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Monday, September 19, 2005

Who Are You Franz Heukamp?

Who is Franz Heukamp, and what is the value of this information? Some say German, and others Dutch. Some even say Hollish, buy only Americans who don't know that Holland and the Netherlands are the same country. Is it really true that the last bad decision he made was in January of 1991 and involved neon green spandex shorts? Will he ever stop teasing us before he draws the next branch on those insane trees, pursing his lips with an over the shoulder glance "Shall I put it, Shall I"? Are the rumors of he being raised by a troupe of travelling Romanian Gypsies who forced the young Franz to perform dangerous statistical equations while ridng a half blind she goat named Purcy until eventually being saved by the parents of one Vlad Costache whom Franz would come to think of as a brother and pass down his unparrelled robot like analytical skills? Did the first decision tree he ever drew really involve the expected value of of planting beets in the cold Romanian soil, given a 45% probability of frost and a 55% probability of Vlad's head exploding from beet juice anticipation. Is the answer still 7?
These questions may never be answered, but one thing remains 100% certain: I'm not risk averse to beets. In fact, there's no tuber for which I'm even risk neutral.


Saturday, September 17, 2005

Returns


So much has happened over the last three months. I feel like 90 % of the journal entries I have ever written have started with some variation of that line, which speaks to the infrequency with which I have written in a journal.
Hopefully the blog will provide a more accommodating environment for consistency, though I won't hold my breath.
The first term at IESE is nearing its end, which is quite shocking. Though it feels as if I have been in Barcelona, with my current group of friends, daily schedule and set of motivations for years, I can't help but dread that time is speeding by with a complete disregard for those beholden to it. I can already feel the sadness of next year’s graduation, though it is pointless to dwell on the inevitable nostalgia for experiences that have yet to come. The most important being the summer internship, preparation for which has consumed as much of my time as studying, and far more than socializing. As I have said to countless friends and family, I am 100% sure that I want a Summer Associate position with one of the large Investment Banks. I have my preferences, though I would be happy with any position I could get for the summer. Ideally I will be in the Corporate/Project Finance division with some exposure to Natural Resources, Power and Energy that due to market conditions translates to oil and gas. Though this is far from my area of expertise (as if I have one) it would be a perfect platform from which to dive into Renewables, Sustainable Industries and my long-term goal of Venture Capital for new, sustainable technologies and projects.
I find that I love the long hours, the routine and the workload of my studies. I hope this means I will be well suited for the hours and stress of Investment Banking but one never knows until they try, which is why I am so keen on a summer position. Moreover, IB is not something we (IESE students) can decide on during the second year without having made the right steps and connections during our first. This is of course primarily relevant for those of use making career changes and without a background in finance, which is the vast majority.