The unusually stormy and turbulent weather that shook the plane (almost to pieces as we were about to land) was enough of a sign that this trip to San Francisco would be very unique. Indeed, it turned out to be a very inspiring, exciting, and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.
We, 17 students from Olin Business School, were headed out to meet technology giants such as Facebook, Uber, Oracle, and Intel. We were hopeful that meeting alums at these firms would provide us the much-needed knowledge of what it takes to break into the world of Top Hi-Tech firms.
Olin students visited tech giants like Intel, Oracle, and Facebook during their trip to San Francisco. The trip was sponsored by the Weston Career Center.
We started off at Intel, where a couple of alums took us around the office. Then, they provided us a detailed overview of how Intel manages its complicated operations spread across various continents. Personally, hopping onto a corporate jet to reach another office while also avoiding the painful TSA checks is a big enough incentive to be at Intel.
This was followed by a candid conversation with an alum from Uber, who hit home the point about the enormous scale at which technology firms are disrupting traditional business models. What was most interesting was his perspective on how we could set ourselves apart from the competition by building up great data analysis skills, with the industry having access to mammoth amounts of data collected through analytics.
Day 2 started off with an early-morning trip to Oracle, where we were introduced to the world of Exadata, the machines that are behind almost all of the financial transactions that take globally. We were then walked through Oracle’s strategy for entry into the world of Cloud Services, and how Oracle aims to be the best of the best in cloud services.
What was most interesting was his perspective on how we could set ourselves apart from the competition by building up great data analysis skills.
We rounded off the trek with a trip to Facebook’s coveted headquarters at Menlo Park. Learning how Facebook is bringing the world closer, through machine learning and various initiatives to promote free internet, was an eye opener. We closed the proceedings with an inspiring speech from an alum on how, in spite of all the odds stacked against her, she managed to break into the world of technology by staying true to the dream and keeping at it no matter what obstacles came her way.
By the end of the trek, we completely understood the passion and the innovative culture that defines the technology industry, and we walked away with a lot of new friends. Even before getting on the plane to St Louis, I had already started planning for the next trek in the Fall of 2017. I would want to do the trip over and over again; not just to witness the world of technology transforming the world, but also to cherish the delicious fresh donuts at Fisherman’s Wharf along with a lovely walk at North Beach!
Guest blogger: Sagar Sameer, MBA ’17
