Life Update: Job, CFA, MBA?

I really like my job, as an Industrial Programme Development officer at ICES. In part, this is because the job scope is really... broad.

We are part project-managers, part secretaries, and part customer relations officers; we are also parttime sales people selling the services of our Institute, but also part marketing strategists. At the same time, we're part IP(Intellectual Property) portfolio managers, and pseudo-legals who have to interact with lawyers (and read through lots of contracts and non-disclosure agreements) and scientists alike. We attend technical meetings, and give a lot of presentations created by researchers to non-researchers who have no background in chemistry. We even do mundane things like attempting to keep track of all the expensive and notable equipment in the labs.

The main thing about the job that I love is the human interaction, and the learning. Every single day, I learn something new, be it a mannerism of a new colleague, or learning how to interpret legal documents. Half the time, my energy is spent in persuasion, but not in the manipulative brain-washing-hard-sell manner; more like trying to understand the motivations of another person, and trying to put myself in his/her shoes, and speaking more clearly to him/her. This is especially necessary in an environment where some scientists do not see the value of commerce, and a lot of industry clients sometimes get frustrated at what-they-perceive-to-be an overacademic approach to matters like IP. It's like someone is speaking in French, and another person in Hindi, and you have to understand and speak to them both. Or one person is interested in Britney Spears, and another interested in Beethoven, and you need them both to listen to the Beatles.

I have two direct bosses, which can be a bit frustrating at times, especially on the rare occasions when they do not communicate with each other. But most of the time, things go really well. I really like what they are both doing, and they both have very distinct leadership styles and personalities; both of them are people whom I greatly respect and admire. I guess it's a good thing: I get twice as much learning as anyone else!

Outside of this, I signed up for the CFA Level I, with the exam in December. I'm going to do it with a friend of mine. For some reason I find this very exciting and interesting! Don't ask me why... maybe it is my mother's influence, this obsession with money.

I've been thinking about the MBA, and am now inclining towards applying for Columbia business school after graduation. The reason is chiefly because of value investing, which Columbia is very strong at, since the whole idea of value investing was invented by Benjamin Graham at that very school. They also have a lot of close ties with Wall Street, which will be good in getting a job post-MBA.

What will this have to do with alternative energy? None whatsoever. But I have a feeling the skills learned on Wall Street might come in handy in the areas of environmental finance that I'm now interested in, and that I hope to work in in the future. There's also the NYC factor, which, honestly, I'm not sure I can live anywhere else, except maybe Berlin, London, Mumbai or Beijing.