My career is calling

My last week of graduate school, we were asked to write a paper on 'our calling.' This calling should culminate our personal goals with career ambitions and the lasting legacy we want to leave on the world. After three years of introspection and growth in my MBA program, I was happy to put a stake in the ground, and announce my calling.

My calling is to continue to develop my entrepreneurial ideas with a strong emphasis on social equity, economic prosperity and environmental sensitivity. At this point, my entrepreneurial ideas are not directly related except for these underlying principles of 'a new way to do business'. While I am currently searching for a long-term job or consulting role, my 10 year plan does include launching my own venture.

I have relished the opportunity to use my cumulative knowledge from graduate school, and apply these principles to a business plan. Most importantly, I now have the skills to turn these ideals into quantifiable metrics and lucrative opportunities, based on sound economics. Prior to grad school I was biased to consider environmental benefits before social implications. My time at Presidio has shown me the interwoven elements of these pursuits, and I realize now that a business cannot have one without the other.

When I began school, I had a direction for my career, but I also stated that I was excited to change my plans as I developed and learned. Reflecting now, I realize I decided against that original career path within my first semester. I was deeply influenced by Presidio, and I changed my life to be able to embrace school’s opportunities more whole-heartedly. Presidio has given me some truly key pieces of knowledge which inform my decisions, relationships and career:

• Social Impact. A speech by Van Jones was very effective at driving home the importance of including the bottom-of-the-pyramid domestically. I have been concerned with international issues for years, but Van’s speech really highlighted the impact that needs to happen here in the United States as well.
• Commitments. Throughout my time in Presidio, I have learned how to properly commit myself. I only pursue endeavors to which I can dedicate myself, and complete to the best of my ability.
• Collaboration in favor of competition. My past training embraced cutthroat competition. I spent two years adjusting to, and learning to reap the benefits of collaborative work.
• Statements are most effective with passion, not emotion. Plenty of times in the past, I have been guilty of reacting out of emotion, and not making deliberate and grounded statements. I have learned the effectiveness of using passion to make an argument that is well grounded in reality.
• SROI (social return on investment). One of the best classroom learning components was the ability to apply financial metrics to the fuzzy, environmental and social returns to society of a particular venture.
• Development, not growth. We, as people, as a society, and as business leaders, need to develop, but we do not need to grow. We're big enough, but are we good enough?
  
• I have enough. I felt this most acutely at my summer internship in Nicaragua. Don’t spend too long yearning for things out of reach. I have enough already. Cherish it.

I’ve learned the hard way that most things in life, at least, the important things, cannot be planned. Networks, strategies and backup plans can all be integral to success and one’s ability to rebound from unplanned failures. However, ultimately, life is about being in the right place at the right time. So as much as I stack my own deck, make my plans and try to follow my calling, I still try to lead my life with another guiding plan. I plan to be surprised.