summer takes shape (at last)

I am happy to report that it looks like we are staying in Chicago for the summer!! B accepted an offer today for a very large telecommunications company in the western suburbs (hello moto). He jokes that he will be spending a good part of his summer on I-90. [We won't talk about how he asked me about techniques for tossing coins at the tollbooths (we are getting an i-pass this week).]

The position is a great fit, offering opportunities in marketing and strategy. As an added bonus his new boss has mentored (successfully) many engineer types who have wanted to make the transition to marketing. Oh, and to make it even better he will actually work at headquarters (as B has mostly worked for start ups, being at the headquarters of an international company will be a new adventure experience). Seriously though, working with all the c-level types can be fun and usually has perks like nice office space, plus you never know whom you might bump into on the elevator.

He still needs to fill out some forms, pee in a cup, and prove he really is an MBA student; but otherwise it is a pretty done deal. Initially I thought he started this Monday, but it turns out it is the following Monday. So he will get a week break to recoup from his finals, which he has until 6pm tomorrow to turn in. It also looks like he will have a week and a half break at the end before school starts.

I really am relieved. It has been quite the life in limbo. In these last few days everything from Boston to Austin and beyond have been discussed. The thought of moving, and finding a place last minute was stress provoking. The other thought -- being separated for twelve weeks, was equally fun.

For those just joining in, you must remember that this internship process started back in the fall. There were various events on and off campus to interact with potential employers. These were social events (think cocktail hours). Some of them were even video taped (really -- it is that hardcore).

Next came on-campus recruiting. Some people were invited to interview based on these previous social interactions. Then there were other slots where you could bid for a space. There were wait lists in case someone accepted an offer (and thus really had no need to go through another interview), and in one instance B actually ended up having an interview at 9am upon receiving an email at midnight followed by a phone call by someone at career services at 7am. As you can imagine these things get tricky and sometimes even a little sticky. Ewww.

If you don't get an offer this way, you probably need to start getting more aggressive and search on your own or with a group of students. In B's case he joined a group of students over the winter break at something called WestQuest, and then went back to the bay area over spring break on his own.

I should point out that depending on area of interest (finance, banking, consulting, etc), certain times are more active than others. In B's case (marketing) positions usually don't start popping up until spring, whereas the bankers usually have summer jobs lined up by January (which is probably good because finding affordable summer housing in New York can be a full time job). My point is that we were warned an offer would most likely come later than sooner.

Still B continued his search. He networked through his blog as well as on line communities like Linked-In. That actually netted him a couple of interviews. He received a random email from a company in the Philippines who purchased the face book (yes, you really can do that). In the end though someone at career services passed his name and resume to his future boss who had called up to inquire if anyone with a particular skill set was still looking for an internship. You never know how these things will happen. Or how fast they can happen.

B got the phone call this Tuesday afternoon, in which his interview for Wednesday was set up. He arrived (after successfully tossing coins at the toll booth) and ended up being interviewed by six people over the course of nearly four hours. He got an email today with the offer letter. He should get a FedEx tomorrow morning with the rest of the paperwork. It really can happen that fast. Although for the record both B and I have a history of being offered jobs on the spot (as in starting that very day).

So we now know where we will be this summer. As for what it holds, that is anyone's guess. Stay tuned.