Swiss-style Fall Forum And Recent Travels

Many wonderful things have happened over here since that last time I posted. While all of you were busily networking to land jobs and internships at Fall Forum 2008, Trevor and I were doing a little networking of our own. That's right, UZH also has a fall forum (of sorts) that they put on. How does it compare you say? Well, to be honest, it doesn't. At this Fall forum, there were four(!) firms - Ernst & Young, IBM, Credit Suisse, and McKinsey&Co.

Now, all of these firms are very well known and very respectable. but I.M.O. this was not a very good networking opportunity. There were not very many options for students and the company representatives were only moderately interested in meeting us/helping us navigate the application process. So, to those of you reading this, be thankful for the BCC and all of their efforts with companies and recruiters. Also, be thankful for the great reputation of our school and our MBA program. I know I am and I will be even more-so when I get back in the States and I start looking for a J O B.

Also, last week it snowed! It was heavy, and it did not last for more than a day, but it was my first snow in Europe. Locals say this is a regular occurrence, and that it is not expected to stick until January. It's hard to think that it was 20 degrees Celsius (~70 F) just a few weeks ago.

As if that weren't enough, we are traveling almost every weekend to a new country to see the sights and experience a new culture. So far we have visited Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and France.







As such, my perspectives are being constantly adjusted in ways both big and small. From environmental policy, to work/life balance, to career interests, to social norms, I am beginning to think about issues from a more global perspective. The biggest change of all is the realization that Europe has a very different pace of life from the US. Everybody knows this back home, but experiencing it first-hand is something entirely different. Christine (the wife) and I have been talking and we both agree that we could easily live and work in Europe at some time in the near future. Of course, the biggest problem, besides finding a job over here, is getting a company to sponsor us and move our important stuff! ...I can only imagine what that would cost if we paid for it ourselves.... So, in the case that we do not get back over here for a while, we will have to visit as many countries on our list as possible - places like Croatia, Hungary, Greece, Spain, Portugal, and possibly Morocco. The UK and most of Eastern Europe will have to wait until we return. I know it will be tough to go on without me, but I'm sure they'll find a way.