Three years ago, a professor at the Haas School of Business at the University of California, Berkeley, noticed a recent M.B.A. graduate still hanging around campus. As it turned out, the former student was running a business from the office of a faculty member who was on vacation. “So I was thinking: A guy like [...]

Rating the Nation’s Best and Worst Jobs If you’re looking for the nation’s best job in terms of low stress, high compensation, lots of autonomy and tremendous demand for your skills, look no further than financial planner. Everyone from new retirees to aging Baby Boomers to young dot-com executives needs their expert guidance — today [...]

Two hours after regular classes one March day, a dozen third-graders are still huddled inside their Washington, D.C., school, poring over “Rosie: A Visiting Dog’s Story.” A George Washington University student presides over the reading group. Off to one side, an important guest proudly looks on. He is Vincent Pan, executive director in a social-services [...]

Are You Cut Out for A Career in Technology Sales? Let’s face it. Some graduates with technical degrees are excited by the prospect of sitting in front of a computer all day, writing miles of code for new programs, designing complicated networks or developing faster Internet connections. You, on the other hand, may be a [...]

You’re in the market for a used car, and you’ve saved $1,500 to buy one. Lucky for you, I’m trying to sell my 1989 Toyota Camry and, according to my classified ad, I only want $1,500. So you come to my house to talk about it. From my ad, you know that the car is [...]

Should you get a full-time job after graduation or start work on an M.B.A.? The answer depends on whom you ask. Students who go directly to graduate business school insist they get a lot out of their studies without working first. But many business-school officials don’t agree. Many M.B.A. programs require students to work for [...]

Essential Preparation Tips Assume the interviewer will be evaluating you and prepare by heeding these suggestions: “Know thyself.” Review your resume and ask yourself, “Why have I chosen to do the things I’ve done?” says Ms. Lannin. Asking yourself “why?” about each professional move may be the best way to prepare. Be able to articulate [...]

A decade ago, when Robert Atkin assigned his freshmen business students a research project, they approached it with the casual indifference of any other college paper. Today when his first-year students get the same assignment, some tackle the project by starting businesses — surprisingly sophisticated ones. One 20-year-old is pursuing an online die-making business. Another [...]

Most professionals enroll in b-school to advance in their profession, but a good many also are seeking a change in careers. Consider Pete Laviola, a risk analyst with GE Capital in Cincinnati. He’d been an engineer with a marine engineering firm in Arlington, Va., for eight years. His work, although interesting, became repetitive. “I’d do [...]

Updated: 13 November 2010 There has never been a better time to break into the consulting industry. Demand is high for these advisors and problem solvers at companies, organizations and governments worldwide, and the industry is growing exponentially. New graduates usually join consulting firms as analysts or associate consultants, while M.B.A.-level hires typically receive the [...]