When I began reflecting on my summer working for At Night Management / PRMD Music, I was reminded of the “10 Pictures” exercise I completed during the first month of my time at HBS. In the exercise, we were instructed to bring ten pictures to share with classmates that represented our interests, goals, and values related to our lives and careers post business school. One of my ten photos was of a young Swedish DJ named Avicii and his manager Ash Pournouri. For me this photo represented my desire to work with global superstar musicians to help guide and shape their careers in entertainment. After ten weeks (eight in Stockholm and two in New York City) working for a company that does this very thing, I can confidently say that I would like to continue down this path after I graduate Harvard Business School. [...]

The first thing most people think of when they hear “Harvard Business School” is most certainly not “arts” or “music”. I mean, that’s what music school is for, right? To be honest, when I decided to apply to business school, continuing to develop my musicianship was definitely not in my top of mind. Nevertheless, already a year in the MBA program, I now realize that an MBA means lots of different things to different people and that it is my responsibility to make sure I tailor my experience to my own goals and passions. [...]

Starting business school meant a lot of “first time” experiences to me: First time living abroad (not to mention moving out of my parents’ house), first time going to school in English, and, of course, first time trying to navigate the U.S. job market. I have to be honest; having to be actively looking for a job during eight out of the nine months of the first academic year was not particularly pleasant or stress-free. Nevertheless, my recruiting process was exactly what I needed (pain and all) to discover myself and land the perfect internship. [...]

From the time I arrived at HBS, I knew that my path to finding a summer internship wouldn’t be very traditional. Although I’ve managed to find others that share my career interests, working in the music industry remains an uncommon path out of business school. [...]

Coming to Harvard Business School was a forcing function to re-think my career path. One thing was for sure, I was committed to not return to consulting post-HBS. Therefore, it was a surprise to my friends, and most of all me, when I decided to join McKinsey’s London office this fall.
Somewhat ironically, my decision to go back into consulting resulted from the incredible experiences I had [...]