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ND MBA Spouse Perspective: Looking for a Community but Finding a Family

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Visiting ND Stadium

When we moved to South Bend last July, everyone kept saying to us, “Welcome to the Notre Dame Family!” I kept wondering if this was just one of those phrases that everyone says, like, “Have a nice day,” or “Let’s have lunch sometime!” But it didn’t take long to learn what it really means to be a part of the Notre Dame Family. It’s a real thing. And it’s incredible.

My husband, Aaron, spent five years in the Army prior to our move to South Bend, and our five-year-old daughter was about to move to her fifth home. Needless to say, we had learned a thing or two about moving and meeting new people. What we hadn’t yet decided, though, was which school was the right fit for our family. In the military, everyone’s in the same boat – they tell you where to go and you go.  When you get there, you meet tons of other spouses and significant others who are in the same position. But this was the first time in our married life that we had the chance to make our own decision, so we wanted it to be the right one.

We visited four other schools before we got out of the car in South Bend, but none of those places felt right. They didn’t have that family-welcoming feel or that, “Hey, we’d love to meet your wife and kids!” vibe that we were hoping for. But all of that changed the minute we got to South Bend. Our entire family was welcomed with open arms, and we knew immediately that Notre Dame was perfect for us. It was icing on the cake that Notre Dame has an excellent business school and a fantastic reputation. We had already put Notre Dame at the top of our list but now it was circled in red with big exclamation points all around it. When the phone call came from Notre Dame, that was it. We knew we were moving to South Bend.

After living here for about a week, we had fully settled into our apartment and I knew it was time to go on the hunt for new friends and a new community. During the MBA orientation, I attended the Family Life Committee’s welcome session, hoping this would be the perfect place to meet some new friends. There, I learned about the committee’s weekly playgroup, weekend outings, mom’s night out activities, book/movie club, cooking classes, and adult outings to area wineries and vineyards. Yes! I was in the right place. I started attending playgroup the very next week, and I immediately had a fantastic group of new mom friends from all over the country. We were able to revel in each other’s joy regarding new babies, happy toddler milestones, and great new restaurant and shopping finds. We were also able to commiserate about unpredictable class schedules, Mendoza group projects, and not-so-fantastic toddler milestones. It has been such a relief for Aaron to know that his family is just as happy hereat Notre Dame as he is.

Many of our playgroup outings take place at local museums, playgrounds, parks, and pools, and the goal is to keep things cheap, easy, and adventurous. We try not to go to the same place more than twice so that we are constantly discovering something new. We all know that navigating a new city is hard, and often we fall into a rut of doing the same thing over and over because it feels comfortable and safe. But when you’re with a big group of moms and kids, you feel freer to try something new because you’re not doing it alone. In the past year, we’ve done and seen so many interesting things, and it has given me so many ideas about what to do with both of my girls during the long summer months. My oldest daughter is going to four different day camps because of the adventures and fun that her little sister had during play group. These are camps that I never would have known about, had I not been a part of such a wonderful group.

The wonderful thing about the FLC is that it’s not just about families with kids. Those students who brought along a boyfriend/girlfriend or spouse are just as involved with the FLC as the MBA parents. The FLC sponsors group outings to sporting events, picnics in the park, excursions to the local Lake Michigan beaches, and classes taught by other FLC members who are interested in sharing their skills. I taught preschool before moving to South Bend, so I lead a story time once a month for the playgroup kids. Other members have sewing or knitting skills that they share. And an MBA husband, who was also a talented chef, led the FLC cooking classes. There’s no end to the possibilities for fun with the FLC.

Now, halfway through our time in South Bend, we are still incredibly happy with our choice to come to Notre Dame.We’ve enjoyed the revelry of football season, the excitement of ice skating at theCompton Ice Arena, the great music of the Notre Dame Marching Band (which practices in the parking lot every evening, in the fall!), the beauty that Notre Dame’s campus has to offer, and the wonderful community fellowship of believers (of all faiths!) that make Notre Dame an incredible family to be a part of.

So, I say with all my heart, “Welcome to the Notre Dame family.” It’s far-reaching and it’s the most wonderful community that you’ll ever be a part of.


Emily Coulter
Co-Chair of the Family Life Committee

If you’re interested in learning more about all of the fun that we have through the FLC, you can check out our blog at WeAreNDFamily.com. Also, once you arrive in South Bend, you can ask to join our Facebook group at ND MBA FLC. If you have any questions, you can email the FLC at WeAreNDFamily@gmail.com.

Internship Countdown: Twenty Days to Go

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As our second-year and one-year classmates are reminiscing over their time in Notre Dame and getting ready for graduation, most members of our first-year class are looking forward to the end of classes and the start of our summer internships.

I will be spending the summer working in Emerson — a leading global manufacturing and technology company — as part of their corporate sponsorship program, working as an IT vendor management intern. This is somewhat the reverse of what I was doing in my previous job, at IBM Philippines, where, as a systems services representative, I helped our sales team close IT service and maintenance contracts, and made sure our services team lived up to the service-level agreements of our various accounts. This time, I will be on the other side of the table, helping my teammates in negotiating global IT contracts and making sure our vendors follow the service-level agreements we have set. With this opportunity, I will be learning more about the operations aspect of business, while making the most of my technical background.

I landed this internship in March, through our career services office, and was fortunate not to have any case interviews during the process. I had worked with my career coaches in making my cover letters for the different companies and roles I was interested in, and they have been very supportive in helping me articulate the value that I was bringing to these companies. I had also enlisted the help of second-years, who gave me valuable tips, feedback and advice, when interviews rolled around. From my internship search, I have found out how strong the Mendoza College of Business’ alumni network is and how willing the alumni are to help current students.

As I’m writing this, we have just finished the last day of classes, with final exams looming ahead of us. This module, first-year MBAs finally had the chance to take electives within (or outside) their concentration tracks. I hope to finish the requirements for three tracks – namely, Business Leadership, Business Analytics, and Consulting. This might seem over ambitious, but I believe that the course skills and lessons available in these three tracks are the most relevant to the area I want to be in, after graduation, which is operations management in the technology industry. I have taken three electives so far, including The Business of Sustainability, and Spreadsheet Decision Modeling, and would highly recommend both.

This module has also seen me participate in a couple of case competitions, namely the Aspen Institute’s Business and Society International MBA Case Competition and the IBM Business Analytics Competition. Even though my teams in these competitions spent many long nights working on papers and building regression models together, we didn’t finish on the winning end. That may be disappointing, but sitting through seven different case presentations for the business analytics competition gave us some insight on what made a team a “winner.” Joining the competitions was definitely a learning experience, and I’d join again next year, even if I don’t end up winning, if only because the topics tackled in these competitions are those that I am interested in and find relevant. As Abraham Lincoln said, success is going from failure to failure without losing enthusiasm. Plus, working with people who share the same interests and the love for cinnamon sticks make for an enjoyable experience.

cathyCathy Mae Favorito
1st Year Student from Manila, Philippines
Concentrating in Business Leadership and Business Analytics
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Spring time in South Bend

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March Madness

March Madness is one of my favorite times of the year in sports. A weekend deluge of upsets, buzzer beaters, and ridiculous plays as teams play for their university’s pride – what’s better than that? Well, one answer, I suppose, is an entire month of one exciting event after exciting event at the Notre Dame MBA program. Here’s a recap of some of the awesome activities March brought to some of my classmates and me…

South America Interterm Intensive

 One of the options for this semester’s interterm is a two-week trip to South America, beginning with a thrilling week in Santiago, Chile followed by a great week in Sao Paulo, Brazil. Both weeks consisted of activities that were a nice mix of business and pleasure. In Chile, we received presentations on some of Chile’s main industries – wine and copper mining – in addition to learning about Chile’s economic history and current business challenges. For fun, we were able to explore some of the beautiful areas and views of Santiago, go to some delicious restaurants and wineries, and spend an entire day in the Andes Mountains white water rafting, zip-lining, horseback riding, and hiking. In the Notre Dame MBA’s first trip to Sao Paulo, we got some really good insight into what is known as the “business capital of Latin America.” Sao Paulo offered interesting presentations of local businesses, such as Gol Airlines and Natura, a beauty product manufacturer, as well as educational visits to the Brazilian stock exchange and other financial institutions. Furthermore, we got the opportunity to tour the city, attend a soccer game, and experience an authentic Brazilian steakhouse. All in all, the South American trip will be remembered as one of my favorite MBA experiences during my time at Notre Dame.

MBA Bowling

March also marks the mid-season point of the Notre Dame MBA weekly bowling league. Every Monday, 100 MBA students take over the local Mishawaka bowling alley for a night of camaraderie and good times. Whether you are aiming for strikes and spares every bowl or are interested in a pitcher of beer, a pizza, and a couple of hours with good friends, the MBA bowling league is one of my favorite out-of-class extracurriculars at ND.

The Start of Mod 4

March signifies the start of Mod 4, and for us second years, our last mod of the program. Even with seven mods behind me, I am still finding classes that really interest me and inspire me to learn as much as possible. It is crazy how fast two years fly by when you are used to four years of undergrad experience and four years of high school. I am really hoping to take everything in and enjoy time in classes and with friends as graduation nears.

Bookstore Basketball

Every year Notre Dame hosts the world’s largest 5-on-5 outdoor basketball tournament in the world. The tournament consists of over 700 teams comprised of students, faculty and staff who choose creative team names and take their (debatable) skills to the pavement. The tournament begins every March and continues into April, which leads to some potentially long basketball games played in somewhat difficult weather conditions. Regardless of the conditions, the games are a great way to get outside, get some exercise, and donate to a good cause – all proceeds of the tournament are donated to the Jumpball Basketball Programme, which provides the youth of Jamaica a fun and structured way to use basketball for teaching valuable life skills. Update: My team (Brittany Parrish Fan Club) has just won its 1st round game and faces a tough, upcoming opponent in the Sista Wives.

Easter Vacation

To conclude an awesome March month, Easter came early this year, which means a nice four-day weekend vacation for all the students. While this year the Easter break only came two weeks into the mod, it provided a much-needed moment to take a deep breath and prepare for the amazing weeks to follow. I am really looking forward to these remaining weeks to enjoy the warm weather (hopefully it comes soon), finish up classes, have a blast during graduation week, and celebrate graduating from a great university.
Lloyd DoyleDan Wolff 2nd Year Student from St. Louis/Texas
Concentrating in Business Leadership
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Two months until Graduation

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I’m graduating in 57 days, and when people ask me how I feel about it, my answer is always the same – ambivalent. On one hand, I’m happy to get back to the real world and begin my new career as an MBA. I’ll be moving to Seattle to work for Amazon, and I couldn’t be more excited. It’s a challenging and exciting job in an amazing company located in a great city. On the other hand, I’m already feeling nostalgic about leaving Notre Dame and all the friends I’ve made here.

The Holy Half Marathon

The Holy Half Marathon

When I first started the program I felt overwhelmed with all the opportunities that were lying in front of me. I wanted to do it all. Read every supplemental reading and get the best grades. Go to every single networking event. Attend all the club meetings. Attend every lecture, in and out of Mendoza. Go out every night. Play in every intramural tournament. Participate in all the community service events. Go watch and support every game of the Irish in every sport. Of course there were not enough hours in the day to do it all, so what everybody tells you about b-school is true: it’s up to you to prioritize and decide what you want to get out of these two years.

With less than two months left to go I’m trying to get the most out of my time here. Inside the classroom I’m taking four classes this Mod: Business Intelligence, Marketing Research, Brand Strategy, and International Business Ethics. Outside the classroom I’m trying to do as much as I can too. Some of the things I’ve done and others I plan to do in the upcoming weeks: ND Basketball games, ND Hockey games, ice skating in the new hockey arena, Faith Committee spiritual retreat (the topic was work-life balance), Bengal Bouts (ND boxing tournament), St. Patrick’s day in Chicago, Intramural Soccer Tournament, MBA bowling league, MBA paintball, MBA Poker Tournament (proceeds donated to charity), Hash Run, Thirsty Thursday, Diversity Conference, Case Competition, Holy Half (in-campus half marathon), Ten Years Hence Lectures Series, Marketing Symposium on innovation (guest speakers from IDEO), MBA Assassin (water gun man hunt), computer lessons and general tutoring at Casa de Amistad, Basilica services during Holy Week, and of course, the Blue and Gold Spring Football Game!

As you can see there’s always a lot going on, and sadly, even after two years here I haven’t figured out a way to do it all, but I’ve heard that sleeping is overrated, so I’ll start there. As these two years come to an end I am happy to be able to look back on beautiful memories and experiences, but most importantly, I am grateful for the great friendships I’ll take with me and for having the opportunity to be a part of Notre Dame.

Go Irish!

IgnacioIgnacio Rivera
2ndYear Student from Santiago, Chile
Concentrating in Corporate Finance
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Keep Living the Dream

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Well, I just picked up my cap and gown yesterday.  Time flies when you’re having fun, and this second tour of duty at Notre Dame was a resounding success professionally and personally.

Looking at things from a professional standpoint, I came back to get my MBA to break into consulting.  I had a great internship this past summer, and will be joining an exciting firm in Chicago starting this August.  The job process can be long and arduous, but I’m glad that I’ve got things figured out.  I feel like this is going to allow me to really focus on building relationships with the rest of my classmates before we all scatter across the globe.

Which leads me to my second viewpoint…

From a personal standpoint, I feel like I have accomplished so much here at Notre Dame.  This isn’t surprising as I feel like I was able to build similar relationships here in undergrad.  First and foremost, I have made friends here that will last for a lifetime.  From the next-door neighbor who I met moving into my apartment before school started to the guy who I didn’t hang out with once until second semester of last year, there are people that I plan to keep in touch with regularly once we graduate.  Across the class though, I feel like there is no one in my class that I couldn’t call down the road for anything, whether that be advice, help, etc.  The small class size was something that attracted me to Mendoza, and it’s really turned out to be the familial atmosphere that I thought it would be.

I really couldn’t be happier with my decision to come back for my MBA at Notre Dame, and I look forward to seeing the program continue to grow and develop long after I’m gone.

I’ll leave you with my top memories from my time here in no particular order:

  • Competing in the Bengal Bouts boxing tournament (losing 30 lbs to do so)
  • Spring Break 2013 in Kauai, Hawai’i
  • New Years 2012 in Guatemala
  • Prof. Holt’s Spirituality & Religion in the Workplace Course
  • Christmas Dinner at the Dining Hall
  • Undefeated ND Football Season (Pre-BCS Championship)
  • Drinking delicious bourbon with good friends
  • Playing and winning the intramural flag football championship in Notre Dame Stadium
  • $0.35 wings at Legends on Tuesdays
  • $5 Bang Bang Shrimp at Bonefish on Wednesdays
  • MBA Prom (both years)
  • Great Backer nights

Keep living the dream and Go Irish…

onealO’Neil Peart
2nd Year Student from Freehold, NJ
Concentrating in Consulting
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Interterm – Capping Off a Great Week

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It’s spring break and the sun is back on campus. Mod Three, the internship search and Interterm Intensives for me are over. A third of my class is currently in China, in the middle of the 2-week study trip they took in lieu of the on-campus live cases. I, on the other hand, finished Interterm with a bang and a hundred-dollar gift card from the company my team was working with.

Interterm Intensives is the ND MBA program we go through right after finals week of every first and third modules. You have a choice of doing corporate live cases, critical skills courses, social impact courses or the international immersions in China and Chile. I’ve done the live cases for the two Interterms I’ve had so far. It’s a really good experience since your team will be working on current challenges that a company is facing, and will have the chance to apply what you have learned in school to come up with a strategy that you will be presenting before the company’s executives. Typically, there will be several companies with different cases, and each student can choose which case to work on. Notre Dame has partnerships with a lot of reputable companies that participate in Interterm Intensives – for example: Boeing, McDonalds and GE.

This year, I’ve been fortunate to be in a group with a couple of second-years. Aside from elective classes, Interterm Intensives is another opportunity for us first-years to work alongside students from the one-year and second-year classes. I learned a lot from my second-year teammates; their previous Interterm and internship experiences helped us quickly form a structure for our proposed strategy, which allowed us to work very efficiently. We presented our strategy on the final day of on-campus Interterm, along with the other teams. It was certainly insightful to hear the different strategies; no two were exactly the same and there were a lot of really good ideas.

Presentation skills are highly important in business school; this couldn’t be stressed more during Interterm week. Since panels would be hearing group after group present their strategies, you would have to think of a way to stand out – whether it was by the design of your presentation, or by the way you presented. Not only would you need to have great content, but you would also have to leave a lasting impression on the panel.

The company’s Chief Marketing Officer was one of the judges on the panel, and he would tell us why he thought something was a good idea, or what the barriers were to a proposal. It was certainly a learning experience, because we got to have a sneak peek at what company executives considered when making major decisions to their product line.

Aside from our team’s Interterm victory, this week was when I finally received offers from the companies I had been interviewing with for internships. The internship search has been grueling for some of us, with a few students doing as much as seven on-campus interviews in a week. I didn’t have that kind of experience, but have been fortunate to earn slots for on-campus interviews too. In my opinion, on-campus interviews are less stressful for us students, if only because we’re doing it in comfortable surroundings. I’ve done phone interviews as well, in which I usually book rooms in school for a quiet environment and to get into a “professional” state of mind.

Now that I can check the internship search off my list of things to do, I can’t help but look forward to summer. But of course, there’s still Mod Four waiting – with its classes, electives, parties and events – which is also something to get excited about.

cathyCathy Mae Favorito
1st Year Student from Manila, Philippines
Concentrating in Business Leadership and Business Analytics
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My Bucket List

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I have prepared a bucket list.  I am not going die (I hope), but I am about to graduate.  There are a few things (10 really) that I really want to do before I leave South Bend.  Without further ado:

  1. Get Inside Soldier Field – I just accomplished this one!  I have wanted to do this by going to a Bears game since I arrived, but I ended up going to the Hockey Winter Classic and watched Notre Dame beat Miami (Ohio).  Coupled with a few hours of cold tailgating with friends, this was an awesome experience.
  2. Take a Really Fun Course - I’m going to sign up for undergraduate golf with a few classmates in the spring.  Trust me, I could use some lessons.
  3. Compete in a race – I ran the Domer run last year (5 km around campus) and loved it.  This spring, I’ve signed up for a Tough Mudder in Ohio at the end of April.  I am part of a team of 8 students that will be running 10 miles, jumping in ice water, climbing over walls and likely getting electrocuted.  For some reason, I’m really excited about it.
  4. Visit 3 Floyd’s brewery – If you like good beer, please try some 3 Floyds.  The Gumball Head is light and delicious and the Robert the Bruce will satisfy any dark beer lovers.  The brewery is about an hour west of South Bend and I’m definitely going to get out there.  In fact, I hope to include it on a brewery tour that I am organizing for the class as part of the Family Life Committee.
  5. Go to Wrigley – I’ve only seen Wrigley field from the train in Chicago and it looks awesome.  Our graduating class will be having a party in grad week on a nearby rooftop to watch a Cubs game.  That’s cool enough to check this one off the list.
  6. Compete in a Case Competition – I’ve done a few case competitions that have been located at Notre Dame, but had never traveled to one.  I wrote this list originally a few weeks ago and have since checked this one off!  I went to San Diego and took part in a Sports Business Competition.  It is was an intense, 24 hour affair, followed by a night out in the Gas Lamp District and a day strolling the ocean side.
  7. Meet Father Hesburgh - Father Hesburgh was the President of Notre Dame for 35 years before retiring in 1987.  He advised Presidents, stood up with Martin Luther King and oversaw the greatest period of expansion at Notre Dame.  He still lives on campus and sees students in his office in the Hesburgh Library.  It would be an honor to meet such a man.
  8. Plan something fun to celebrate being done – I’m going to go from the very flexible life of a student to the working world, so I want to take a bit of a break and enjoy being down my MBA.  This may be a cruise with classmates, backpacking in South America or hiking in the Mountains.  Whatever it is, it has to be big enough to remember in 5 years!
  9. Take advantage of the time I have – This one is a little vague and tough to quantify.  However, what I mean here is that I need to ensure I spend quality time with the good friends I’ve made while at Notre Dame.  My wife and I will be having guests over for dinner and when the question comes up: “Should I go out bowling, or stay in and watch a movie?”  I want to go out.  Before all my new friends scatter around the world, I want to make sure I spend time with them.
  10. Graduate – Finally, I want to graduate!  I can’t see this one being a problem, as I’ve only got 3 classes remaining.  My parents will be coming down from Toronto and graduation week will be a lot of fun.  I’m even sneaking it in right before my 30th birthday.

 

mike Mike Donald
2nd Year Student from Toronto, Canada
Concentrating in Marketing and Business Leadership
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The End is (Regretfully) Near

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To be honest, the past several weeks have been mildly sobering.  I have the sense that a number of my fellow second years feel similarly, to one degree or another.  The reason, though, isn’t because winter’s in full swing (which it is) or the workload is unmanageable (which it isn’t).  Instead, it’s because as of February 7th, we have less than 100 days until graduation.  It’s an interesting feeling because on one hand, we’re all ready to get out there and work.  But on the other, it means we’ll be pulled away from an environment and group of peers that have become an integral part of our lives.

You may not consider it initially, but the people you go to business school with will end up being a major part of your life for years to come.  And this doesn’t just hold true for the future business partners and colleagues you may meet during the years you spend as a graduate student, but more importantly for the group of friends you know will be around for years to come.  The big change is that they aren’t going to be living up the hall from you.  You’re not going to bump into them on your way to class or work on projects with them.  And you’re not going to be able to count on them being at the Backer when you roll in on a Saturday night.

Not to start it this post off on a somber note, but just as something to keep in the back of your minds.  It is a hell of a time while it lasts though – and the two years you will spend in business school are well worth the experiences (both educationally and socially).

But moving on, the plus side is that we’re getting near springtime at Notre Dame.  It’s really a wonderful thing.  Please know that I’m not necessarily talking about the weather, since there are good odds it will snow well into April.  But there’s so much that goes on.  Academically speaking, for first years, you finally start to get taking the classes you’re really interested in, not just the core classes.  For the second years, you get to pretty much work on anything you want (being a glutton for punishment I’m overloading with predominantly quantitative classes).  There are also a bunch of great case competitions to participating in, like the CFA Equity Research Competition or the Commodities Future Trading Challenge.  You also have spring interterm to look forward to.  China was great last year, and a number of my classmates will be heading to South America for a couple weeks.  I myself will be traveling to India for a while to represent Mendoza at the Graduate Business Conference, which is a yearly gathering of the top business schools in the world.

On the fun and social side of things, you’ve got the always entertaining Bengal Bouts competition starting this week.  If you haven’t had a chance to check it out, I would definitely look into it and, if you’re able, donate to a great cause.  There’s also Notre Dame Men’s Basketball.  Although it can have downs, like regretful losses to UConn and Syracuse, it also has some phenomenal ups.  If you happened to miss the Irish victory over Louisville in the fifth overtime Saturday night, I’d definitely recommend watching the highlights (feel free to skip the first 38 minutes of regulation play, but the rest is great).  And finally, as the semester gets closer to its midpoint, there’s always fun to be had going out (especially if you’re a second year with a job offer and a lot of free time on your hands).

We also believe very much in giving back.  Not only through serving the community, but more importantly those who come after us.  The only way to build upon the success that our program has had thus far is for every graduating class to take initiative and make sure the alumni support is readily available.  As the graduating past president of the MBA Association, I’m working closely the current SVP of Alumni Relations and several alumni advisors to ensure that the gift our class leaves for the program is the best one possible.  In past years, these gifts have ranged from scholarships, to building improvements, to new team rooms and technology.  With the process underway, but no firm gift in mind yet, the number one priority is working to achieve 100% participation amongst those graduating in 2013.  This will be our lasting legacy on Mendoza, for now at least, so we hope to make it as good as possible.

Joe Sciarrino
2ndYear Student from New York
Concentrating in Finance and Investments
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My Notre Dame Family

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I never expected to come to Notre Dame. Being Canadian, I knew the school by its football team only, with some vague idea of academic excellence. My friends and family generally thought Notre Dame was on located on the east coast, somewhere near Boston. I applied after the admissions office reached out to me with a handwritten letter. (On a side note, I have since realized that those small details can make all the difference) Upon arrival in South Bend for an interview, I was shocked to learn how small the student population actually was (8,000 undergrads, 3000 grads). I was also blown away by the beauty of the campus and the abundance of athletic facilities. This happened 2 years ago this month and it already seems in the distant past. You see, I already feel a part of this school, a part of this community, a part of this family.

Arriving on Campus

Friends were easy to make when I showed up on day 1. There were a lot of people like me, who had decided to move their lives to South Bend for the next 2 years and wanted to connect. Students entering year 2 even reached out and made sure my wife was getting connected to the family as well as me. The rather intense work and abundance of social events created a very quick bond with my classmates. Football season, with tailgates and the entire student population cheering together, helped to cement the feeling of belonging that first fall. After going back to Canada for Christmas, I was so excited to return and see my friends again, after only 4 months!

The Final Stretch

Fast forward to the present and I am almost sad to realize that this time in life is coming to a close. I will be graduating in May and will watch as my new found family disperses around the world. This past year has included way too many fun nights to count, BBQ’s and Superbowl parties, weekend trips with friends to Northern Michigan, Madison and Chicago and an entire week with some my closest friends in Mexico (not just my closest friends in the program, but who have actually become some of my closest friends in life). I’ve celebrated when people landed great jobs and encouraged others who have had setbacks. I’ve delivered meals to members of the Notre Dame family who have had babies and grieved with people who have experienced loss.  I’ve even experienced the Notre Dame extended family, with so much guidance and help from alums.  As I prepare to leave this place, I know I will always be welcomed back and I know that I also likely have a place to stay and friends to catch up with wherever I go.

Mike Donald
2nd Year Student from Toronto, Canada
Concentrating in Marketing and Business Leadership
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Guest Spot – On Impact Careers

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What is an impact career? 

Simply put, an impact career is where one consciously and deliberately uses one’s work as a vehicle for the benefit of society and the world.

As such, an impact job is less about one’s title and more about one’s mindset.  It is less about a specific set of skills, a sector, or a political ideology.  It’s about a posture toward work that emphasizes the needs of others.

Should I pursue an impact career?

You already are pursuing an impact career if you combine the usual questions like:

  •    “What will pay me well?”
  •    “What would I like to do?”

With other important questions like:

  •    “How can my work benefit others beside myself?”
  •    “What does society need, and how can I help provide it?”

Does this mean that all careers are created impact-equal? 

Some careers, like impact investing, special education, or sustainability planning probably do lend themselves to “impact” more explicitly than careers in, say, steel production, futures trading, or software coding.  But each of these jobs can be done in the service of society and the world. 

Net Impact is working with Career Services to bring more of these explicitly impact-oriented recruiters to Notre Dame, while reminding folks that most traditional MBA jobs can be impact positions when occupied by the right people.

As a general rule, an impact job is born whenever a person aiming to serve society through her work replaces a person aiming only to build power, wealth, or prestige.  In a very real way, Notre Dame is creating hundreds of impact jobs when each class of MBAs and EMBAs graduates.

 

 

Steve Lehmann currently serves as President of Net Impact at Notre Dame and as a Venture Fellow with The Investors’ Circle.  As a consulting and analytics concentrate, his primary interest is in helping people create systems, products, and business models that substantially increase flourishing.