Great week!

This past week has been crazy! This has been the group project week, when we work in groups of four in a project for a different area than we are working for our individual project. We only have 5 days work on it, it is a full time project but still time is really short. In my case, my project was in the Marketing Area. We were assigning to design a new strategy for mobile banking, generate new ideas to improve the mobile experience and double the number of users by the end of next year.

When I first heard about the project, I was really excited because I think it is a hot topic now, as baking is changing and digital channel are getting more and more important. At the same time, when I thought about group project, I remembered MAP. This group experience has been amazing, I think Citi has done a great job about choosing people that has similar characters. Besides that, I think what I learned in MAP about group management helped me to be a better team member.

Well, we finished the project on Friday really late, but we are done. We are going to present on Thursday, so I will let you know how it goes. I would like to spend a few lines telling you about something else about Citi. I knew I was joining a great company when I entered Citi, I also knew they have had serious problems during the crisis (and those we one of my concerns). Being inside, I have been more than surprise about how they see the past times and how are they see the future of Citi. They have a very clear strategy and what they want to be and everyone in the company is aligned. I still don’t know if I want to stay with Citi for the full time, but it is because of my personal goals. But I can say is that this is a really good time to join Citi, as they have a great challenge ahead, how to execute the great strategy they have and how to bring the company to the leading place they have in the past.

Hope you enjoyed the post and hope you are enjoying your last internship weeks. I will keep you posted.

Best,

Shila Arias

Wk 9: See you next time, Bhutan!

It’s crunch time! I have only three weeks left in my internship here in Bhutan. I’m working non-stop to finish all my deliverables. I have three major deliverables (cost analysis for four benchmarked companies in different industries, standard cost of transportation of sand, and standard price for three natural resources products). I am 90% done with my cost analysis and about to start with creating my presentation material and report document. I met with my Director last week who, I am happy to say, liked the direction and content of my Rev1 output. This week, I plan to finish my two other deliverables. Yes, I am a bit worried about the time constraint that I have but I will not let this fact stress me. I will focus, will eat a lot (ha!), will listen to classical music (Beethoven's Symphony No. 7 in A major Op. 92 and Mozart's Sonata in D major for two pianos on repeat), and will keep on working.

I studied hundreds of companies in different countries to find the best peer set for the four Bhutan companies. My benchmarking activity is very challenging, exhausting, but definitely a value-adding endeavor for my skill-building. My internship has taught me that, in these uncertain economic times, many companies are indeed diversifying their businesses to lessen the risk of profit losses. I found a company that not only offers extraction and trade of timber but also sells audio and visual electronics system and products. Another one is an airline company which also operates a call center for other companies. It will be interesting to explore after my internship the financial considerations of, strategies in, and limits of diversification.

I will not get a full-time job offer at Druk Holdings & Investments (DHI) because I am here on a semi-volunteer and fellowship work only. But, I still want to leave a very good impression about the quality of education and training at the Ross School of Business. Few Bhutanese know that the University of Michigan is one of the best schools in the US. It is time to introduce our great school to them. Go Blue!

This is my last blog entry here. I hope all the stakeholders at DHI and its four companies would like my final project output. I had a great time exploring a different culture and seeing the amazing sights in Bhutan. I will definitely go back here. See you around University of Michigan this fall! J

Only 3 more weeks to go!

In my last post I told you about how time goes fast and I am even more convinced now that I only have 3 weeks left.

Last week I had my mid-summer review with the staffer of my group and HR. It was a very comprehensive review where they highlighted they gave me an extremely candid feedback. The purpose of it is to make us reflect on what we did well and what we can improve on, and to update us on where we stand.

This is the first free weekend that I have and I have to say it feels really good. I am going to meet all my classmates who are in NYC for a drink soon, and after that we will go for dinner. NYC is amazing, it offers everything you need and it’s unbelievable the amount of different nationalities you can find here. I lived in Amsterdam before and I thought it was one of the most international cities in the world, and it is, but I have to say NYC is unique and at the top of my list now.

Chinatown, SOHO, Little Italy, West Village, East Village, Downtown… all the areas are different and you can really feel different vibes all around the city. Everywhere is full of restaurants, bars, pubs… anything you need. Everything is convenient: banks, shops, laundry service, groceries… the concept of ‘anytime, anywhere’ really exists here.

I am very excited about the city and the job so far. It’s been an amazing experience and I will always remember it as one of the most important and formative of my life. I met a lot of new great people and I expanded my horizon further.

I also look forward to seeing all my classmates again and to go back to Ann Arbor to live my second year at school. It’s going to be awesome and I am also very curious to meet all my new classmates MBA1. Go Blue guys!

Talk soon,

Matteo

Money Time

Hi All

Getting to the last three weeks of my internship and I am starting to see the end. On Friday we were taken, all interns, to the Craftsman Experience and the Kenmore Studios in downtown Chicago. The Craftsman Experience was very impressive, and it is a great marketing tool. I think the Kenmore Studios could be better in presenting our products, but I was still very pleased to see the different products and to tell what stands behind each one. This week suppose to be the busiest week when we host the face to face negotiation with all the major home appliances vendors in the world to provide the next Kenmore products in the next five years. I can't even disclose how much money is on stack but I'm sure there countries in the world with GDP lower than that.

I have many things to learn from this process which I'll be able to take forward for the rest of my career, form the professional aspect, as well as from the personal aspect. I see how different people handle in different ways with such a stressful process and I should remember and learn from it. Personally I learned that it is never enough to question my numbers. In such a complex modeling there isn't enough verification, there always can be more.

Although the excitement of this process, I must admit that I'm looking over the horizon over my fast approaching vacation. I can't miss Ann Arbor more than I already miss it and I hope the three more weeks I have will fly by.

Yoav.

Exploring Chicago!!

Most of you must think that consultants travel all the time, however, this is just not the case for me. Unlike my other IBM GBS fellow interns who have been traveling to clients, I have been assigned to work on two bid and proposal projects, both of which unfortunately don’t require traveling. So, basically, I have spent most of my internship working in IBM Chicago downtown office in the Loop and right across Deloitte building. Actually, out of 18 interns of GBS this year, I am the only one working in IBM office and don’t travel. Although not ideal and different from what I have expected, it allowed me to explore Chicago a little bit more and deeper. It is truly an amazing city in terms of whatever you name it, although a little windy sometimes, but just sometimes, not always. As I have been to almost all the major big cities in US, I can say that Chicago is second to none.

Since I live in the Chicago suburbs, I commute between work and home by Amtrak train, and one way trip takes around 45 minutes if I catch an express train, otherwise it will be 1.5 hours. If you have seen the new movie ‘Source Code’, you should know how the Amtrak train in Chicago looks like. It is comfortable and safe, although not too new. Actually, it is pretty convenient for those who live in suburbs and work in downtown Chicago. You know, the traffic in Chicago during rush hours can be really bad and parking fees is just crazy.

During the past one and half months, I have been to lots of wonderful parks, museums, restaurants, and bars in Chicago. However, nothing is comparable to the experience on the national day weekend. I went boating on Michigan Lake with a few friends! It was really a unique and hilarious experience for me. Prior to that, I had never been on a private boat before. It was just great to look at the skyscrapers of Chicago from another angel and enjoy the sun shine a little bit after spending most of my time in office since my internship starts. Unfortunately I had been made fun of having the so called farm’s tan after whole day exposure to sun; I should have taken my t-shirt off!! Need to work out a little bit though!!

the home stretch

Wow, can there really be only 4 weeks to go?  My time in Delhi is starting to get short and already we are about to say goodbye to some good friends who are heading back to the states.  Things have really kicked up a gear in the last couple of weeks here.  I've been running here and there having meetings with a wide variety of organizations operating in the healthcare and BoP spaces in India trying to understand what they do, what challenges they face and how the organization I'm working for can help them overcome these challenges.  This has involved experiencing a wide range of Indian 'office' spaces, which are mostly apartments with the trappings of corporate life transplanted into them...a video conferencing system is a common fixture in most offices of international NGOs for example.  But this is something you come to expect from India and from Indians...there is a way of making do here, of getting things done despite a lack of resources, infrastructure or political support.  A way of reusing what is around you, of repurposing it to fit your needs.  Indians refer to it as 'Jugar', the practitioners of which are the ‘Jugari’.  If we have a word in English to describe the unique combination of resourcefulness, creativity and willingness to operate outside the rules that constitutes the Indian way, it would probably be MacGyver (used as a verb).  Of course, it isn’t just a lack of resources that encourages this approach.  Indian bureaucracy and regulations are legendary, with a dizzying array of rules, laws, policies, institutions, ministries and layers of administration.  So much so that daily life in India seems to revolve around figuring out how to get things done…not so much working the system, as working around the system.

Now, time to MacGyver myself up some coffee in this chai-obsessed country.

Transformation from Engineer to Consultant

After more than 5 weeks in IBM GBS, I have experienced and learned a lot in consulting and am getting used to my job role as a business consultant, which is no longer that mysterious to me as it was before since my previous background was a software engineer and I had zero experience in consulting or even client-facing job roles. To my satisfaction, I like my new role, since I had more mental challenges than before, and accordingly more impact with what I do.

As an engineer, all I was supposed to do is to implement the ‘Requirement’ written by Product Managers within ‘scheduled project deadline’ decided by Project Managers. I don’t need to be really creative or innovative to get my job done; it was actually straightforward and ‘easy’ if you master the technical side. However, as a consultant, I need to manage myself and be relatively independent on what I do. And my work becomes more diversified than before. Firstly, I need to collect business requirements from both team members and clients. Then, I need to come up with some proposal documents describing what the hypotheses and deliverables will be. Lastly, I have to come up with a work plan document regarding those deliverables which could be either strategy or implementation in nature. Although I mentioned the need to be independent as a consultant, don’t get me wrong, we can actually never achieve anything without effective team work no matter how senior or knowledgeable one becomes.

The other important learning from the past 5 weeks is that a good consultant needs to be comfortable and efficient in working with uncertainties and make educated assumptions or guesses whenever necessary. Nevertheless, because of my engineer background, I was really bad at working with uncertainties at first. I was afraid of making wrong or inappropriate assumptions if I don’t find ‘sound’ evidence to back them up, therefore, I turned out be slow and ineffective and felt lost of directions. Luckily, I got a wonderful project buddy who has always been patient in giving me instructions and transferring his experience to me since he was an engineer as well and had gone through what I am experiencing. Although I think I am getting better, Rome was not built in a day anyway.

Social Events in the Twins Cities

Over the past 7 weeks at Ecolab, I have had many opportunities to learn about the inner workings of the organizations. Speaking with various people across all divisions, I understand the work of each division and how it fits into the larger organization. As I explore full-time opportunities within B2B Marketing, these conversations would definitely helped me make a more informed decision and decide if this industry is a good fit for me. And I can gladly say I really enjoy what I see right now.

That said, a summer internship is also about letting your hair down once and in while and simply enjoy the beautiful summer weather! Last weekend, MBAs in the Twin Cities gathered at CRAVE, an amazing rooftop bar in downtown Minneapolis, for the annual MBA Soiree. I was amazed to see such a huge group of MBAs in the Twin Cities. There are quite a number of companies in this region – Ecolab, Cargill, 3M, General Mills, Medtronic and Target, just to name a few – but still, the turnout was larger than I expected.

After spending a few days recovering from the late night, the Ecolab interns were once again out in full force this weekend! We were invited to watch the Minnesota Twins-Detroit Tigers baseball game from the Ecolab suite, which happens to offer the best view in the house. After a week of hard work as we tie up our project, we definitely welcomed this treat! The Twins lost the game but hey, as someone from Michigan, it was nice to see the Detroit Tigers win.

As I move into Week 8 of my project, I will be spending a lot of time reviewing my final presentation with different people in the company. While it’s good to keep the project scope focused, it might be helpful to find out if there are perspectives I failed to think about as I wrap up my project. This is the definitely the final lap, and I am excited to showcase the work I have done over the past few weeks.

Till then!

GAOP conference and field trip

Last week, I joined the GAOP conference which is an event designed for information sharing across the colleagues. As an intern working on a project regarding the parts business under the engine business unit, I was invited to this conference to get more involved in the business development discussion and to know more people.

I was able to talk to my sponsor again as he is also the sponsor for this event. I was able to understand his perspective on a global business basis. More than that, I realized that China is a heavily weighted factor for this company in a triditional industrial sector.

Given it is a global event, I met up with couple of colleagues from China. It was good that I was able to communicate with them in Chinese. Moreover, I got to understand the dynamics in China for this US company in China. The established JV partnership did bring this company a valuable asset that enables it to generate sizeable revenue and profit in China. But it also generates some problems that is hard to be predicted 20 years ago. Growing as fast as China now, the company will have to think through the opportunities as well as risks when handling those problems.

I also completed a field work to a distributor branch last week. Talking with the people working directly with customers, I captured first hand market information as well as insightful knowledge on customer behavior, which would eventually support my solutions on the problem that we are facing now.

My internship has 5 more weeks to go and my hypothesis has been formed. I would like to use those 5 weeks to size the opportunity that we can capture with a work plan.

Marie Claire: Lessons Learned

We're reaching the home stretch now with two more weeks fast approaching. At this point, everyone has become really good friends and we have built up a strong support system between one another.

Reflecting on my experiences here, I have realized that the amount of hours spent on the making of one issue is tremendous, and that your heart really has to be there every step of the way. Not only are the interns running around all the time, the market editors' daily schedules are booked back-to-back with preview appointments.

My time spent working in the fashion closet has really given me the opportunity to observe how a fashion magazine is run, and it has given me perspective on how people in the closet work together and compromise on different things. I feel like I will be much better prepared as a Fashion Editor of SHEI Magazine at U of M in the fall, because I have realized the importance of paying attention to detail, communicating quickly and effectively to other people, and of true committment to your job.

In addition, one of the most important things that interning at Marie Claire has made me realize is that there are so many other opportunities in the fashion industry, and that perhaps fashion editorial is not for me. I started sketching shoes this summer, and I was able to finish a collection (shoes inspired by Marie Claire editors, of course). I've found that I am extremely interested in designing, and I am very passionate about pursuing a career in shoe design. I hope to find a design internship next summer in the city and see if the field of design fits more with what I want to do in the future. Nonetheless, I really appreciate the time I've had to intern for Marie Claire, because it has taught me very important transferable skills, and it has also given me the chance to build invaluable relationships with not only some editors, but with other interns.

Weeks 7 and 8 at Microsoft

Hello Rossers!


It has been two weeks since my last post, mid point review already passed and it did not go bad. So, after week 7 and 8 I feel my internship is entering a valley of death, at the beginning it was very hard to catch up, know who to talk to, learn procedures and realize that CPG is different from High Tech, the next couple of weeks were good, once I got into "work mode" I felt like I was running the campaign, I had everything controlled, and everything seemed to be running smoothly (besides having to push the campaign back). Now, I feel like I am on an uphill again, I feel the campaign has stopped and that we are not moving fast enough, it might actually happen that I don't get to launch the campaign (which I would really like to do, see my campaign life before I leave).


I have discovered that working with a US Agency is harder than working with a subsidiary agency back at home, they take a longer time to get things done (since they have an "expert" for everything) and they don't react to feedback as fast or well, I guess they feel like the client is stepping on their toes. Luckily, most of my campaign is done for Phase 1 which is the one I am responsible for, we are planning Phase 2 but I definitely will not be able to see it.


This last week was calmed at work since most of my team was at MGX (Microsoft Global Xumit) in Denver, basically where they "inject" the Microsoft thinking into the new employees. I still need to start working on my final presentation where they want me to compare my CPG experience with what I have done during the summer, I am not sure how to do that yet.


One advise for your internship (if you are not from the US) you have to sell yourself, it is not enough with doing your project well and having it under control, people also have to know that and know what you are doing (and sometimes even how you are doing it), that is something I am struggling with because it is not the way I am used to do things. I like being accountable for results, I don't like having to check in just so that people know what I am doing.


Anyway, hopefully the valley of death will finish this week and I will feel better.


On better news, summer finally arrived to Seattle! When I am almost done with my internship the sun decided to come out and play (and stay for a while) I hope it stays like that.


Come back in two weeks!


Gabriel.

internship and you.

So, I have chatted with many people across divisions and within divisions to find out if my internship is really what I wanted - whether I like the people, the nature of the job, and the future of the job.

I really like the people that I work with, most of them have PhDs, but they are the humblest and funniest people I have met. They are willing to share their knowledge and experience to me, which I thought was priceless. The hierarchy is so blurred, and people do get recognized based on their meritocracy.

The department HR really tried hard to improve retention. There was a soccer event last week within department that I really enjoyed. It was good to see how people are outside their office, when they're not as serious not as tight. It was also a good way to "network" with upper management people. They are so approachable, I really like the people.

Next, is the nature of the job. The nature of the job is very quantitative and analytical. Basically, calculating risks for every position that Goldman has, then explaining why, and why not. I get a lot of exposure to the traders and their mind process behind a transaction. That's interesting, but difficult. I'm still learning that and I want to learn more about it.

Is this something that I want to do in the future?I don't know. The prospect of this job is high. Since the crisis in 2008, many people are worried about the risks that the traders are taking. And one of the reasons why Goldman was less impacted by the crisis is because we have a strong risk department. This is what people are most concerned about now, and hopefully this will continue to be the case in the future.

Time flies and here I am, 8 weeks into the internship. Do I like my internship experience so far? Will I come back? Those are the questions that I try to answer before the end of my internship and before making a decision (if i get an offer).

Winding Down

Though my internship is not yet over my posts on this blog are, so it's time to reflect on the journey up to this point. I've got about two weeks left so I think it's a good time to look back on everything and see how it's developed.

On my first day at UBS I was nervous, shy, and not very confident in my ability to do a good job with my assigned work. I'm still not the loudest person in the office, but I grew comfortable with the people pretty quickly and have developed some solid relationships that I expect will endure much longer than the few weeks I have left of the internship. The people have all been very helpful, and if there's one thing I can takeaway from all the positive interactions I've had it is that it pays to lend a hand.

As time passed I became gradually more confident in my ability to accomplish whatever crossed my desk. An important part of success to me this summer has been acknowledging that I don't know everything and it's okay to ask questions. Though I took care not to pester anyone with my inquiries, it became very clear to me early on that I'll produce much higher quality work if I admit to myself when I'm stumped and seek help when necessary. Generally I'd prefer to figure something out on my own, but that's not always possible and I've embraced that.

My time at UBS has helped me improve as both an employee and as a person. I've developed some skills I didn't know I'd need, and improved on others already in my repertoire. I've mentioned a few times before how important the relationship is to the wealth management business and that's really my main takeaway from this summer. In any line of business it's people who make decisions, and it certainly helps to have as many in your corner as possible. Going forward I intend to take great care to take my eyes off the computer screen often enough to get to know the people around me. Luckily I did enough of that these past few months. I think it's paid off in what's been a great summer experience and lessons I'll take with me as I continue to grow into my career.

My BJ’s intern journal, week 7

There are so many to say during the past two weeks….
First of all, I finished a great sugarcane visits in both Yunnan and Guangxi provinces. We met farmers, sugar mills, experts in the research institute and government authorities. By interviewing people and going to the field to check out the real planting situation, we gathered valuable information in terms of variety, labor rate, and customers’ expectations in mechanization. I was so excited when seeing the cane field the first time. Beautiful color combination of green and yellow on the flat field, so lively and shining!

During this trip, we not only gathered an overview of Yunnan province, we also got latest customers; movement from the past harvesting season. It is so surprising that both farmers and sugar mills changed their mentality so fast. Just a year before, the mills still complain about how high the trash content from machine harvested canes are and how easily the billets lose the sugar. But what we heard from today, is how they are willing to change the row spacing to be prepared for larger scale of mechanization! The locals and aboriginals are so hospitable that they took us for dinner every night (also drinking!!!). Thanks that I earned some tricks so that I could “pretend” that I drank a lot.

Except from the business trip and the hiking on the wild great wall (which is funny like crazy!), I got some bad luck for keep losing stuff……..When I got back from the South, I found my roommate tossed my laptop in the trash accidently a week ago….Though I went back to the neighborhood for searching and posted some notice, seeking there is still hope, so far I haven’t heard anything yet. Another is that I lost my travel certificate and passport with the US VISA in it. The tedious process to reapply those documents almost drove me nuts. This is the first time I felt the loneness and hopeless in this country. Though we speak the same language but the cultural background and working attitude are so different that make me depressed by the officers so easily. What’s worse, even the driver also lied to me the forbidden city is closed a couple days ago so that h can drive us to a further place from downtown. Sometime I am wondering: “It’s because of my Taiwanese accent or it’s just the way the dealt with others?” Okay….just wish me good luck on my ID application process!

My schedule for the following weeks would include some factory visits within China and potential seminar about my project. As two-third of my internship is done, I would start preparing my final presentation. Let’s go for it!

GOING OUTDOORSY IN SAN FRANCISCO

So yes, I can call myself a recidivist runner. I used to run a few years ago. I ran a couple of half marathons until I started to feel some pain in my knees and in my feet soles. At that time doctors told me I had to stop. Those were awful news because I cannot describe how much I enjoy running; it gives me the endorphins for a happy day and allows me some time for me and myself. Anyways, after making the effort of trying other ways to work out (obviously I was also banned to do the other sports that I love: soccer and squash) I could not hold it anymore. Specially leaving in the US and specially when I got to San Francisco and saw the beautiful coastal landscape and the many people running (even on Bay to Breakers day).

So yes, I decided to start running again. This time, with all the precautions and training required and making sure I did not over exert myself. So I joined a gym, paid for a personal training to make sure I strengthened the right muscles and hit the ground running!!! My favorite run goes from Taylor and Bay, all along Bay street through Laguna street when I take the sea trail all the way to golden gate park and then come back…although windy, AMAZING. Just that. AMAZING. I enjoy so much watching other people running, watching the water on my side, and the nice landscape of the bridge either in the morning or at dust.

This made me realize that I love to be in a city were I feel safe, where the infrastructure is set so that citizens actually enjoy their city and take advantage of it and its urban spaces. And, I love a city where there is an actual culture of running. On a side note: I have to confess that one of the things I love about the actual culture of running is running fashion. Yes, I enjoy checking girls outfits. I have to say that I am a huge fan of Lululemon and Nike women sports wear. They really know how to make running outfits for a girl to look cute.

Since I need a motivation to train regularly, I registered for the Seattle Rock and Roll Marathon that took place on June the 25^th and was thrilled to learn that the San Francisco Half Marathon was on July the 31rst. But, unfortunately, given that I have to come back to Colombia for another internship, I won’t be able to run the San Francisco one!! It would have been so nice to start my San Fran experience with a race (Bay to Breakers) and finish it with another one (The San Francisco first half). Instead, I will run the Bogota Half Marathon that same day…..I know it won’t be the same, and I know I will be missing this city so much….but unfortunately I still do not have the power to stop time ( I have wanted that so badly since I was very little).

I will take with me the memories of an amazing city where you can just suddenly decide on a random day to go outdoorsy and find the most amazing getaways. My recommendations: a bike ride, a walk or a run to Sausalito over the Golden Gate Bridge; take the Blue and Gold fleet ferry at Pier 41 on a random sunny afternoon to Tiburon and have artichokes and a Bloody Mary at Sam’s; drive to Muir Woods and spend a day wondering around the trees; plan on a picnic at the top of Angel Island on a sunny Sunday (departure time from Pier 41 at 11:20).

Ohhhhh I will miss this city SO much…