On Wednesdays, my wife April and I wake up around 7:00 a.m. April leaves for work, and I take our dog Frankie out for his morning walk around West Berkeley. On the walk, I think about how happy I am, both personally and financially, that April was able to find a job that matches her occupational objectives. Coming from New York City, I wanted April to have ample and comparable opportunity to continue her career. In fact, it was one of the primary reasons why I elected to attend Haas.

After I drop off Frankie at home, it’s a short bus ride to the business school. Before finance class, I have a meeting with one of Haas’s amazing career advisors. Prior to attending the MBA program, I worked as a senior manager at KPMG, but am now looking to transition to a career in marketing or project management with a technology firm. The Haas career advisors have been an invaluable asset in facilitating and guiding my professional reorientation. In addition, the school’s location in the Bay Area has afforded unparalleled opportunities in this regard. For instance, I have already worked onsite at several technology start-up firms as part of class projects, and have networked with local Haas alums who are working at internet companies that I am targeting for potential summer internships.

In finance class, we go over some of the various models used in the valuation of public companies. As an undergraduate liberal arts major, the business school classes have definitely been challenging, but always enjoyable and manageable thanks to great professors and supportive study groups. After finance, I have lunch with some classmates at a café close to campus, finishing quickly so that I can get on my laptop and respond to some emails. At the top of my list is to write back to the group of high school students whom I mentor as part of the Young Entrepreneurs at Haas (YEAH) program. My participation in this program has been one of the most rewarding experiences while at school.

At 3:00 p.m., I get together with my study group to complete some class projects, including a marketing case analysis where we must consider the entry strategies for rolling out a line of men’s toiletries into a new market. After this session, I head out to Oakland for dinner with some of my old high school friends from Utah, where I grew up. As fellow transplants to the Bay Area, they are excited to help me reestablish my interest in outdoor activities, such as hiking, mountain biking, and snow skiing, which somewhat dwindled while I lived in Manhattan. Unfortunately, there are so many types of outdoor activities that are readily accessible from Berkeley; I fear that I will have no choice but to get back into shape.

I arrive home around 9:00 p.m. and spend some quality time with April and Frankie, and prepare myself for another great day.

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It is Wednesday morning around 7:00 a.m. Today, I am up earlier than usual to review an accounting problem set and prepare for a marketing case discussion. As I finish up with the case, I enjoy a quick breakfast and catch a bus to school. I live in a lovely neighborhood in North Berkeley, where there are at least ten Asian restaurants located within walking distance from my apartment. This has helped soften the transition from my hometown, Bangkok, to the Bay Area. Prior to business school, I worked as a market researcher for CPG (Consumer Packaged Goods) at ACNielsen and grew a strong interest in conceptual analysis. At Haas, I plan to strengthen my skills and knowledge for a future career in consulting. A Haas class of 240 provides diversity in a family-like environment that makes me feel I have all the support I need as a career switcher.

It takes only 15 minutes from my place to school. I head up to accounting class. Although balancing debits and credits is not my favorite activity, it’s fun to learn accounting through examples that use real companies. After class, I walk to the Faculty Club to meet with a marketing team for ABC (Asian Business Conference), which is organized annually by the Pacific Rim club. Besides discussing the next steps for our public communication plan, we celebrate the good news -- Google has just confirmed as one of our keynote speakers. After an enjoyable lunch, I walk back to Haas for my favorite class, marketing, taught by Professor Rashi Glazer. Professor Glazer’s approach and analysis always energize me. I jot down every important “do” and “don’t” for my future career in consulting. In fact, towards the end of the semester, I realize how all the core courses help build a solid foundation of business knowledge that every successful manager must have.

Once class ends, I head over to the Bank of America forum for today’s meeting with my team to discuss the iPod case, organized by the Haas Technology club and Apple. Since I am not familiar with high tech marketing, working on this case is more than challenging. It is almost 6:00 p.m. when we are done. I decide to walk back home instead of taking a bus. It is always pleasant to finish up a long day by walking through the south side of UC Berkeley on Bancroft Way, where there are a lot of local shops and restaurants.

I arrive home and start cooking dinner. It’s very easy to find Asian ingredients in Berkeley, so I can eat spicy Thai food every day. Before going to bed, I check my email and receive an update from my colleagues in Bangkok. They have found several sources of Thai crafts produced by nonprofit organizations that educate and find jobs for poor people. Besides consulting, I also have a strong passion for finding new business opportunities for these organizations back in my home country. Coming to Haas makes it possible for me to pursue both professional and personal goals at the same time, since I am surrounded by smart people – many with strong analytical thinking, and many with a great entrepreneurial spirit.

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I awake to peace and quiet on Wednesday morning in my in-law studio in North Berkeley, quite a change from the sound of early morning garbage trucks and traffic of New York City. Before coming to Haas, I was a project director for a nonprofit public defense organization which provides legal and social work services in the poorest neighborhoods of the city. Although I loved my job and close network of family and friends, I was ready for a change of pace and wanted to give the West Coast a try. Berkeley seemed like the best fit, quaint enough and with plenty of wide-open space for a fresh change, but close enough to San Francisco for an urban experience.

On my way to school, I catch up on the phone with the CFO of a small health care company where I will be consulting. I found them through the Berkeley Solutions group, a club that matches students with companies in need of (paid) consulting services. It’s a great hands-on opportunity for me to apply economic and financial analysis, and to broaden my narrow experience of sole nonprofit work. I’m planning on pursuing a career in international development with a focus on microfinance. Other opportunities I have encountered at Haas include the Global Initiatives career trek to Washington DC, where 15 students visited organizations such as the International Finance Corporation (IFC) of the World Bank and USAID.

At 8:30 a.m., I walk into an early morning study group meeting, and my group makes sure to ask if I’ve had my coffee yet. After just a couple of months of early morning and all day weekend study sessions, they know me pretty well. My study group has been invaluable the first semester at Haas; we hold diverse backgrounds and strengths that make working on group projects a truly interactive learning experience. We sketch out a plan for all the end of semester projects, and review the finance and accounting problem sets due today.

I leave them to struggle with the last question of the accounting set as I run off to a 9:30 breakfast meeting with the Education Club, an organization founded this year by students who share an interest in careers in education. We discuss a new speaker series class

for the spring semester and the Oakland Residency program offered through the Nonprofit and Public Management Program. In the Oakland Residency

program, students are partnered with a principal at a small school to work on sustainability consulting projects for the semester.

At 10:30 a.m., I head to the somewhat mysterious world of financial accounting, where we discuss subsidiary companies commonly set up by large companies, such as Enron for accounting purposes, and a classmate shares her experiences working for such a company in the Cayman Islands prior to business school.

After accounting, a group of us meet in the Haas courtyard before lunch to set up a time for a tutoring session later this week for upcoming finals. The Brasch Tutorial program partners second-year or evening & weekend students with first-years who need extra help with core classes. As someone with a non- profit and liberal arts background, these tutoring sessions have proven invaluable.

Lunchtime is usually packed with club meetings or career workshops. Today, as a Net Impact officer, I have organized a speaker event with the author of a new book on socially responsible capitalism. Net Impact members include students interested in non-profit organizations, corporate social responsibility, and the public sector. The club organizes an annual conference, career treks, and networking events

Before my next class, I phone my mentor to discuss a strategy for choosing classes for the spring. The Haas mentor program matches second-year students with first-years. I call my mentor for advice on everything from professors and classes, to summer internships.

Next is marketing class, where Professor Rashi Glazer walks us through the history of Southwest Airlines using the case method, his area of expertise.

Class is over at 4:00 p.m., so I run over to Bancroft Avenue to grab a cup of coffee with a consultant from Accenture, who is also on the board of directors of a local nonprofit that wants to collaborate with Haas. As VP of Community for the MBAA (the MBA student government organization), I am coordinating volunteer and community building activities for MBA students. The community-oriented spirit at Haas is what attracted me most to the Berkeley MBA program. People with numerous passions give their time to activities beyond classes and careers.

Another issue I was concerned about in choosing Haas was the distance from any East Coast network and job opportunities. But, a large portion of my classmates are from the East Coast, and there are plenty of occasions to find East Coast opportunities, either through on-campus events, the alumni network, or student-organized career trips.

Wednesdays are packed days, so for an energy boost, I head to yoga class at RSF, Berkeley’s main recreational center. After yoga, I take BART into the city

to meet a friend for a quick dinner in the Mission district. I try to make sure to split my time with non-Haas friends and activities for a healthy balance. The rigorous academic and social schedule at Haas can fill up time pretty quickly!

On my way back, I read the finance case for the next day. There’s always room for an infinite number of things to accomplish in a Haas day.

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