what do I know ;).
Anyway, as I said, he already had an interview 2 weeks ago and was actually offered the job. Without even having interviewed for the 4 other positions, however, he didn’t feel comfortable accepting the offer. He asked for more time to decide, they said no, and he declined. Risky? Um, absolutely. As many of you might know, getting an internship these last few years has become tougher and tougher, and getting an offer from a private equity firm has been almost impossible!! But, he’s not sure if he even wants to do PE post-grad, so he is hoping one of these other interviews pans out. At least he knows the guy who was offered his spot, and he was VERY excited.
I was all for him declining the offer, even though it was in Chicago, and now it is almost guaranteed that we will have to spend the summer apart. One thing that has really irritated me about business school so far is that you start recruiting in about October. You’ve been here for a month, and then they want you to decide what you want to do for the summer and basically for the rest of your life! A lot of these internships lead to full-time offers, so you’re essentially picking your career a month after you get to school. Cam - unlike most people, I guess – wasn’t sure what he wanted to do when he left school. He liked PE, but he was also interested in checking out private wealth management. Well, what if he takes an internship in private wealth management and doesn’t like it? Has he shut the door on PE forever? What if he takes a PE internship and then decides he’s really done with PE? Is he stuck with that career?
I thought going to school was supposed to help you decide what you wanted to be when you graduated, but they seem to expect that you'll know this when you walk through the gates in September. I find it very annoying! And it’s stressful for both of us!
Anyway, good luck, husband!!! I’m sure you’ll be great today, and you’ll have lots of options for the summer….and for your life forever after.
I'm a firm believer in you can attain what you want if you put your mind to it. If he's already been in PE, there's no reason to try something else. That something else may solidify his mind more than staying in the same industry/type of role. Plus, it allows him diversification. It's much easier to return saying, this is exactly what I want to do and I know it, than to stay in a career path you're not sure about.
ReplyDeleteFurther, an offer doesn't mean you have to take it. Many people in my class continued to pursue and explore other opportunities after having an offer. Of course, some were more focused on the other opportunities than others.
Summer internship, offer, full time position immediately after school, none of these, in my opinion, are defining. They're stepping stones.
Best of luck to him and you! There are a number of Booth SYs here at SSE - great people! :)
JulyDream -
ReplyDeleteI know you're right, I guess I just feel as though it's a lot of pressure right off the bat, you know? Plus, one of the major bonuses of finding and accepting an internship is the possibility that you might not have to go through all of this (stressful!) recruiting crap again next year! Hehe. However, if he accepts an internship and doesn't love it, he'll definitely go through all of this again in order to find the industry/job that is right for him.
I know it's all a journey...it can just be a little frustrating at times!
Thanks for the comment :)