Over Christmas break, I had a lot to think about. I had just changed my post-MBA plans from launching a fund with some partners in Texas to pursuing something more stable right out of school. I had the option to return to the asset management firm that I interned with, the Cornell endowment fund had given me an offer to be part of their investment team, and I was also considering other buy-side positions that would take me closer to family back west.
Deciding on an internship was easier because I knew I'd only be in the position for 12 weeks and I could easily pursue a different path after the summer was over if the job turned out to be a poor fit. Not only was I was stressing about the full-time decision since I knew it would have an enormous impact on how the rest of my career would unfold, but I was having hard time pinpointing which criteria was the most important. Each opportunity offered something completely different than the others.
Joining the Cornell endowment fund would be very rewarding since I would have the opportunity to work for an institution that I truly cared about. Returning to the firm I interned with was appealing since I really enjoyed the team dynamic and the freedom use my own process to pick stocks. My wife and kids are obviously an integral part of my life so work/life balance was important to me, and location was also a big consideration since my wife and I have close family members and friends living in the west.
After countless discussions with my wife, a few alumni, and some friends in the industry, I decided the single most important criteria boiled down to which job would give me the best learning experience and open the widest door to the investment management industry. Once I finally put aside everything else, it quickly became clear that the endowment gig was my best opportunity. I'm excited to report that I'll be staying in Ithaca upon graduation to work for the Absolute Return group at the Cornell Office of University Investments. I've got a few more thoughts regarding my decision process that I'd like to write about, so I'll probably do a follow-up to this post next time...
