Richard Barnard, current student of the International MBA program – Class of 2010, speaks about the next step in his career after coming back from his internship.
All the International MBA students are now back for either a term of electives, Core Period 3 classes or Core Period 2 classes depending on whether they are November 2010 intake students who did not go on internship, those that did or students from the April 2011 intake.
Personally, I have returned and joined a new class filled with the students who were selected for the International MBA in Practice internship option. We are studying the Core Period 3 content. The atmosphere within class is noticeably different from that which I experienced before the internship; it is clear that whilst committed to completing the course, all the students are significantly focused on the next steps of their careers, post-graduation. A key reason for this is that we have all proven ourselves on our internships, some have been fortunate to receive concrete job offers from the companies they interned in, whilst the others have gained renewed confidence in their marketable skills, and thus everyone’s perspective is now stretching beyond Core Period 3 to the job market. With the IE Careers fair scheduled for the week commencing Monday 3 October; thus we are all fine tuning our CVs and grabbing what time we have to reflect on the positions and companies we wish to apply for.
Our former classmates are likewise preoccupied with defining the next steps of their careers. Having completed Core Period 3 classes before the August holiday these students are now engaged in their first term of electives. The scheduling of the electives is variable and thus organizing social gatherings is becoming more important, so that friendships fostered during the first 2 terms do not diminish. The breadth of electives on offer is impressive and thus all students have the chance to either focus intensely on areas of particular specialization, or to embrace a broader approach and seek new and challenging insights by choosing a diverse selection of elective subjects.
No matter if we are studying core subjects or electives all the International MBA students are having to balance continued academic learning with active job searches and, of course, taking the time out to enjoy special moments with all the great friends we’ve made whilst on the program.
For those students who joined IE in April 2011, I wish you good luck with your Core Period 2 classes and urge you to strongly consider the International MBA in Practice option. Firstly, it provides an excellent means to road-test the knowledge you are gaining on the program; secondly, it definitely helps to raise your professional visibility within the job market.
Only 3 months until graduation for the November 2010 intake … let’s make it memorable!
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