Name: Bruce Stangle
Bates Class Year: 1970
Major: English
Current Occupation: Economic consultant
Current Company: Analysis Group, Inc.
Graduate Degrees (if any): M.S. in Management, MIT; PhD in Applied Economics, MIT
Where did you first move after you graduated? Why did you choose to live there?
I moved to Boston because there seemed to be more job opportunities there and many of my Bates friends were also moving there. I rented an apartment in Brookline with three other guys from Bates
What was your first job after graduation? Why did you choose to do it?
I thought that I wanted to go into hospital administration so I got a job as an orderly in a medical facility. The next job was as a research assistant at Lahey Clinic making $100 per week.
What was your natural job progression from there? Did you choose to stay at your company? Move cities? Go to graduate school?
After two years at Lahey Clinic where my boss was a professor at MIT, he encouraged me to apply to graduate business school. I applied to the MBA program at MIT. I loved the learning environment at MIT, found that Bates prepared me well to succeed in grad school and decided to stay and pursue a PhD.
What inspired you to make your next transition?
Working as a research assistant was fun and I learned a lot but the job did not seem to lead anywhere. I knew that I’d need more training if I wanted to move up in an organization.
What words of advice would you have for younger Bates alumni going through a lot of similar choices today?
Bates provides a first rate education and prepares one well for the many twists and turns that you will experience in a career. For most Bates people I would expect that you’d want to work for two or three years after college and pick up some good skills and simultaneously figure out what sorts of things at work do you really enjoy doing. The next step for most (but not all) is to go to graduate school whether it be business, law, medical, etc. Getting a graduate degree opens more doors and enables you to pursue better jobs. A graduate degree reduces the risks that one faces in today’s labor market.
What is your favorite part about your job today?
The two most rewarding parts of my job are first, being able to keep learning new things while solving client problems, and second, having the opportunity to work with very talented and intelligent people.
What words of advice would you have for people struggling in the recent economic downturn (career advice, job search advice, fiscal advice, general life advice)?
In addition to providing a first rate education, Bates also seems to build life long friendships. Your Bates network of friends and colleagues is a gift that keeps on giving. You can rely on that network throughout all stages of your career. Go to Bates events (e.g., networking events, on campus, social networks, OCS, sports, etc.) stay in touch. Bates people will always help each other.
What is something interesting that you have read recently that you would like to share?
At work, I do a lot of reading of business and economics materials. Not much of that is truly inspirational. For enjoyment I like to read fiction, mostly detective stories. A little known writer is Henning Mankell who writes about a Swedish detective. Perhaps the best novel I read this past year was Lush Life by Richard Price.
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