Graduate Programs

By Dan Klein

As I near the end of my MBA program (and also because my bank account has reached an all-time low!), I have started looking again at new career opportunities.  Unfortunately, I am in the difficult position of trying to transition from banking to something else.  But, to what?  Fortunately, as I’ve gotten to know classmates over the last year, I’ve been able to make some great relationships. And they have been tremendously helpful in sharing their experiences, describing their job positions, and offering advice about career opportunities that matched my interests and background. One person I worked in a group with even took my resume to HR at Boeing for a Financial Analyst position. And another classmate, who works at Amazon, submitted a referral for me to HR for an Account Manager position.    

Meanwhile, the Albers Placement Center, here, has been invaluable in my job search (as well as many other job seekers).  http://www.seattleu.edu/albers/placementcenter/.  The Career Services department offers advice, resume reviews, and practice interviews.  But they also bring in companies who are looking to hire graduate students, and last Thursday’s career fair was a perfect example of how the Placement Center can connect job seekers and employers.  Based solely on my interactions at the event, I submitted several resumes directly to HR representatives – rather than just sending my resume into the black hole of CV’s and job applications. (I wonder where those go, anyway?). Just two hours at the event proved more useful than two weeks searching for those job opportunities. 

But the relationships Albers has been able to maintain with Alumni is also commendable. The Career Center is more than happy to make introductions, as well, and sometimes even goes the extra mile by alerting you when they make a connection with someone they think will be helpful in your job search.  In fact, when the counselors at the Career Center found out I was also looking into the consulting field, they automatically CC’d me on an introduction email to several alumni currently working in the industry. 

I continue to be impressed with Seattle University and their dedication to the success of their students. This is one of the factors I considered when looking into MBA programs, and coming to Seattle U has once again proven to be a great decision! 

- Dan Klein, kleind1@seattleu.edu

Who would pass up the chance to spend two weeks in Hong Kong, or in Vietnam?  What about both in one trip?
Yeah, neither would I.  So I jumped at the chance to travel there in September with the Albers Study Tour.  It was a great offer, 6 full credits (3 in Management and 3 in Economics) towards my degree requirement and 2 weeks in East and Southeast Asia.  Plus, the time spent studying abroad fulfills the International component of my Master’s of International Business degree.  That’s a whole lot of boxes ticked off for one summer’s worth of work.  Its not often a chance like that comes around.

 
So what was it like?  Fun.  Exciting.  Informative.  Enlightening.  The adjectives could continue, but I’ll spare you.  We met several times over the summer, on Saturdays, to do some preparatory work for the classes.  We had a few lectures on the current situation in each of the countries and how it impacts both the economy and the local corporate management culture.  The class was divided into groups for our final projects and we gave our initial project presentations.  After each of the meetings, we had lunch as a group to get to know each other and to get a taste for all of the (wonderful) food we would be having once we were across the Pacific.

 
Departure day.  Lots excitement and anticipation.  I was very eager to have what I was sure was going to be such a rewarding and positive new experience.  The only obstacle was a borderline unbearably long trans-Pacific flight.  But no matter, a few in-flight movies later and we walked off the plane into a hot and muggy Hong Kong night.  One frenetic taxi ride through the canyons of skyscrapers, a restful night’s sleep and a quick breakfast later and we were off on our packed itinerary of company visits, business lunches and a bit of sightseeing.
If Hong Kong was wonderful, Vietnam was amazing.  If the people we met in Hong Kong were warm and eager to share, the people of Vietnam welcomed us with open arms.  The students of Duy Tan University brought us into their daily lives for a few days and shared their school experiences, shared their working lives and even shared meals with us.  I have never felt more welcomed by anyone in my experiences abroad and I love knowing that I would gladly return the favor if they came to Seattle to visit.

 
The last part of the trip was spent doing a bit of service with PeaceTrees Vietnam, a Seattle-based NGO that aids central Vietnam in the removal and disposal of unexploded ordinance and mines leftover from the Vietnam War.  PeaceTrees also helps the families and victims of landmine explosions to lead better lives after they’ve been so horribly injured.  We spent time listening to the stories of the victims, learning about PeaceTrees landmine education projects and planting trees to aid in the reforestation efforts.

 
Everything about this trip was a win.  The classwork we did here in Seattle before and after the trip was engaging, the time spent abroad was incredible, even the plane rides were ok, I guess.  Was it worth it?  Oh yeah.  Was it what I hoped for?  Yup.  Would I do it again?  Yes, in a heartbeat.  In fact, I’ll probably be signing up for another one as a celebration of my pending graduation.  I wonder where we’ll go?  Antarctica, maybe…

By Corey Cocker, Albers MIB student
corey.cocker@gmail.com
 

Campus is buzzing again! After a mellow summer in which I did two classes in summer quarter and another for intersession, enjoying the extra time I had to prepare for each class and the sunny warm days, fall almost caught me by surprise. Professors and students came back on campus, the lines in the cafes are longer and the calendar is quickly filling up. Now it’s back to Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday night classes, every one of them with weekly assignments plus a decent amount of challenging readings. Three classes and 20 hours of work a week is definitely enough to keep me busy and borderline stressed.

Although the days are getting shorter and the rain is around the corner, there are a few small things on campus that actually make this time enjoyable. The incredibly bright orange, red and yellow fall colors start popping up everywhere, perfectly matching the Chihuly glass sculpture in the Pigott building. Hot pumpkin flavored coffee drinks from Starbucks on 12th Avenue bring comfort in the chilly weather. Fall inspired salads and the occasional treat from the Bottom Line café help me get through the evening classes. The 7:15 pm breaks are great for catching up with classmates about their summer adventures and seeing familiar faces in hallways and elsewhere around campus makes me feel part of the greater SU community.
These are some of the things that make a hectic and busy fall bearable to me. Feel free to share your fall highlights!

By Kari Lio, MBA Candidate at Albers School of Business and Economics