I am looking for a business apprenticeship

Yes, I just took the GMAT. I got the score I was targetting and did well enough for the schools I am interested in applying to. I have not attended business school yet - why would I be taking the GMAT if I already attended one?

BTW, don't believe everything you read on the Internet or in blogs. Part of the reason Ivy league schools have low acceptance rates is because they get a TON of applications.

And for the record, my friend at Wharton attended Cornell as an undergrad, and knew no one there either, so don't think that you have to have connections.

 

So what, why are you so hung up on this ?

If you can't find a business apprenticeship from a successful entrepreneur (btw who says success == ferrrari?) why not be your own entrepreneur. If you're really hungry you'll find your meal yourself.

 

this is an interesting thread, there are probably tons of people who join this site for the same exact reason, which is because they need help from people with more experience in being headed in the right direction... As already mentioned one of the ways in doing this is to subscribe and get access to the business section of the forum. Best of luck.

 

Why do you think you deserve the best or better then someone else? What makes you different from anyone else who wants a mentor? What is your motivation for being on this site?

And one more thing... Why do you think you don't see "I want a job" and "I want an internship" threads throughout this site? Just think about that one. If you honestly cannot come up with the real answer, then I am afraid you are in the wrong place.

 

How much time will you stick around for if you don't get what you want right away?

 

...the million dollar question...

 

If you go downtown to the Greyhound Station with this rap I can almost guarantee you'll end up with an Apprenticeship type movie roll

 

The pursuit of happyness was a movie, not actual footage of real life.

 

If you are truely adamant about being an entrepreneur some day, I will tell you that you do not need an MBA. Save your money and time. Work for several small businesses and learn from there. Everyone has their own style. I graduated from the Marshall School of Business majoring in entrepreneurship and I can tell you that the staff their will give you the same advice. The difference between an entrepreneur and an MBA student is that the MBA student upon graduation will seek a position in a prestigious corporate company with a nice big office and high salary. On the other hand, the entrepreneur accepts that his journey will be a roller coaster ride with very humble beginnings till however long it takes. Its not always about the glitz and glamour. Its about what you really know and what meaningful value your work can contribute to society.

Ben Graham had always advised Buffet to stay away from Wall Street as the glitz and glamour tends to cloud your mind from real investment thinking. My advice is the same. You don't need to work for a prestigious company to understand entrepreneurship.

See if you can find Thomas O-malia's (USC professor) book called the Entrepreneurial Journey. Very real information. I would say it is as enlightening as Ben Graham's The Intelligent Investor, but in regards to entrepreneurship.

 

Ken,

I couldn't agree more. While I don't post on here very much, and as a result my opinions may not seem to have much veracity as a result, I thought I'd offer comments to Rmart8288 anyway.

I've worked for the same company in Orange County since 1997, right when I graduated from University. I was a known quantity to this company, having worked in the stockroom, on the production line and in the paint booth for several summers during high school and univeristy. My first task was to get them compliant with EDI and solve the Y2k issues they had with the legacy MRP system. (I began in the IT role, obviously.) I knew little about either EDI or Y2k compliance for a defense and aerospace company, but managed to do enough research and spend enough nights working into the late hours on those issues that I was able to get them compliant before the deadlines. Since that time, I've moved through the company with stints in Production, Purchasing, Costing, Business Development and Acqusition until I reached Executive Management. I now interview both potential interns as well as full hire candidates. Because of this, I can offer you perspective from my point of view as the type of person you're likely to come across:

1) When I review resumes, (can't find the damned accent symbol!), I look first for an undergraduate degree and second to see how a candidate's longevity has been during their career (this applies whether they're 22 or 52.) I generally will rapidly discount anyone who has more than two or three (again, depending on the length of their career) stints under three years in length. This is mainly because I don't want to spend time, money and other corporate resources training someone who will only last for a little while. I also want to know that someone had the tenactity to stick to something while recognizing that everything isn't always rosy. (I realize there are legitimate reasons for short employement, but I also realize it takes about two years for most people to grasp the entire vision of the company and develop a way to work within it. As a result, many people leave shortly after this time because they can not or will not develop a process to succeed. - Again, a generalization that does have exceptions, which is why I don't look to harshly on one or two short stints.)

2) Out of seven executive level managers, only one has an MBA. I don't remember where it was from. (I think this shows you how much time I spent concerning myself with it as a reflection of his qualifications.) He was hired because of his extensive work experience in relevant positions to the one he was being considered for. In the Management Review (anyone applying for a supervisory or management level position in our company sits for an "Oral Board" with their potential peers, who all need to agree on their suitability), not a single person focused on his education AT ALL. All the questions were about where he'd worked, what he'd done and what programs he'd implemented.

The bottom line is, from my perspective as someone who hires the type of candidate you'd like to become, an MBA is only a partial reflection of a candidate's suitability. As a result, I'd spend more time focusing on how you can further your career within your own organization or grow into another one - small businesses are a great place to work because of the breadth and depth of problems you'll be tasked with. The amount you'll learn (in the "right" small business) in four to five years will put you on similar ground to someone with an MBA an no practical experience. (In my opinion.)

Obviously, these are only my opinions, and I recognize there are likely many other people on this forum with far more experience than me who may disagree.

JM