Peter Engebretson
“After only a semester, I feel like I can walk the walk and talk the talk in the business world, despite coming from a non-traditional background.”
My story
After graduating in 2008 with ambitions of environmental law, I wanted to gain exposure to the legal industry before taking a six-figure, 3 year plunge. I landed a job a corporate law firm and immediately realized I enjoyed the business and management aspects more than the legal side. An opportunity arose to gain management experience working as a BP contractor on the oil spill in 2010. After 3 years and as the spill was winding down, I knew I needed a career change as I didn’t want to work in Houston or on the Gulf of Mexico any longer. I began targeting schools based on reputation and location.
Why Carlson?
After some school visits, Carlson and Minneapolis turned out to be the perfect fit for me, and I only applied here. I liked the small class sizes, supportive community surrounding the business school, and the vibrant city of Minneapolis full of opportunities for an MBA graduate. Carlson distinguishes itself by its hands-on enterprise program. I will be doing the Consulting Enterprise where I will work hand-in-hand with local Fortune 500 companies solving real business problems. After only a semester, I feel like I can walk the walk and talk the talk in the business world, despite coming from non-traditional background.
Internal Case Competition – Before and After
Another unique offering of Carlson is the 2 internal case competitions. One is right after orientation, and the other is after finals of the first semester. The first competition against your classmates is a humbling experience because you realize there is so much you don’t know about financial statements, corporate strategy, marketing, etc. However, the second competition is a complete about-face. All of us felt incredibly strong in our business acumen. Several of my classmates answered questions expertly in the final round from a panel of executives from a local Fortune 500 company. The panel of judges was impressed, and they didn’t see our first attempt 4 months prior. We also still have 3 more semesters to hone our skills and specializations for successful and impactful careers in the future.