Where are they now: Brian Dundon '09 on life at the office in L.A.
Siri Schoonderbeek '13 / Wire Staff
Issue date: 2/24/10 Section: Features
Some of us forget that college is just four years of our life, yet it becomes such a large stepping stone for the next point....the REAL WORLD. Brian Dundon '09 shares what it's like to work in a real office as a credit and funding analyst for an IT-leasing firm in California, and to live independently: "My duties revolve mostly around analyzing the credit of potential clients to make sure they can actually pay us and then finding a financial institution to finance it."
Dundon majored in economics, which has significantly helped his professional endeavors, as knowledge of corporate finance is useful in "analyzing the balance sheets and annual reports of various clients."
Despite seeming to hold some similarities to the television show The Office, this office job is worlds away from Scranton. For one, Dundon actually seems to like his job, as is evidenced by his abnormal work hours; Dundon works ten to eleven hours a day. This is perhaps in part due to the "relaxed and laid back atmosphere" of the office. Moreover, there is no Dwight to plague and pester employees.
Nevertheless, the office is divided into two distinct groups: "people that have worked together for over ten years and then the three new kids that just got out of college." Even this, Dundon asserts, is not as intimidating as it sounds because the more experienced employees happily act as mentors to the rookies.
But these relationships do not usually extend beyond the parameters of the office, apart from the occasional Friday evening beer. On the weekends, Dundon heads to Santa Barbara or Malibu "hanging out with people I know from home." Here, biases arise: "California is amazing. I don't know why anyone stays out east…Washington D.C. has three feet of snow. Meanwhile, I have sunshine and 65 degree weather". Despite feeling removed from his family and friends, he is building a life in California.
Like most recent college graduates, this transitional stage is portrayed by the distinct lack of furniture in his newly acquired apartment, "I really need to get a chair, eating standing up is starting to wear on me." It seems that, with this apartment, Dundon has obtained a certain amount of independence and this independence is partnered with an increase in responsibility: Dundon pays his rent. Perhaps needless to say, he is still shocked by the steep price he pays for liberty (monthly, I might add).
As is perhaps exemplified by his ravings about life on the West coast, Dundon does not seem to miss Wheaton itself, although he does miss close friends and the track team. After eight years of running track, Dundon has stopped to enjoy what was once a preconceived notion of the future. He exclaimed, "My legs don't hurt anymore and that is an amazing feeling."
After a four-year marathon at Wheaton College many will stop and replace frenzied worrying with a calmer trust in the future. Many Wheaton students can look to Dundon as an example of what the future may hold for them. he can also serve as a reassurance that things are not that scary after college and that a Wheaton education has prepared people for the real world.
Dundon majored in economics, which has significantly helped his professional endeavors, as knowledge of corporate finance is useful in "analyzing the balance sheets and annual reports of various clients."
Despite seeming to hold some similarities to the television show The Office, this office job is worlds away from Scranton. For one, Dundon actually seems to like his job, as is evidenced by his abnormal work hours; Dundon works ten to eleven hours a day. This is perhaps in part due to the "relaxed and laid back atmosphere" of the office. Moreover, there is no Dwight to plague and pester employees.
Nevertheless, the office is divided into two distinct groups: "people that have worked together for over ten years and then the three new kids that just got out of college." Even this, Dundon asserts, is not as intimidating as it sounds because the more experienced employees happily act as mentors to the rookies.
But these relationships do not usually extend beyond the parameters of the office, apart from the occasional Friday evening beer. On the weekends, Dundon heads to Santa Barbara or Malibu "hanging out with people I know from home." Here, biases arise: "California is amazing. I don't know why anyone stays out east…Washington D.C. has three feet of snow. Meanwhile, I have sunshine and 65 degree weather". Despite feeling removed from his family and friends, he is building a life in California.
Like most recent college graduates, this transitional stage is portrayed by the distinct lack of furniture in his newly acquired apartment, "I really need to get a chair, eating standing up is starting to wear on me." It seems that, with this apartment, Dundon has obtained a certain amount of independence and this independence is partnered with an increase in responsibility: Dundon pays his rent. Perhaps needless to say, he is still shocked by the steep price he pays for liberty (monthly, I might add).
As is perhaps exemplified by his ravings about life on the West coast, Dundon does not seem to miss Wheaton itself, although he does miss close friends and the track team. After eight years of running track, Dundon has stopped to enjoy what was once a preconceived notion of the future. He exclaimed, "My legs don't hurt anymore and that is an amazing feeling."
After a four-year marathon at Wheaton College many will stop and replace frenzied worrying with a calmer trust in the future. Many Wheaton students can look to Dundon as an example of what the future may hold for them. he can also serve as a reassurance that things are not that scary after college and that a Wheaton education has prepared people for the real world.
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