mentor blog #3

It’s been a while since Maureen and I talked. We met in a coffee shop and the weather was super nice that day. We talked a lot about summer plans and what she normally does with her family in the summer. Somehow, we also talked about how parents’ careers can shape kids’ growing up experience. She took an example of her husband and her son. Her husband is a geology professional, and her son grew up hearing some geological terms that kids normally don’t know. So, one time, he had a homework assignment and he did it around geode. His teacher was quite impressed because he was very young, but this is something that he knew naturally from his parents. This reminds me of my decision to be a business and economics major. My Dad is a business man who does international trading. When I was a kid, I really liked going to his office and playing hide and seek because there always were several huge piles of clothes or boxes on the floor. Then, when I grew up a little bit, I thought it’s pretty cool that my Dad was on the phone all the time or dressed formally to attend meetings. Thus, in high school, I took a business class and found out that I actually really like it. Although it’s very different from what I though it is when I was a kid, my Dad definitely plays an important role in my decision to become a business major.

Then, we talked about my post-graduate plan. I recently just signed up for CFA level I exam. CFA stands for Chartered Financial Analysts and it’s a certificate that proves one’s ability in the investment industry. This certificate is quite hard to get and require a lot of efforts. I told Maureen about my study plan and my struggles due to heavy workload from both school and the study for this exam. She gave me some good advices such as prioritize schoolwork during the semester and do more study for the CFA exam during the summer. I also told her about my lack of motivation to get school work done recently. There is always a period of time per semester when I just don’t want to do anything, especially study. She said maybe a change of environment might help, such as study in a different coffee shop or a different place.

I really like this mentor relationship with Maureen. We’re really good friends and our conversation is always very interesting and all over the place. I think ever after this management class is done, I’ll still keep in touch with Maureen and hang out with her regularly.