Wahaj Kamran first heard about the High-Tech Trek to Seattle when he interviewed for the MBA program at the Weatherhead School of Management.
“From that moment I was really keen on this,” said the first-year, full-time MBA student. “I always wanted to explore the world of tech, which I believe is the future ‘most sought after’ industry. I wanted to learn more about the industry from professionals who are currently working there.”
Kamran was among 15 students from Weatherhead's full-time MBA, master of finance, business analytics and intelligence and supply chain management programs, who attended the career trek in Seattle last month. While in Seattle, they visited the offices of Amazon, Microsoft and 98point6, a healthcare startup.
“The purpose of our career treks is to provide students with an opportunity to learn about different careers paths, and to provide opportunities to network and build relationships,” said Donna VanRooy, director of employer development at Weatherhead. “We selected Seattle as there are a number of employers that align to our student’s interests.”
During the trek, students met with executives and alumni to learn about the corporate culture and hear about exciting opportunities that exist within these different companies. Shuihan Bi found the sustainability practices that the companies are adopting to be highly interesting.
“As leaders in the high-technology industry, Microsoft and Amazon are exploring a greener future, a way to sustainable development,” said the second-year, master of finance student.
For Jack Rafoth, his favorite part of the trek was hearing from the team at Microsoft.
“Not only is it an interesting company with great products, but the employees seemed so proud and excited to be a part of it,” said the first-year, full-time MBA student. “Every person we listened to was extremely passionate, which resonated with me and is something that I hope to find in my future career and amongst my coworkers.”
In addition to the office visits, Weatherhead organized two alumni events in Seattle for students to attend, allowing for additional networking opportunities and informal learning.
“I loved the fact that our alumni made it super easy for us to interact with them,” Kamran said. “Even when there were some students who are not the most comfortable in approaching people, our alums from different companies were very welcoming by themselves.”
Upon graduation, Kamran is looking to pursue a career in tech or management consultancy.
He said hearing from executives at the office visits were “highly valuable as these gave us an idea about the recruitment process, as well as the core skill set required to be good at those firms.”
“The entire Weatherhead team who attended this trek has been impressed by the openness of our alumni and corporate partners in sharing the information and the warm welcome not only at the 98point6 startup, but also at the large companies like Amazon and Microsoft,” said Executive Director of Recruitment and Placement Anna Frolova-Levi. “We are looking forward to building an expanded series of treks in the near future, building upon our current success.”
If your company is interested in being a part of a future career trek, please contact Donna VanRooy, director of employer development.