Last week in ISM I experienced my first independent, out of school adventure when I interviewed Mike Duke, a Finance Associate at Lincoln Property Company. My interview with Mr. Duke was incredible and I learned a lot about how the earlier years of my career will be. I also had a great conversation with Mr. Duke about Frisco High and college, and it was great to speak with someone who could relate to my position on a greater level.
Mr. Duke Graduated from Frisco High School in 2008. I had an interesting conversation about all the changes/renovations the school has undergone since he graduated. I greatly enjoyed listening to Mr. Duke's journey while at Frisco and heading into college. Additionally, we discussed choosing where to go to college and what to major in. Mr. Duke was very helpful in helping me narrow down my focus for my second major/minor. Mr. Duke was impressed with the ISM program and expressed his respect for the program and its mission. He explained how he thought the program was a great opportunity for students and I couldn't agree more.
A key distinction from my other interviews is that Mr. Duke is much younger than my other interviewees and earlier in his career. My interview with Mr. Duke gave me a different perspective from my other two interviews. Unlike my other two interviewees, Mr. Duke has a boss that he must report to that isn't a CEO or CFO. Mr. Duke also explained that his job has more data analysis than interpersonal work. This was a very important distinction because my other two interviewees had a greater focus on interpersonal work than analysis. My discussion with Mr. Duke allowed me to have a glimpse of what the early years of my career would resemble.
Currently I am working towards scheduling my fourth research interview and I plan to have asked one of my interviewees to be my mentor by next week. My excitement grows as I get closer to making my decision. I would like to end by thanking Mike Duke for taking the time out of his day to meet with me and allowing me to interview him. He was incredibly generous and I am glad we were able to meet.