When to Pursue a Career That is Not Your College Major - Julie Hession

In Chapter 6 of 21 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, food entrepreneur Julie Hession answers "After majoring in hotel and restaurant management in college what made you decide to shift away from that in your career?"  Studying in Las Vegas, Hession finds the glamorous picture of hotel management career does not meet what she experiences.  With advice from her father, she decides to make a change to find work outside her college major.  Julie Hession is the founder of Julie Anne's All Natural Granola Company.  Passionate about food since childhood, Hession has developed her career by food blogging, cooking contests, and starting fine food companies.  Hession earned an MBA in Marketing from Duke University and a BA from UNLV. 

Transcription: 

Erik:  After majoring in hotel and restaurant management in college, what made you decide to shift away from that in your career?

Julie:  Well, the fact that about three months into my first job out of college I decided that I hated hotel and restaurant management, that was my first clue.  And it was interesting because, you know, when you’re an undergrad and you’re taking four years in this curriculum and all you’re learning about is you know hotel and restaurant management, hotel and restaurant law, hotel and restaurant marketing, you know 'cause – I had casino management.  I mean, my life was surrounded, and it was Las Vegas, UNLV, so the city revolves around hotels and restaurants. 

So I kind of had tunnel vision and I was thinking, "Well, this is what I've chosen to do, I'm tied to it.  This is gonna be my life."  And I got my first job with Windham Hotels.  They don't tell you where they’re gonna put you when they hire you.  You make no money when you graduate with a hotel and restaurant management degree.  They basically tell you that the first day of school when you’re a freshman.  You sit down and they say, "You're gonna work 100 hours a week and you're gonna make no money.  Welcome to college." 

You know, I should have just you know headed for the door just then, but the idea of it still excited me at that point.  I still had this whole -- there's this show called Hotel on, this drama that was called Hotel like back in the 80's that created a very glamorous picture of what it was like to work in a hotel.  And I think that kind of, in some way, when I got to college I thought I was gonna be like that, you know?  This glamorous Connie Sellecca lady that you know ran the hotel.  So it was a rude awakening when I was like crawling around taping wires to the floor for like a food and beverage banquet, you know?  So anyway I got the job with Windham, they put me in Annapolis, Maryland, which I had – you know great city but I had no friends there.  You didn't really make a lot of friends working in this small hotel in the city and I was just – I was so unhappy. 

I wasn't happy at work, I wasn't happy with what I was doing and this was an instance where my dad came down to Annapolis.  He drove down to Annapolis, took me to lunch and he said, "You know this isn’t right for you.  You need to figure out, you know, and you don't need to do it tomorrow, you don't need to do it the next day but I think you need to figure out what you want to do and make a change and figure out how you’re gonna get there."  So that was like such an "Aha!" moment for me that I could do something else.  You know, my major -- I didn't have to do my major.  So – and that was huge because then I started just kind of looking around and I think kind of opening my mind a little bit.  You know, back then I knew I loved food but I wasn't at all thinking like food career 'cause when I thought food I thought, "Okay restaurant management," so that wasn't clicking.

How Earning an MBA Enables Career Change - Julie Hession

In Chapter 7 of 21 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, food entrepreneur Julie Hession answers "Why Did You Decide to Get an MBA?"  Hession did not know what to do with her career and decides to get an MBA to figure out her longer term career aspirations.  She leaves pharmaceutical sales for the intellectual stimulation of an MBA classroom.  Julie Hession is the founder of Julie Anne's All Natural Granola Company.  Passionate about food since childhood, Hession has developed her career by food blogging, cooking contests, and starting fine food companies.  Hession earned an MBA in Marketing from Duke University and a BA from UNLV. 

Learning Small Business Working at American Express - Julie Hession

In Chapter 8 of 21 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, food entrepreneur Julie Hession answers "How Did Working at American Express During Business School Teach You About the World of Small Business?"  Hession interns at American Express while studying at Duke for her MBA.  She gets paired with three senior women and it tasked with doing the competitive analysis with the company's new foray into small business, the Blue Card.  She gets exposure to a new market, and also senior female leadership, that open her mind to future career options.  Julie Hession is the founder of Julie Anne's All Natural Granola Company.  Passionate about food since childhood, Hession has developed her career by food blogging, cooking contests, and starting fine food companies.  Hession earned an MBA in Marketing from Duke University and a BA from UNLV. 

When Can an MBA Degree Help an Entrepreneur - Julie Hession

In Chapter 9 of 21 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, food entrepreneur Julie Hession answers "Where Has Your MBA Been Most Useful in Your Career as an Entrepreneur?"  Hession shares how her MBA coursework in marketing and entrepreneurship provided foundation experiences she could build upon as she created her own business.  Over time, experience teaches Hession not to rely on business plans and to more openly embrace change.  Julie Hession is the founder of Julie Anne's All Natural Granola Company.  Passionate about food since childhood, Hession has developed her career by food blogging, cooking contests, and starting fine food companies.  Hession earned an MBA in Marketing from Duke University and a BA from UNLV. 

When to Stop Learning and Start Doing - Kyung Yoon

In Chapter 3 of 19 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, non-profit executive Kyung Yoon answers "What is Your Comfort Zone and What Do You Do to Break Free of Living in It?  Yoon finds her comfort zone is learning something new, as evidenced in her immersion across varied careers in economic analysis, journalism, and, now, philanthropy.  Excited by learning, Yoon makes it a priority to then apply that learning in her career.  Kyung Yoon is the executive director of the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) in New York City.  An award-winning journalist and documentary film producer, Yoon earned an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in History and Political Science at Wellesley College.

Parenting Advice on Motivating High School Kids - Kyung B. Yoon

In Chapter 5 of 19 in her 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, non-profit executive Kyung Yoon answers "How Do You Measure Success in What You Do as a Parent?" Yoon contrasts her approach to what has become known as the "Tiger Mom" approach.  With her two sons, Yoon makes it a point to embrace their individuality and tailor supportive parenting approaches to motivate each of the boys.  Kyung Yoon is the executive director of the Korean American Community Foundation (KACF) in New York City.  An award-winning journalist and documentary film producer, Yoon earned an MA in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University and a BA in History and Political Science at Wellesley College.

Transcription:

Erik Michielsen:  How do you measure success in what you do as a parent?

Kyung Yoon:  I know there was a lot of brouhaha around tiger moms and as being an Asian mom and actually having a son who just started college this year and having gone through that excruciating process, acceptance and so on.  And, he's, you know, he's in a very happy place.  He's doing great.  And then I have a younger son who is a high schooler.  And, I think, when I look at both of my boys and they are really very similar in some ways but also very, very different, that it's not about one size fits all.  And, I guess, it's not about something you can read in a book and you wish that there was somebody who could tell you all the answers.  But, I think, a strategy that would be very motivating to one child could be crushing to another child. 

And so, I think, what I've learned about how to be a successful parent, and I'm not saying that I'm there at all, but is that, when I see my child, I see that beyond everything else, he has a beautiful, sort of, little fire going on inside him.  And to me, I think that my job as a mother is to keep that fire lit and just to fan it.  And, if it means that he's so passionate about the bongo drums then I'm gonna fan that, you know, because he's really, like, he loves it and it gives him confidence and meaning and that's great. 

And so, I feel like it's not my job to say that's not important, that you should be doing this.  Of course, there are things that they have to do.  They have to, you know, stay, you know, on top of their school work and they have to do, there are things that we have to do, but it's not a hard and rigid rule in my book.

Jullien Gordon on How to Rule Out Career Options and Follow Your Passion

In Chapter 5 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, motivation teacher Jullien Gordon answers "How Has Ruling Out Career Options Helped You Better Focus On What You Really Want to Do?"  He notes that when you get great at something you hate, you attract more of the thing that you hate.  Going into his Stanford MBA program, Gordon ruled out more traditional paths he did not find appealing and created his own career as a Purpose Finder.  He notes how we often are anchored to a limited number of careers because of an unwillingness to identify and explore paths we did not know previously existed.  Gordon is the founder of the Department of Motivated Vehicles, a personal and professional development company that helps clients identify purpose and map it to successful outcomes. Gordon has written five books and speaks regularly to college students across America.  He earned masters degrees in education and business from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree from UCLA.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  How has ruling out career options helped you better focus on what you really want to do?

Jullien Gordon:  I could be good at a lot of things.  I could be great at a lot of things and often times people move through life and they get great at things that they hate and when you get great at something that you hate all you do is you attract more of the thing that you hate and so going into business school I knew that consulting, investment banking, brand management weren’t for me, not to say that they’re bad career paths, I just want people to move in a way where the career path that are there are actually for them and I couldn’t find one where I felt like I would be able to be fully present on a daily basis so I had to create one and that’s why I call myself a purpose finder.  It’s not a life coach, it’s not a motivational speaker, I’m a purpose finder and it’s a career path that I’m actually paving through my life experiences. 

I’ve met other purpose finders, they haven’t called themselves that – with that kind of language but I’ve met people who do very similar work and so there’s all – there’s an infinite number of career paths that are out there but for some reason we choose from this limited menu of career paths based on what’s prestigious, based on big brand name companies that come to recruit on campus and there may be other paths out there that are a good fit for you.  There something I have called the career choice circle and there’s a small circle of career paths that we know exist and think we know a lot about but the only way you really know about a career is if you have done it for about six months. 

So often times we choose careers with a lot of imperfect information, then there’s this other circle around that called careers that you know exist but you know you know nothing about.  For instance for me firefighter, I know it exists but I don’t know a lot about it. I could say, oh yeah they put out fires and they save cats from trees, right?  But is that really what they do on a daily basis?  That’s a microcosm of what they do.  But where I like to push people is this notion of career paths that we don’t know exist therefore we know nothing about and when you’re driving home, you see these companies on these buildings and you don’t know what that company does, you’ve never even seen the name before but that company is obviously creating value if they’re still here and there may be people and roles within that organization when you are an absolute fit.

Jullien Gordon on How Standup Comedy Facilitates Self-Discovery

In Chapter 9 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, motivation teacher Jullien Gordon answers "What Did Taking a Standup Comedy Class Teach You About Yourself?"  Gordon notes how the experience helped him "uncan" himself, allowing him to loosen up, be himself, and be corny and silly in his life.  Gordon learns to use humor and comedy to get people to open up and be more receptive to the more challenging messages he delivers.  Gordon is the founder of the Department of Motivated Vehicles, a personal and professional development company that helps clients identify purpose and map it to successful outcomes. Gordon has written five books and speaks regularly to college students across America.  He earned masters degrees in education and business from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree from UCLA.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  What did taking a stand up comedy class teach you about yourself?

Jullien Gordon:  Oh wow.  I really enjoyed that experience.  The term I like to put to it is that it really let me un-can myself because being a professional coming from Stanford and just being in this business world, often times we can ourselves and we have these prepackaged ways of delivering ourselves to other people and taking a comedy class just loosened me up and allowed me to be more of who am I. At the end of the day I’m really corny.  I’m really corny.  I make corny jokes at home with my friends, they even know me as corny and it allowed me to bring that corniness into every space that I’m in and not be ashamed of it and so I really loved that experience.

 Ultimately when I speak I bring the truth to people to the best of the my ability or the truth that I see just so that they can be exposed to it but when I would just deliver the truth, a lot of people might close off.  So through comedy and humor I’m actually able to open people up so that they’re smiling in the way that you are and then once people are open they’re more receptive to the messages that you deliver and then I can give the harder things that people have to consider.  So it has really helped me become a better communicator, a better speaker and so I’m really grateful for that experience.

Jullien Gordon on How Storytelling Class Improves Public Speaking

In Chapter 10 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, motivation teacher Jullien Gordon answers "How is Your Public Speaking Experience Teaching You to More Effectively Engage an Audience?"  Gordon shares how taking a storytelling course helps him better share his experiences and connect with audiences.  The storytelling, combined with what he learns taking a stand-up comedy course, help him create more actionable personal and professional development messages to his audience.  Gordon is the founder of the Department of Motivated Vehicles, a personal and professional development company that helps clients identify purpose and map it to successful outcomes. Gordon has written five books and speaks regularly to college students across America.  He earned masters degrees in education and business from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree from UCLA.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  How is your public speaking experience teaching you to more effectively engage an audience?

Jullien Gordon:  In addition to my comedy class I’ve actually taken a storytelling class with a company called Narrative, and I know just based on my own experiences and the messages and the guidelines for life that have stuck with me, have all come through stories and so I’m actually working on things to become a better storyteller, like I said I went to a comedy class to become a better communicator and when I’ve coupled these things with the messages that I already have, this comedy and this storytelling, has allowed the messages that I have to share with the world to actually stick and land in a deeper place for people and so it’s just -- it’s been amazing to be able to touch people in so many ways. 

One of the most beautiful things that I love is getting emails from people within like 48 hours after a speaking engagement because you know speaking engagements they can inspire you in a lot ways, but for me inspiration isn’t enough.  I actually need to see people make changes in their life otherwise the inspiration it comes and it goes and that’s not enough to actually cause change.  I like to see when people actually make a change in their life as a result of something I said and when I get those emails back about people’s new commitments based on what I shared with them, that means the world to me.

Jullien Gordon on Building a Teaching Career Outside the Classroom

In Chapter 13 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, motivation teacher Jullien Gordon answers "How Has Your Professional Experience Directed Your Passion for Teaching?"  Gordon notes how, upon graduating UCLA, he applied but was not accepted to Teach for America.  He pursues teaching experiences outside the classroom, preparing students by providing them tools, systems and processes to use.  This helps Gordon shape into the motivation teacher and public speaker he is today.  Gordon is the founder of the Department of Motivated Vehicles, a personal and professional development company that helps clients identify purpose and map it to successful outcomes. Gordon has written five books and speaks regularly to college students across America.  He earned masters degrees in education and business from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree from UCLA.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  How has your professional experience directed your passion for teaching?

Jullien Gordon:  So coming out college I originally applied for Teach for America.  I thought I wanted to be a teacher and for some reason they said my application was incomplete and after a while I realized that you know what?  The classroom wasn’t actually where I wanted to be.  So you know I teach -- I consider myself a motivation teacher more so than a motivational speaker because a motivational speaker come in and get you excited for 30 minutes then you leave and they leave and that inspiration fades away after like another 30 minutes, right? 

As a motivation teacher I always try to leave people with tools, systems and processes that they can use and that will carry them on beyond my presence and that’s what I think a teacher does.  They leave you with formulas, tools, processes and ways of thinking about the world and your life that will last beyond their presence.  You can think about some of your most amazing teachers, Luigi Santini, Chip Anderson, Father Marlow. These are people who have touched me in ways that have long outlasted their presence in my life and so when I share messages that’s where I’m coming from.  I’m really trying to share life changing and transformative messages, not just inspiration.

Jullien Gordon on How to Take Action on an Inspiring Moment

In Chapter 14 of 16 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, motivation teacher Jullien Gordon answers "What is Your Process for Designing Career Learning Products and Programs?"  Gordon goes into detail on how he takes action on inspiring moments and creates learning products and expeirences that help others.  Gordon shares the step-by-step evolution of that idea and how he packages the idea and delivers it to an audience.  From this, Gordon, develops an annual framework that allows him to continuously turn new ideas into learning and career education products.  Gordon is the founder of the Department of Motivated Vehicles, a personal and professional development company that helps clients identify purpose and map it to successful outcomes. Gordon has written five books and speaks regularly to college students across America.  He earned masters degrees in education and business from Stanford University and an undergraduate degree from UCLA.

Transcript:

Erik Michielsen:  What is your process for designing career-learning products and programs?

Jullien Gordon: The first process is for inspiration.  For instance, the Route 66 tour started out of being inspired by a statistic from the National Association of Colleges and Employers in 2009, that only 20% of college grads had jobs on hand at graduation and I had two little brothers who had been through college and that was inspiration.  I was just like, you know what I have to do something about this, this is a huge problem. 

From there I wrote a blog entry called 66 things to do before you graduate then I tried to share that blog entry with as many people as possible so I reached out in the National Society of Collegiate Scholars who I was a member of during undergrad and all I originally wanted them to do was send it out to their membership. When they saw it, they invited me in to come share it as a presentation.  They loved the presentation and we formed a partnership and that became a tour.  So that’s kind of been processes starting with being fully inspired and committed to solving a particular specific problem, from there packaging it or creating some sort of comprehensive way of delivering it. For this instance we chose a book and a presentation and a tour and then from there just going and doing the work. 

So I noticed that I have this rhythm in my life that has been occurring for the past three years, which is in the summer is like my down time when I’m actually in creation mode.  That’s when The Innerview was produced, that’s when 8 Cylinders of Success was produce, Good Excuse Goals, Route 66, those were all produced in this summer type area and then I go out in the fall and I try to test them.  I test them in small places at first and then to see if they work in those test markets and once I get proof that they work then I commit the rest of the next year to actually expanding them and spreading them as widely as possible. 

So I have this rhythm in my life of this creation phase like in June, July, August, this experiment phase towards the end of the year and then this execution phase from January to June of the next year.  So that’s kind of been my cycle and my rhythm of creating the products that I’ve created.

Career Benefits of Graduate School Research Training - Andrew Hutson

In Chapter 4 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Andrew Hutson answers "How Has Your Graduate School Education Helped You Become a More Disciplined Thinker?"  Hutson, an environmental advocate working in the private sector, notes how his PhD research training is useful in his career advising clients and solving industry problems.  He notes how his graduate school and PhD training has given him problem solving methods - structured thinking skills - that have made him a more effective professional.  Hutson is a senior project manager at the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF), where he advises corporate partners such as Wal-Mart on sustainable supply chain initiatives.  Hutson holds a PhD from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and an MEM from the Duke University Nicholas School of the Environment.  He earned his BA from Michigan State University. 

How Entrepreneur Learns From Other Entrepreneurs - J.T. Allen

In Chapter 15 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, education entrepreneur J.T. Allen answers "How Have Other Entrepreneurs Helped You Be a Better Entreprenur?"  Allen details how entrepreneurs have provided industry-specific mentorship to help him manage his business.  He also learns from other entrepreneurs working outside the career and education industry.  J.T. Allen is the CEO and co-founder of myFootpath, a company that provides higher education online resources and call center services to help high school and adult learners choose academic programs in line with career goals.  Before myFootpath, Allen worked in strategy consulting for Ernst & Young.  He earned his BBA and graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

How a College Education Increases Lifetime Earning Potential - J.T. Allen

In Chapter 16 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, education entrepreneur J.T. Allen answers "What Has Your Work in Education Taught You About the Value of a College Degree?"  Allen references a study detailing how a college bachelors degree, independent of major, creates significantly higher lifetime earnings than simply being a high school graduate.  J.T. Allen is the CEO and co-founder of myFootpath, a company that provides higher education online resources and call center services to help high school and adult learners choose academic programs in line with career goals.  Before myFootpath, Allen worked in strategy consulting for Ernst & Young.  He earned his BBA and graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Transcription: 

Erik Michielsen:  What has your work in education taught you about the value of a college degree?

J.T. Allen:  A recent study just came out that a bachelors degree, you’ll earn in your lifetime 80% more than you will if it’s you know if you just have a high school diploma and it’s over a broad set of people, it’s – so the sample size is big enough where it’s really meaningful.  The study actually went further on to say, it doesn’t really matter what you major either, right?  It’s sort of all kind of plays out in that, it’s really either bachelors degree or not, right?  There are certainly pockets within that study where and you know how you can get to careers where you’re earning more and that type of thing but in general it doesn’t matter that much. 

So I’m a believer and I believe that study, there are probably six other ones that predate it, that say the same thing, you know in some form or another.  Bachelor’s degree equals more money and I think that that is a critical distinction that it is – that really accounts for the market, right?  Meaning you know the averages, right?  Sure there’s going to be people who will -- don’t need to go to college you know Bill Gates didn’t go to college, right?  You know he dropped out, guess what?  He’s exceptional.  Most people are average.  Face it and you know you want to give yourself the best odds, right?  So the way that you can kind of improve your odds in a known way is to go to college and get your degree.

Why Applying to College is About Fit and Not Rank - J.T. Allen

In Chapter 17 of 17 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, education entrepreneur J.T. Allen answers "If You Had to Apply to College Again How Would You Do It?"  Allen, a Michigan graduate, shares that he has learned college is about fit and not just ranking.  He notes that even if he didn't get into his favorite school, he would have had a great college experience.  He notes it is about focusing on who you are and presenting yourself transparently to a prospective university.  J.T. Allen is the CEO and co-founder of myFootpath, a company that provides higher education online resources and call center services to help high school and adult learners choose academic programs in line with career goals.  Before myFootpath, Allen worked in strategy consulting for Ernst & Young.  He earned his BBA and graduated cum laude from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business.

Transcription: 

Erik Michielsen:  If you had to apply to college again, how would you do it?

J.T. Allen:  That’s an interesting question because I think a lot of people look at competitive colleges and you know the hoops that everybody’s got to jump through these days and you know the favorite phrase that I hear is you know “I never would have got in to fill in the blank you know Harvard, Yale whatever,” wherever they went, right, their alma mater. I wouldn’t get into that. And you know I think what I’ve learned is that you know college really is, for many people it’s about kind of finding the fit you know. 

I mean look I’m the biggest University of Michigan fan around when it comes to college football and fantastic experience and you know wouldn’t trade it for the world.  The reality is if I didn’t get in to the University of Michigan I still would have had fun in college, it still would have been a great experience. 

So you know now when you look back at that you’re like you know you just have a different perspective on it.  You just got to know it’s going to work out and know as I think about applications and you know if there are any advice to tell people to do, really focus on who you are, right?  And if people don’t you know sort of want who you are, you don’t want them, right?  Because you’re going to have a bad experience, you know, you want to go where it’s a good fit for both sides and if you kind of have that in mind I think it makes it easier you know.  It takes the pressure off a little bit and you can just sort of focus on, “Alright, what am I all about?”

How Immigrant Learns to Assimilate into Foreign Culture - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 1 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Has Your Own Immigrant Experience Taught You About How to Assimilate into a Foreign Culture?"  Emigrating from Russia to the United States at 13-years old, Faykin learns to listen to learn the language and how others spoke.  He also learns that surviving the American high school experience is far more challenging than moving into foreign cultures.  As a result, it makes sense since high school Faykin has lived all over the world.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Life Lessons from Cal Tech College Experience - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 4 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "What Life Lessons Did You Learn Attending Cal Tech That You Still Use Today?"  He shares what he learned attending a rigorous academic environment as well as what he learned about the value of friendships.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.

Why to Work Before Getting an MBA - Anatole Faykin

In Chapter 6 of 18 in his 2011 Capture Your Flag interview, Internet entrepreneur Anatole Faykin answers "How Did Taking a Leave of Absence Benefit Your MBA Education Experience?"  Starting his MBA at NYU Stern with only three years of experience, Faykin feels he applied too soon.  He takes a leave of absence and works abroad in Beijing, China and in Silicon Valley before returning to New York to continue his MBA.  He finds the additional time and experience fundamental to what he finds to be an intensely gratifying education experience.  Faykin is the founder of Tuanpin, a Shanghai-based daily deals site he grew to 25 employees and sold in the fall of 2011.  Previously, he worked for British Telecom in London, Intel in Shanghai, American Express in New York, and Oracle in San Francisco as well as several startup ventures.  He holds an MBA from the NYU Stern School of Business and a BS in computer science and biology from the California Institute of Technology.