Other than your name, this is the most common question that you will get at business school. For most its the obvious: Consulting, Banking or nowadays tech.
I’m one of the oddballs.
When someone asks me what are you recruiting for, my newfound answer is:
myself.
and then I chuckle…
and go on to say with a shit ton of confidence – My goal is to build my own venture, that’s what I’m working in.
and the usual response is “wow! thats so cool!” when I know in their heads everyone is like – she’s f**king crazy…
But, I’m okay with that, and kind of have to be.
The idea of tripling my measly salary coming out of school is incredibly enticing. I wasn’t making anywhere close to what most of my classmates or peer at other schools were making. (The average income for 1Ys at Harvard this year was $108K!) I mean in the short term, I could go from nothing to something! And honestly, sometimes I despise myself for wanting to go against the grain – especially when the red carpet of how to get a job in these coveted firms is spelled out for you. I’m not saying that any of these are easy routes, because they most certainly are not. I’m watching my friends struggle and trudge through the process each and every day. But I just can’t do it. At least, not right now.
I’ve promised myself that I will take high-risks in the next 2 years, since I have no significant other, no children and basically only have to take care of myself. So what does that look like?
- Committing to a venture and attempting to build it
- Learning more about Venture Capital and acquiring a VC internship to see whether I like that space as a potential career, and how to think like a VC as an entrepreneur
- Be accepted into the Polsky Accelerator and spend my summer working on chosen said venture above
- Competing in the New Venture Challenge
Yes, I know this is very untraditional and most people ask or want to ask – “why did you go to business school if you want to be an entrepreneur”?
Well, I didn’t lose 40 pounds without a trainer, I didn’t become a skilled reader and writer without a teacher, I didn’t become a better human being without my mentors – so why would I not set myself up for success as an entrepreneur?
Everyday I have to remind myself of what I came here to do. Recruiters with internship opportunities and monies that I would have died to have 2 years ago are knocking at my door now. Saying no to real money is tough – almost painful. But, I have to stick to my guns, what I believe in and what I dream of myself being and doing. I tell myself – Why not me? I have to speak it and see it in my mind to believe it. And trust me, not one believes in me more than I do.
The jobs will always be there – the opportunities to fail and potentially win without fear may not be.
and having amazing friends that are potentials partners, investors and members of my team make me excited to at least try.
MBA: The Blog 