Big business or small business? That is the question.
...At least it's the question I'm faced with now. Here's the deal- I had a rough patch with Munich. A really fucking rough patch. Now that it has passed, I've been enjoying the city, the culture,the people, and the company I'm working for.I've been thinking lately that this is a place I would like to come back to. Penn does have a study abroad program to a university here, but it won't fit with my class schedule. I could come during the summer - Harvard has a really interesting program about European Union politics - but then I would pass up an internship at a critical time. Employers expect you to have a job the summer before senior year to gain work experience. I have had a job since the age of twelve (I was a soccer referee and I'm pretty sure I was employed illegally) so I think this formal "work experience" requirement is bullshit. I have worked nine different jobs in four different industries, including running my own business. If that isn't work experience then I don't know what is. But an internship before senior year is expected, and half of being successful is knowing how to play the game. So, studying abroad next summer is really not an option for me.
The only way I could realistically come back to Munich would be if I had another internship here next summer. Lucky for me, I just got an offer.
Roland said I can come back and work for retarus again next year. He also offered to help me find an internship at a bank in Munich if I want to work in finance instead. I'm stuck- what do I want to do? Marketing or finance? Work in the states or in germany?
I think a lot of my dilemma comes from balancing other people's expectations with my own.I didn't even consider a career in finance until I went to Wharton, and now I'm feeling the pressure to drink the Kool-aid and work for a big bank after graduation. Over forty percent of last year's graduating class went to work in investment banking. A wharton degree usually means a six-figure starting salary, swanky New York apartment, and 100 hour work weeks. Not interested. But there is something to be said for keeping your options open. How do I know I don't want to work in finance unless I try it? Is germany the best place to try it out... Or would it be better to stay in the states?
Being completely honest with yourself is often difficult. Aside from figuring out a career path and location - big decisions in themselves - I am taking time to make sure returning to Munich really aligns with my best interests. We'll see. Any advice would be appreciated :)
---
2 comments:
It's very difficult to determine what you want the rest of your life to look like going into your Jr of college. International experience is good, now you may want to balance your internship/work experience within the US and in a different area of business. In grad school we had to have two internships in different places with different patient populations. They forced you to try out other areas before you specialized.
I think you should follow your gut instinct. If you don't like finance classes,or if you dread the idea of i-banking, you don't have to do it!
Maybe I just think that because I think finance sounds like the most boring thing ever.
I miss you :)
Post a Comment