The Post College Professional

Pursuing your MBA and saving the environment can go hand in hand. Lisa Sundeen, a first year student in Duke University’s 3-year MBA and Master of Environmental Management (MEM) dual degree program, knows just how important business is in driving innovation within environmental industries. Lisa shares her insights on the union of business and the environment, the possible career paths in sustainability, and why it’s important to pursue a career you love. 

When you picture an intern, who do you think of? Is it a college junior cashing in some summer experience for additional credits? Or a middle-aged professional making a complete career Hollywood change like The Intern or The Internship? Do you think of yourself as a possible intern? You should, even if you’ve already graduated from college. In a world where only 21% of college students have a job lined up before graduation, internships can up your professional game by giving you the invaluable experiences and skills you didn’t get in college. Does the intern you’re picturing now look like you? Consider the following before taking the plunge:

I may have chatted with Andy Koenig, student at Georgetown University’s McDonough School of Business, on a Sunday afternoon, but that doesn’t mean he wasn’t working. I caught him in between a morning of homework and an evening of going into his office at Georgetown University President’s Office to make sure he was prepared for the week ahead.

You applied for the job and you finally got the email you’ve been awaiting. They want to interview you. Congratulations! The first step is to finally exhale. The second step is to make sure you prepare yourself for what’s likely to come next: the screening call. This first step in the interview process is less about breaking out your best business suit and more about how to quickly dazzle your interviewer during a quick phone call. After all, you likely have under 30 minutes to meet all the basic qualifications and leave a lasting impression. No pressure. Here’s how to make sure you stand out:

Let’s be honest. As a young woman professional it can sometimes be hard to picture yourself at the top of a company. When you think of influential business leaders your mind is flooded with the Mark Zuckerburgs, Elon Musks, and Bill Gates of the world. After all, despite comprising 52% of the workforce, women make up only 6% of CEOs. Between gender inequalities in leadership, gender biases in the workforce, the pay gap, lack of access to maternal leave, and the possibility of harassment (and these issues are just skimming the surface), climbing the corporate ladder as a woman can seem downright impossible.

Jack Kramer and Nick Martell, Co-Founders of MarketSnacks, are well acquainted with the art of the side hustle. They’ve successfully grown MarketSnacks, the ultimate source of financial news for millennials, over the past six years as full-time employees and now as full-time MBA students. They juggle writing their daily newsletter, taking partner calls, and frequently appearing on the news with the daily demands of business school. Jack and Nick share their entrepreneurial journey and how you can master starting your own business and going to business school at the same time.

Today I continue to volunteer, in different ways. I am on the board of a local charity, and have co-chaired our annual fundraising gala for several years. It is a great experience, in large part because this allows me to use my professional experience I’ve earned over the years combined with my personal interests in service to a worthy cause. (And I also try to work a dog related charitable event once a year because I can’t get enough of puppies!)

When I graduated from college, I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with my life, sound familiar? I knew I would likely be moving away from the city where I went to school, so I was hesitant to take a ‘career job’ knowing that I’d be leaving the area soon … so I took an office job to pay the rent, but it wasn’t what I necessarily thought I’d be doing long-term.

It can happen to any of us. You pick your major, you start working in your industry, and then you realize your job is not the right fit for you. It certainly happened to a second year student pursuing her MBA at the Darden School of Business. Learn when her moment of realization struck, how an MBA has clarified her future path, and why it’s never too late to make a change.

As you approach 2018 and start the New Year with a new slate, here are four things to consider as you resolve to make changes to your life, your career, and your future.