MBA Program

Student Voices

Richard Gold, MBA '11

A lifelong passion

My father and both of my grandfathers owned and operated small businesses. Being surrounded by entrepreneurs sparked my curiosity about the subtle differences that caused some businesses to thrive and others to fail. I earned my undergraduate degree from Cornell University, where I studied at the School of Industrial and Labor Relations, which provided me with a framework in human resources, labor law, and organizational behavior. After having significant exposure to finance as an investment banker with Bank of America, I accepted an analyst position at Moelis & Company, a Los Angeles-based startup investment bank. I joined Moelis as one of only 20 people in a single office, but in only two years the company grew to over 200 employees in five offices. During my tenure, I was offered the opportunity to join the management team and work directly with the COO on the firm's strategic vision.

Now, at MIT Sloan, I hope to add the final aspect of my education. The great thing about MIT Sloan is its mind and hand philosophy. They really get down to the root of a problem and work to understand all the aspects of a business. This, combined with the MIT community and the huge research arm, will provide a great opportunity for me to gain the formal theory and training I need to take that next big step in my career.

Future opportunities

While I was deciding which school to attend, I visited four or five other campuses. I had always been attracted to the reputation of the MIT name and what it meant to be part of the MIT community. When I came to MIT Sloan and spoke with the students here, I was immediately impressed by all that they had accomplished and it made me realize that this was the right place for me. I have no doubt that with the many start-ups and ideas being incubated at MIT I am eventually going to run into some project, idea, or concept and it will be clear to me that it should be my next step. I will meet someone, their idea will excite me, and I'll have the opportunity to say, “Okay, let's do it.”

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