Post-MBA: a real life challenge

I haven't blogged since April 09. I was surprised that my story inspired some of MBA mom and dads who commented on my blog. I am happy at least I can inspire others to pursue their dreams.

For people who pursue a full time MBA program, life can be divided into three parts: Pre-MBA, MBA, and Post-MBA. They are so different in the way of emotions, stability, incomes, confidence, career opportunities, networks, friends, etc. For me, it is a big change for each stage.

Here, I just want to say, if you think MBA school is challenging, then you only pass one test. A real life challenge is in post-MBA. How to adapt yourself to a new career, new network, new level of intelligent, new colleagues, new corporate culture, new career inspiration, new life schedule, new living environment, new surprised high living expense if you find a job near New York, or other expensive financial districts. During MBA at school, people are nice, and understanding, encouraging, inspiring because everyone there is learning. For Post-MBA, we enter the real world, where there are no interpersonal skill instructors, free professional coaches, open-mind professors, and understanding classmates. You are all alone out there, if it is a new job, new culture, you are alone! Alone! Alone! That is a big challenge to adapt yourself to the post-MBA life.

I strongly feel that I am so lonely since I depended heavily on Yale SOM's all necessary coaches, career helps, EQ instructors. Suddenly, I do not have those close to me and no free service available. I have to say that I was exciting, and then nervous, and then frustrated in the past months. However, I am learning from where I fall down. Now I feel more relaxed after 8 months experience.

So, keep up your spirit and be prepared for post-MBA.

Oh, my God, one year passed so fast!

I just got chance to come to my blog and found that one year has passed since my last blog. What a surprise that time flies so fast! I guess many Yale MBA applicants read my blog and wonder what happened to me since the financial crisis. I feel that I should continue my blog and finish my survial story, so that more MBA mom can feel encouraged to continue at Bschool.

Just a quick brief what happened to me since last summer 2008. I did three months summer internship at GE Capital Corp, Energy Financial Services at Stamford. I drove from New Haven to Stamford everyday, three hours on the way since I had to leave my kids and parents in New Haven. It was an interesting and intense work experience in the private equity firm, a lot of due dilligence, modeling, and meetings. I worked long hours, sometimes to midnight and one night to 3AM, although I was not required to. But I learned a lot and felt excited about the company and the learning experience. I was in Debt Finance Group and particiated in a few debt deals. One $100 million USD deal I worked from the start to the end was approved. I was very excited about it since it was difficult to get deals approved within 3 months. I thought we could get the full time job offer as GE agreed to if we performed well. At that time, there was some signals about the financial crisis. You can tell how fast GE sensed about it and immediately freezed hiring. At the end, they only took 1 out of 7 non previoius GEs. In the past years, they always took almost everyone if managers recommended. I was frustrated as I received high recomendations from different groups. But they said it was nothing to do with performance, just a number game. That was August 2008, the worst crisis did not happen yet. I immediately feel pressured and started a full time job search from the fall. I still can remembered how disappointed I was after I did not get an offer. However, that turned out to be a good experience for me to learn more during my later job search.

Fewer companies came to campus for recruiting in the fall, but still a lot companies to me. While I was a little nervous, I was surprised that many of my classmates were not worried at all even no job offer from summer. There was only about 33% obtained the offer from summer. CDO worked very hard to bring companies, but many were just not interested in at all. Maybe because they are too young to worry and they are selective. I am very open as I have diversified background. I submited resumes for almost every on campus job. I noticed that almost same persons competed with me for every job and there were only about 40 companies conducted more than 50 or 60 job interviews on campus. Thanks for GE's working experience, which allowed me to pass by 98% first round interview screening. In Chinese, there is an old saying, "knowing your weakness and competitors' strengthes will make you win." I knew I have English language barrier compared with fluent native speakers. How can I make myself more competitive? I took a hard way that I decided to try all industries to practice my interview skills and sharpen my language. This was the only way I can do better.

I did more than 40 first rounds interviews on campus and more than 10 second round interviews on site within two months, more than anyone in my class. Sometimes, I had 4 round interviews on one day and had to skip class. Yale SOM Career center laughed at me that it seemed I live in the interview center as they saw me in the morning and I was the last one to leave in the afternoon. I formed a team to practice consulting cases, also practiced finance questions, marketing cases, and conducted company due dilligences. I took 4 classes only, and went home to play with two boys until 9pm, and then went back to school to look up the company information for interview until 2 or 3AM, almost same everyday. Preparing for different industries was extreamly time consuming. I did not know how I did this, but I did it. Fewer companies showed up after October financial collaps, and many companies canceled the second rounds and stopped hiring. I did not hear from a few second rounds where sometimes I was the only one from Yale. I hold my cellphone all the time and was afraid that I would miss some offer call. I was frustrated, but cannot afford to give it up.

When I was in class the day before thanksgiving, two days after my last interview with IBM, my phone was ringing with the number from New York. I knew it was a good one. I ran out of the class and took the call anyway. Ya...it is from IBM. An offer of IBM Finance. You could imagine how happy I was after taking so much effort. You cannot believe that I got my most favour job from my last interview out of mroe than 40s. That was crazy! There was no company coming to compus anymore after Thanksgiving. My husband later said he already gave it up and thought I would not find one. But the good thing about him is that he alwasy told me "I knew you will find a good one. I am confident in you." Family and friends gave me a lot of support during this time. Yale SOM's career center was very helpful and dedicated. Some people might find less usefulness from CDO if they do not know what they want or they are not open enough. My boss told me that I am the only direct hire this year at IBM Treasury in its headquarter. There are a few 5 or 6 MBAs hired for the finance rotational program at IBM. I still do not know why they picked me among many top MBA candidates. Who cares why!

I was famous about working too hard in my class, but my story did encourage others that hard working will pay off. Some people might be lucky and take easy path. But that is not me. I alwasy know that dedication is the only way I can achieve my dream. As for this week, my class have about 30% still looking for jobs. I feel so much blessed under the current economic environment.

So, within a month, I will start my new job as Financial Analyst in the foreign exchange hedging group within the IBM Treasury department in New York. It is a new job to me and I am excited to start a new life soon with my two growing up boys.

Time flies so fast. So many things happened in the world, in school and in my personl life. My MBA boy already speaks and walks everywhere and fights with his elder brother. He almost 1.5 years old now. I guess by now, I could say I almost survive my MBA journey. But not yet, still one month to go, especially I am taking six classes that keeps me so busy each day. I really feel so many good classes at Yale that I might not have chance to take after graduate. I will talk about this in my later blog.

Cut my long hair for career

I finally cut my many years' long hair for my summer intern, because that makes me look more professional and short hair is low maintenance. People told me that the length of the hair should be opposite to the age. Maybe that is not true. But I do feel that the short hair is very convenient when you have kids and need wake up early on the run. Here is my new look with short hair. My son is with me.

I did some career suits shopping last weekend. For my new career, I really cannot wear casual fashion shirts to work. Looking at my closet, I have nothing to wear for my summer except for one black interview suit. "Dress for success" is true. At least, I should follow the rule.

I didn't get any rest between my finals and summer intern. I wanted to quit the CFA exam next weekend, since I only have one week to go over everything. My mom said "You should at least try because you paid so much fee for it." She is still treating me as a little high school girl!To avoid her long face, I just had to go to school to study in the past week.

Luckily, I found that many courses I took in the last year are very helpful for CFA level 1, but so many materials are still hard to remember within a week. From the day after tomorrow, I will need to commute 3 hours a day to work at Stamford from New Haven. I won't have too much time for CFA. Hopefully this weekend, I can get some study done, maybe a mock exam. I feel that I have 50% chance to pass. If I do pass, the award should go to my mother. If not, it is fine at least I have tried like my mom said.

The other photo is my son with my classmate who will work for BCG. These photos were taken during this year's graduation commencement last week. Time is fast. Can you imagine that we will graduate next year this time? At least, we have something to look forward to. Keep up your good work. You will be there with me, and my two sons!

What a busy year at MBA!

Finally, on May 13, I finished all the final exams and completed my first year of MBA as a mom with a new born. Of cause, my son is not newborn anymore. He is 6-months!

I survived! The first thing I want to tell every pregnant first year MBA that you can survive like me if you can predict what you will experience and be ready for it. I am proud of myself that not only I survived, but also I did more things. I took 11 courses in the last two quaters (4 months) compared with 7 or 9 for regular students.

While I was taking 6 courses during the last spring quater, I were elected as co-leaders for three MBA student clubs: Women in Management, Greater China Club, and International Student Club. I have organized a few school wide social events, Golf in Business Workshop, Farewell Receiption for women, international mentorship program, and Year End China Night. No matter how busy I was, I tried to play with my son at least one or two hours per day when I got home. He is adorable. I just cannot get him off my hand.

There were 60 MBA students attended the Year End China Night event with all the food cooked by my father and I. See photo. The food was Yammy! So you know that I love cooking, not only Chinese food, american food and other types of food.

On the last day of the exam, I thought I can take a break, but China earthquake put me on a running train! Why, because I founded a charity foundation Angel Pray Child Charity Foundation in 2005 to help children. Helping people suffered in a natural disaster is within my mission. I was surprised that many donors and volunteers just called me about donations. Since I am the president, I have to decide what to help and how. It is not a easy job to do the charity thing, especially lead a team of part time volunteers. We are all driven by the same vision and passion.

I will start my Intern at GE Energy Finance Services one week later, and I have to study for Level 1 CFA within two weeks. I almost give up my CFA because I hardly find time for it, especially i am organizing a team effort for China earthquake relif at this time. My team raised $54,000 USD within 8 days for the earthquake. We could rebuild a school with these donation. Please donate if you can, click Angel Pray Child Charity Foundation to donate online if you trust me to 100% use the fund to people.

I do not want to stress you with how much I have done and how much I am doing. I cannot deny that I am tired and somehow exhausted, but the situation just keeps me running forward. Anyway, it is a great year that I achieved many things with God's blessing.

My survival story- MBA Baby is here!

I felt bad that I didn't write my story continuously in the past months. Maybe my blog guests thought I disappeared or could not survive. Here I am. I was too busy with the first semester's core course schedules, career events, school activities, and my newborn. Forgive me if I didn't update you on my story, for the ones who blessed for me.

Let me quickly tell you my experience. After the orientation, I was still energetic and never missed any class and assignment. I stayed up till 1AM to 2AM almost every night to do the homework and readings. With the early class at 8:15AM, I didn't get much sleep. In the late October, my belly was huge like I had a twin. I walked like a penguin in the school and many classmates stopped me to say hi. They wondered why I was still there because it seemed to everyone that I would give birth any minute. I felt very difficult to stay awake even in the morning class. But my classmates were very encouraged and I tried to overcome all the difficulties.

While juggling among my course works and group assignments, I tried to catch up the career events and resume preparation. I attended every bank event and financial presentation. Most banking and financial job submission deadline were close to my due day. I told myself that if I did not prepare my resume, I would end up no job. I worked very hard to prepare my cover letter and resume. After more than 30 drafts, I was able to submit the job applications for the ones I like. So you can imagine how busy I was.

I was lucky that my son came on time at the weekend before Thanksgiving. I didn't plan to take any day off after Thanksgiving, and I didn't plan to defer my four final exams that was three weeks after I gave birth. It was tough and not realistic. I talked to my doctor that I wanted to be induced if my son did not come on time. My doctor told me that I could not arrange everything perfectly including the child birth. I had to be patient. Since my due day was on Saturday, I tried to do the next week assignment in advance. My water broke at 3AM. The second day Friday, I was in the hospital and my son arrived on 11:30PM on 11/16. Everything happened as I expected. God Bless me.

My labor procedure was no pain and fast. I was not sure why it was so smooth. My OB doctor was very good and gentle. At the moment my son was out in front of me, he opened his black big eyes and stared at me. What a beautiful angel! I could not say anything and I was so happy and released. I worried about his health since I was under so much stress and didn't ever get enough sleep. My son Christopher was very healthy and cute. Here is his 100 day photo.

I only missed two days classes while I was in hospital. After that it was Thanksgiving. I returned to the class 6 days after giving birth and did all four final exams three weeks later and got proficient for all the courses. I was glad that I finally survived the toughest semester with pregnancy and newborn.

Of course, hard work is paid off. I received several job offers in January and February at the beginning of this semester. Now I decided to go to GE Energy Finance Services, a private equity subsidiary of GE for the summer as an associate. As a career transfer without any finance experience, a foreigner from non-English speaking country, and a pregnant woman during the school, I was glad that I could achieve my goal of survival and career changing. I am grateful for my family and my parents who gave me great support. I appreciate Yale SOM gave me so much encouragement and support. I just want to give women students more encouragement. Nothing is impossible if you have passion and hold the discipline.