Spring Break
Faculty Perspectives
Richard Tedlow
Issue date: 2/11/08 Section: News
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As I tell the students who take my course, I am a mere historian; and I therefore recuse myself from predicting the future. All I can do is predict the past. My response to your inquiry about "how the economic and political landscape will affect the careers of HBS graduates and how we can take advantage of it" is a simple "I don't know."
There is, however, an observation I can offer on the basis of three decades at HBS which might be helpful. Over that period, I have seen a number of fads. In the late 1970s, there was a rush into consulting. Soon thereafter, it was investment banking. Not long after that, the dot.com mania took center stage. In recent years, hedge funds have been on everyone's mind.
The observation I have to offer is to beware of the "herd effect." People tend to be powerfully influenced by those they encounter every day. It is difficult in such an atmosphere to figure out what you as an individual might want to do over the long term. That, however, is the assignment.
The MBA diploma from the Harvard Business School is a powerful document. Many graduates find themselves facing a tempting buffet of professional possibilities from which to make a selection. The graduates of this School are talented people, and there is a good chance that you will succeed at any business career you select. But will you be equally happy with any choice you make? That is a more difficult question.
My only advice is to avoid the "herd effect." Look into yourself. Know yourself. Make a choice that is going to bring you professional fulfillment, even if it might appear to some of your classmates to be in the backwaters of business.
You are living your life. Not others. This is preeminently the time for independent judgment.
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