the last time i contacted many of you, i had just begun the process of leaving the boston consulting group and looking for a job in an industry i was more interested in, namely media, entertainment, or technology. i spent the next few months interviewing with a wide variety of companies, including universal pictures, warner bros., microsoft, google, ea sports, turner broadcasting, disney, and netflix. throughout my interviews, i learned that the recruiting process for experienced hires is very different than the process i encountered when i was in college. gone were the career fairs, the database of companies recruiting, the short interview processes, and the feeling of knowing when the next interview was. instead, i found a process that totally depended on my own effort and desire. in order to land interviews, i had to reach out to contacts that i knew (mostly through other people), scour corporate websites, and blindly send emails with my resume attached. though i managed to get in touch with a number of the companies i wanted to work for, i often found myself on the short-end of the work experience they wanted, especially when so many qualified people with more experience were in the applicant pool.

after a number of humbling rejections, some processes that stalled, and a few interviews during which i discovered i was not very interested in the job, i finally found the place i wanted to be. right when i had begun considering my other options, i managed to land an interview with yahoo!'s corporate strategy group. i had found it through a posting on bcg's alumni website. after making it through 3 rounds of phone interviews, the next step was to fly out for a long day of live interviews (7 back-to-back) at the company headquarters in sunnyvale, ca. during the day, i met a group of laid-back and very intelligent people who had similar backgrounds as myself and who all were very friendly and honest. this was it! after my interviews ended, i spent some time exploring the bay area and felt right at home. if you've ever been out to norcal, you know that the weather is amazing, the scenery is beautiful, and the people are great. it felt very much like a combination of my favorite big city (chicago) and my favorite city in texas (austin). after getting a call from the yahoo! recruiter informing me that "things went very well", i felt confident that san fran would be my new home.

two restless weeks went by as i waited for the official word. the yahoo! recruiter tried his best to assure me that i should be "hearing good news" soon, but i did not want to celebrate until i knew for sure. then, one day, a purple box came in the mail. upon opening it, i was greeted with the familiar "yahooooooo" yodel that is heard on the company's commercials. i promptly signed the offer and sent it back to yahoo! hr. over the next 2 weeks (my last in texas), my life in dallas was a blur - my days were filled with packing, tying up loose ends, and making the rounds to houston & austin to see friends & family before i moved. the whole thing was very bittersweet, as i'm sure there were people i may not see again for a long time. however, i knew that those who cared would keep in touch the best they could.

so anyways, i am now living in silicon valley with a friend from ut named lan roche. ironically, he works at yahoo!'s main competitor - google. because of the sensitive nature of each of our jobs, we often have to be careful about what we talk about regarding work, which we have managed to do without a problem so far. our plan is to finish out lan's lease and move up to san francisco (about 45 minutes north) in mid-to-late december. until then, i've set up shop in the living room while my possessions remain in storage with the shipping company that moved me out west. over the next few months, in addition to getting up to speed with the new job, i plan on familiarizing myself with the live music scene, exploring the various san fran neighborhoods, and getting out there to make some new friends.

in closing, i wanted to thank everyone for their support throughout my process of changing jobs. whether you put me in touch with a contact, encouraged me when i was frustrated, or simply said a little prayer for me, it all helped out! consider this an open invitation to come visit me anytime you feel like seeing the bay area attractions (alcatraz, golden gate bridge, sonoma/napa valley, etc.) being so close to the ski slopes, the wine country, the ocean, national parks, and vegas means i'll be up for doing anything you're interested in. below is my new contact information in case you need to reach out. thanks for reading if you made it this far, and please keep in touch!
 

i hope this entry finds you all well. many of you i haven't talked to in a while, but i would love to hear what's going on in your lives. i've recently started a bit of a transition period, so i thought i'd let everyone know what i was up to.

work-wise, i have recently decided to leave the boston consulting group in order to get some more focused experience elsewhere. after thinking through things long and hard, i felt this was the best thing for me to do, as i have known i won't be in consulting long-term. since this is the typical transition period for second-year associates, it was the best time for me to act on my instincts.

currently, i am interviewing with companies in a few select industries: entertainment, media, and technology (3 of my passions). more precisely, i am looking for strategy/business development positions with these types of firms. since dallas is not exactly known for its entertainment & technology, it is very likely that i will be moving off to the west coast or elsewhere. though i loathe the process of moving, it is still an exciting time!

personal-wise, life in dallas is going great! i keep myself busy with an active social life, traveling, going to concerts/shows/events, and playing in softball, basketball, volleyball, & flag football leagues. i'm also dating a great girl who lives in atlanta; the long distance can be a bit tough, but we're making it work to the best of our abilities. over memorial weekend, we spent time together in the phoenix/scottsdale area at the phoenician resort; it was very relaxing to just hang out by the pool and soak in the desert sun, and my skin is a few shades darker to show.

about a month ago, i went on a trip to bolivia for a pro-bono case i've been working on with a few coworkers at bcg. the primary purpose of the trip was for case research, and we spent a majority of our time interviewing employees of the mission group we were doing work for, as well as visiting the organization's operations in the city of cochabamba and the small village of aramisi.

anyhow, i just wanted to update folks on what i've been up to. i'd appreciate it if you'd forward me any opportunities/contacts you feel may interest me. i'll do my best to make sure my next update is sooner rather than later. hope all is well for each of you!
 

it's been a while since my last update, so there is much to talk about.  however, i will try my best to keep it concise (something i've learned to do in the consulting world).

before i began work in dallas, i took a couple more trips to see friends and have fun.  first, to celebrate a roommate's 22nd birthday, i went up to sin city (aka las vegas).  there, i spent most of my time playing poker, but i managed to get some relaxing in as well.  in addition, i traveled up to chicago for the first time in my life along with a few old friends.  there, we visited a mutual friend and did a number of touristy things, including taking an architectural boat tour, visiting the sears tower, going to millenium park, and watching the horns beat texas tech at the local "ut" bar.

back in austin, i prepared for my move by packing up and saying goodbye to folks.  but first, there was halloween, which i celebrated with all of my old business council friends, and the austin city limits music festival, where i got to see jason mraz (my favorite artist), the bravery, and coldplay, among others.  right before leaving, i held a small farewell get-together at austin's pizza on guadalupe that served as a great opportunity to see everyone again before i moved.

everything with my move in november went fairly smoothly. for a day or two, i was not sure if a moving company would show up on time (due to some communication errors), but one turned up in time and moved me in the weekend before i started work at the boston consulting group - yep, i cut it pretty close!  i spent my first week in dallas doing in-office training and unpacking.  decorating my new apartment turned out to be pretty fun... but expensive as well since i had never had my own place before.

after a week of training, i spent 2 days in the office before getting assigned on my first case.  this would bring me to chicago and omaha every monday through thursday for the next 3 months to do strategy work on a large consumer packaged goods company.  while in omaha, the team kept each other company by doing a number of fun activities, including team dinners, movie nights, and concerts (u2 and coldplay).  the experience was definitely a positive one for my first case!

beginning in march, i rolled off of my assignment and have since been "on the beach" - a term we use to describe being unassigned.  i've kept myself somewhat busy taking a gmat class, attending various events (concerts, musicals, and basketball games), and helping out with recruiting.  to see a full list of the events i've been going to, check out my "events and travel" page.

all-in-all, my life in dallas has been pretty great.  i've started going to a church called watermark community church, and i've been hanging out with a good group of friends from college, as well as one of my life-long friends from katy.  i'm thankful for being blessed with a great life, a great family, and great friends.  hope you all are doing just as well!