Hi everyone, and welcome to my blog where I plan to document some of my adventures throughout the Leadership for Global Operations (LGO) program at MIT.
I thought I'd start out by explaining my rationale for choosing LGO. For me, it was quite simple. While I was an undergrad at the University of Arizona, I saw a flyer for the program (then called LFM) and started reading more about it online. From the start, it seemed like the perfect program for me. At the time I really didn't have a clear picture of what I wanted to do after graduation, but I knew it would involve some combination of engineering and operations management. LGO seemed like the perfect combination, and let's be honest, what beats getting two graduate degrees from MIT? I also liked the fact that everyone in the program had at least some industry experience. By the time I got into my senior year in school, I was itching to get out into the industry for a while and I knew that I didn't want to go straight into grad school. After two summer internships at Boeing, I was ready to get out and work.
Once I started to work full-time, I kept LGO in the back of my mind but focused mostly on my job and the new-found freedom I had after 5:00 everyday. That experience also reinforced my preference for attending a full-time grad school rather than try to complete it part-time while working. I knew that when I did go to grad school, I didn't want to have to worry about fitting in 40+ hours of work per week at the same time.
After about a year of working, I found out that Boeing had a sponsorship program to LGO through which they sent 1 or 2 students every year. I started getting in touch with the current students and alumni and learning more about what I could do to qualify for the sponsorship. Over the next couple years, I took on projects and assignments that would help me gain the experience necessary to apply for the program. I also visited Boston a few times for campus visits and was blown away by the quality and energy of the students, faculty, and staff. I knew that this would be the only program I applied for and I really didn't have a backup plan.
After working for an LGO alum while on an assignment in Italy, I decided to go for it and apply for the Class of 2014. Unfortunately, by the time I decided to apply I was right up against the deadlines set by the company. I took the GMAT on 3-days notice and scrambled to get all my essays and letters of recommendations submitted by the end of October. I made it through the initial company screening and then sent the same application into MIT in December. In the spring, I completed interviews at both MIT and in Seattle and then the waiting game began. In March, I was thrilled to get the call from Don Rosenfield (LGO director) saying that I got into LGO! But that excitement was soon quashed by the call from Boeing saying that I didn't get the sponsorship. I could have gone into the program on my own, but I made the difficult choice to hold off and try again for the sponsorship the next year.
That extra year turned out to be one of the best that I can remember. After getting feedback from the sponsorship committee, I spent the year taking on a few different management roles and can definitely say that I had the most personal and professional growth in this last year of all my years at Boeing. By the time I submitted my application for the Class of 2015, I felt much more prepared and more excited than ever. I went through all the application steps again, but this time with a different result: I got into LGO and would be sponsored by the company! From there, it was a no-brainer to commit to the program and start packing my bags.
I thought I'd start out by explaining my rationale for choosing LGO. For me, it was quite simple. While I was an undergrad at the University of Arizona, I saw a flyer for the program (then called LFM) and started reading more about it online. From the start, it seemed like the perfect program for me. At the time I really didn't have a clear picture of what I wanted to do after graduation, but I knew it would involve some combination of engineering and operations management. LGO seemed like the perfect combination, and let's be honest, what beats getting two graduate degrees from MIT? I also liked the fact that everyone in the program had at least some industry experience. By the time I got into my senior year in school, I was itching to get out into the industry for a while and I knew that I didn't want to go straight into grad school. After two summer internships at Boeing, I was ready to get out and work.
Once I started to work full-time, I kept LGO in the back of my mind but focused mostly on my job and the new-found freedom I had after 5:00 everyday. That experience also reinforced my preference for attending a full-time grad school rather than try to complete it part-time while working. I knew that when I did go to grad school, I didn't want to have to worry about fitting in 40+ hours of work per week at the same time.
After about a year of working, I found out that Boeing had a sponsorship program to LGO through which they sent 1 or 2 students every year. I started getting in touch with the current students and alumni and learning more about what I could do to qualify for the sponsorship. Over the next couple years, I took on projects and assignments that would help me gain the experience necessary to apply for the program. I also visited Boston a few times for campus visits and was blown away by the quality and energy of the students, faculty, and staff. I knew that this would be the only program I applied for and I really didn't have a backup plan.
After working for an LGO alum while on an assignment in Italy, I decided to go for it and apply for the Class of 2014. Unfortunately, by the time I decided to apply I was right up against the deadlines set by the company. I took the GMAT on 3-days notice and scrambled to get all my essays and letters of recommendations submitted by the end of October. I made it through the initial company screening and then sent the same application into MIT in December. In the spring, I completed interviews at both MIT and in Seattle and then the waiting game began. In March, I was thrilled to get the call from Don Rosenfield (LGO director) saying that I got into LGO! But that excitement was soon quashed by the call from Boeing saying that I didn't get the sponsorship. I could have gone into the program on my own, but I made the difficult choice to hold off and try again for the sponsorship the next year.
That extra year turned out to be one of the best that I can remember. After getting feedback from the sponsorship committee, I spent the year taking on a few different management roles and can definitely say that I had the most personal and professional growth in this last year of all my years at Boeing. By the time I submitted my application for the Class of 2015, I felt much more prepared and more excited than ever. I went through all the application steps again, but this time with a different result: I got into LGO and would be sponsored by the company! From there, it was a no-brainer to commit to the program and start packing my bags.
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