It is critical in the goals essay found in almost every MBA application to
show that you have clear direction and purpose based on experience and planning.
Business school is not another opportunity to "find yourself."
8:00 AM. July 1, 2010. The 23rd floor of the Bank of China
building in Hong Kong. A woman sitting behind the mahogany desk calls a Shanghai
trader to buy 200,000 shares of China Telecom's stock. Moments later, she dashes
into a teleconference with Tokyo analysts. When the teleconference finally
concludes two hours later, the woman rushes down the stairs, hails a taxi to the
Chek Lap Kok Airport, catches a flight to Thailand, and ends her day with a
meeting with the CFO of DynaTech Computers. I look forward to maintaining this
busy schedule as a portfolio manager of an international equity mutual fund
about ten years after obtaining my MBA. The Top School academic experience can
build on my public accounting training and my multi-cultural and multi-lingual
background to prepare me for work first as an equity analyst in the mutual fund
industry and ultimately as a portfolio manager specializing in Asian Pacific
equities.
As a CPA and staff accountant with Big 6 for the past two and a half years, I
have developed a solid foundation in teamwork, analytical, and problem-solving
skills. As a bilingual associate of the Asia-Pacific Business Group, I
specialize in auditing the financial statements of in-bound Asian businesses.
However, while Big 6 provides expansive career opportunities in public
accounting, I have reached a plateau in developing the analytical and management
skills necessary to achieve my ultimate career goal of money management. In
public accounting, we measure and examine financial transactions of the past. In
contrast, money managers examine the current attributes of securities and
attempt to predict their future performance; unfortunately, this forward-looking
focus is absent in public accounting. Unable to delve into financial areas
beyond accounting and limited in obtaining more challenging analytical
experiences, I am also constrained by the compliance nature of public
accounting. I cannot acquire the advanced financial skills necessary to
understand how financial assets are created and traded and how they are
leveraged in national and international capital markets.
Furthermore, an effective manager in the 21st century must be
well-versed in international business transactions. Unfortunately, my desire to
gain this broader understanding of the increasingly interdependent global
economy remains unsatisfied at Big 6. Although I have utilized my Chinese
language skills in servicing our Asian clients and engaged in comparative
technical analysis of U.S. GAAP and French, Taiwanese, and Japanese financial
reporting requirements, my exposure to and knowledge of broader transactional
issues such as international transfer pricing has been limited. Finally, as our
audits focus mainly on the clients' compliance with U.S. GAAP and foreign
accounting and reporting requirements, they provide few opportunities to
appreciate the "big picture" of international business.
A background in financial reporting and servicing Asia-Pacific business
clients. The ability to converse fluently in Chinese. An understanding of
Chinese, Japanese, and American cultures. I will bring these qualities to the
Top School program and ultimately to my career in international investment
management. As a first step toward achieving my career goals, I have registered
to take level one of the CFA examination in June 1993 and plan to complete the
entire examination series upon graduation from Top Ten. Armed with the CFA
certification and Top School's international bent, strength in finance and
management training, I will be ready to place that call to the trader in China,
conduct the teleconference with Tokyo, and visit the CFO in Thailand.