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March 2, 2007 Vol. 77, no.
7S
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| PHOTO COUTESY OF
RJICHARD YEN |
Career Corner with EECS alum Richard Yen
Career Corner features interviews with alumni about their career choices
and asks them for career advice.
Richard Yen (B.S. ’95 EECS) is a principal at Blueprint Ventures,
a venture capital firm specializing in early-stage technology startups
including software, digital media, hardware and semiconductor companies.
Before that, he was a software engineer at D.E. Shaw & Co., a NY-based
hedge fund, and a product manager at a Silicon Valley startup.
What
do you like about your job?
I enjoy the variety. One day, I’ll be researching the latest
semiconductor or MEMS technology, and the next day, I’ll be investigating
the Internet or digital media landscape. I’m constantly learning
new technologies, businesses and markets to figure out what’s
the next big thing. All the while, I’m collaborating with
passionate entrepreneurs looking to change the world. It’s never
boring!
How did you go about finding your interest/passion?
I stumbled onto venture capital when I was interviewing for startup
positions several years ago. I spoke with more than a dozen startups
as part of my job search, and I enjoyed thinking through their business
models and determining which startup had the best chance for success. I
talked with people in the venture capital industry and confirmed my
interest in doing this on a full-time basis.
What helped you transition from student to employee?
Cal Engineering is such an intense program that working as a full-time
employee was a breeze in comparison. The biggest difference was
understanding my employer’s expectations. In school, I finished
homework and took tests on certain dates. At work, it’s not as
well defined so you want to make sure you’re making progress
on your key deliverables.
What are some things to think about while considering a potential job?
It’s important that your personality fit with your employer’s
company culture. Working at Google (fast-paced, engineering-centric)
is very different from working at HP (collaborative, highly structured)
or a five-person startup (entrepreneurial, frenetic). Make sure
you’ll enjoy working there before considering a position.
Have additional questions? E-mail richard@blueprintventures.com.
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