If you were not pursuing your current career goals, what profession would you pursue instead? How will this alternate interest contribute to your effectiveness in solving multi-disciplinary problems?

Sample One

If I were not pursuing my dream of starting my own company, I most likely would channel my desire to be creative and solve pressing problems with limited resources as a non-profit administrator. For many years I’ve enjoyed being an organizer and hands-on leader in my local communities. In college, for example, I organized technical symposiums, fundraisers, and served on the Student Council. Shortly after starting my career, I established the first “industry-institute interaction” program between Acme and my college that enabled students to interact with college alumni and get career advice. As a result, more than 15 students accepted offers from Acme that year. My volunteer efforts continue in Los Angeles, where I help nonprofits navigate the digital world by creating professional, stylish and easy-to-maintain websites.

These activities are intense yet satisfying, and I realize that while my work helps others, I am the biggest beneficiary; in fact, these endeavors have already strengthened my entrepreneurial abilities. I began to reach for ideas and solutions beyond my comfort zone, such as learning a new technology to build a multi-lingual website for Asian Health Services. Like a nascent entrepreneurial venture, my volunteer teams often have very limited means at our disposal, requiring me to prioritize goals and candidly assess which ones are unattainable. Channeling the energies of smart and talented volunteers with only my powers of persuasion as leverage, has taught me new ways of managing issues through consensus and compromise.

On a personal note, this alternate interest has introduced me to a diverse group of people, I would otherwise have never known, and has given me a distinctive lens to better understand urban American society and made it less foreign. I am confident that my continued contributions with Net Impact and Community Consulting Club will similarly enrich my experience at Ross.

Sample Two


If I were not pursuing my chosen career, I would be a professional marathoner. My interest in distance running was developed later in life. Growing up, I was always the fat kid. By the end of the third grade, my complete lack of basic hand-eye coordination had ruled out any sport that entailed catching, hitting or kicking. However, I refused to accept that this lack of physical prowess would prohibit me from athletic accomplishment. It took me years of failed endeavors before I found my sport. Unlike other sports, running is all about endurance. You don’t need cat like reflexes or coordinated precision. You just need a high threshold for pain, some good shoes, and lots of dedication.

I wish I could say that the road has been easy or that my performance was always graceful. Neither is even remotely true. It took me almost two years of running daily, monitoring every calorie, and counting every carbohydrate, before I crossed the finish line of my first marathon. However, the process taught me the courage to leverage my strengths to overcome weaknesses, and the commitment necessary to succeed.

I’ve since competed in endurance races from marathons to triathlons and I’m confident that the skills I’ve developed in these pursuits will continue to be invaluable to all aspects of my life. Whether it’s encouraging teammates to avoid discouragement when initial efforts fail, suggesting alternate solutions to old problems, or motivating struggling employees to maintain focus.

Running taught me the empathy to help those working to overcome setbacks and the importance of picking the right goals, being flexible, and maintaining patience. As a manager, I’ve encountered numerous challenges that initially appeared insurmountable. However, through running, I’ve learned that the best solution is rarely the first and success frequently requires persistence, being open to unconventional tactics, and constantly reassessing the effectiveness of a strategy.

Sample Three


If I were not pursuing my current career goals, I would be an artist or graphic designer. Art has been a life-long passion of mine ever since my grandfather taught me how to paint at a young age. My grandfather was a famous artist in Istanbul and he noticed that I had his eye and love for color and brushstrokes. Every summer when I visited, we would spend days sketching and painting scenes throughout Istanbul. Whether we replicated landscapes while riding the ferry or focused on the intricate details in the mosques, we both brought the beauty of the city to our canvases. My senior independent art show concentration was a tribute to my grandfather as I brought the scenes that we so colorfully depicted back home. My passion for art is what led to me take engineering classes in college because it gave me an opportunity to combine technology with creativity, solving complex problems by thinking outside the box.

I feel that my alternate interest has already contributed to my work experiences. I’ve been able to develop alternate analysis and solutions for strategy plans while with the CIA. In my current role as a consultant, I’ve been able to look at basic business concepts and customize them for the client such as developing dashboards and Excel reporting tools which combine graphical displays with heavy IT development. My passion for art will continue to contribute to my effectiveness in solving multi-disciplinary problems because it provides the foundation for looking at a solution from different perspectives. Just like combining light, color, and perspective on canvas, I am able to combine concepts from various industries and business practices to customize solutions.