Internationals Having More Trouble Landing U.S. Jobs

University of Virginia, Darden School of Business

With the U.S. economy at full employment, you’ve got to expect that this year will turn out to be a highly successful one for MBA graduates. But among the good news there are already signs that international graduates are having a tougher time landing jobs in the U.S.

The University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business reports a healthy 4.7% gain to $160,717 in average salary and bonus for this year’s MBA graduates, up from $153,453 a year earlier. Most of the jump was the result of an 11% rise in starting bonus to $35,430, reported by 93% of the class, from $31,966 last year, when 90% reported getting a sign-on bonus.

“The full economy is driving up MBA salaries and making it easier for MBAs to negotiate their offers,” says Jeff McNish, assistant dean of Darden’s Career Development Center. “I’ve had more conversations with students about negotiations than ever before. That could be one reason why signing bonuses went up, too. Employers are more apt to increase signing bonus than base.”

EMPLOYMENT GAP GREW LARGER BETWEEN U.S. & INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Darden reported that 94% of this year’s graduating MBAs had at least one offer of employment within 90 days of commencement, up from 93%. But within those figures there was a significant disparity between U.S. students and internationals. Only 85% of international MBAs had received a job offer in that same timeframe versus 98% of domestic graduates, a 13-point gap. A year ago, the gap was just two percentage points, with 92% of internationals reporting a job offer within three months of graduation vs. 94% of U.S. students.

“The gap between the U.S. and internationals is bigger than we would have liked it to be, but our outcomes are good,” adds McNish.  While McNish points out that the U.S. government has not reduced the number of people getting H1B visas, it is making it more difficult for internationals to get those work visas. “The one thing we are hearing more is that the  processing of immigrant documents is taking longer. More students and employers are getting requests for evidence than in the past.”

Besides the lower rates of placement, more internationals are also forgoing the chance to working the U.S. “We had a lot of international students decide to return home then they did in 2016,” adds McNish. “Many in the Class of 2018 had a plan B and saw opportunities blossoming at home and made the decision to return. We had a lot of international students decide to go home earlier than they did in the past. In 2016 and 2017, they might have tried a little longer.”

‘IF WE HAD NO IMMIGRATION CHALLENGES, OUR NUMBERS WOULD BE UP HIGHER’

Darden is the first prominent U.S. school to publish an employment report for the Class of 2018. It remains to be seen if other schools show similar statistics. If so, it will likely further discourage prospective students abroad from coming to the U.S. for an MBA. International applicants are down at many U.S. schools due to concerns over work visas and anti-immigration rhetoric in the U.S.

“Companies tell us they are carefully looking at this and proceeding cautiously,” adds McNish. “Many companies are still thinking about the international talent because there just isn’t enough U.S. talent available in the full employment market. If we had no immigration challenges, all of us would see our numbers up higher than they are today.”

For international students, says McNish, “it’s just going to take a little longer” to get a U.S. job. After the 90-day window closed for reporting employment three months after graduation, he notes, three more students reported getting jobs and two of them were international MBAs.

While consulting remained the industry of choice for Darden MBAs, with 32% of the class headed into that industry, consulting was slightly down from 34% a year earlier. The technology sector claimed a record group of the school’s MBAs, 18%, up four percentage points from 14% last year. Just as crucial, the median starting salary paid by tech firms rose significantly to $122,500 from $116,000 last year. Average starting bonuses in tech also went up in a big way to $41,170 from $30,926 (see table below).

MCKINSEY LEADS ALL MAJOR EMPLOYERS

Median starting salaries in consulting and financial services remained the same: $147,000 in consulting and $125,000 in financial services. While average sign-on bonuses in consulting also were up, to $31,940 from $28,118, signing bonuses were slightly down in financial services to $39,418 from $41,054 last year. Darden, however, does not report “other guaranteed bonus,” a bigger factor in financial services compensation.

More MBAs also accepted jobs in financial services, with 26% of the MBA taking jobs in that sector, versus 24% last year

This year’s top employers were led by McKinsey & Co., which hired 18 grads up from 14 last year, Amazon (17 versus 10 a year earlier), BCG with 15 hires, Bain with 14 hires, and J.P Morgan (13).

Darden graduates entered very diverse roles in 15 different industries and 25 different job functions. “Consulting jobs are big here and we’ve been focused on making sure our MBA program allows students to go into ny industry they want to,” says McNish.

Next year, meantime, is already shaping up as yet another banner year for MBA graduates. “All of our available slots for company briefings are full right now for the fall,” McNish adds. “Now we are scrambling to find time slots for five companies that want to come this fall for internship recruiting. Application volume may have been down, but I am seeing some of the brightest and most talented students ever. Employers are in for some really strong talent. We are having a great time working with them.”

Darden’s employment report–based on reports from 96% of the students looking for jobs–showed that 324 of 347 MBA graduates were seeking employment

シカゴ大学経営大学院 Class of 2020 Profile

• The number of applicants fell by 9% to 4,289 – a number more in line with the 2013 and 2014 classes. 
• The acceptance rate to 22.9%.
• 591 member class. 
• Average GMATs actually rose a point to 731, a 16 point improvement over the 2013 Class. 
• Median GMAT fell 10 points to 730. 
• Average GPAs were 3.60.
• Women comprised 42% represents a seven-point improvement over the 2011-2015 classes
• International students fell six points to 30% — the school’s lowest mark in over a decade.
• Overall, Americans account for a 70% share of the class, followed by Asia (13.4%),

ジョンソン・スクール Class of 2020

• 280 students in the incoming students (up just slightly from last year’s 277), 
•  Average GMAT score of 699 
• Average undergrad GPA of 3.4. That’s pretty similar to the Class of 2019, where the average GMAT score was 700 and the average GPA was 3.36. 
• Average work experience is five years
• Women make up a 33 percent —of this year’s incoming class
• International students made were 27 percent, down from 34 percent last year, from 40 different countries.

Is the MBA Losing its Luster?

Declining application volume at U.S. business schools made the headlines when the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) released the findings of its annual application trends survey earlier this week (10/1). “Applications Down at 70 Percent of U.S. MBA Programs—Including Harvard,” broadcast one news outlet.

And it’s true. The GMAC data reveal that just 32 percent of U.S. programs reported growth as compared to last year. Overall, U.S. business schools experienced a nearly 7 percent decline, with domestic applications down 1.8 percent and international volume off by 10.5 percent.

Growth in Other Markets Offsets U.S. Decline

• Asia-Pacific programs saw application volume rise 8.9 percent
• Canada was up 7.7 percent
• Europe reported 3.2 percent more apps this year than last. 
• 67 percent of Asia-Pacific programs saw application volume growth
• 62 percent of programs in Canada and 61 percent in Europe saw application volume growth

There were also regional variations in domestic versus international application volume shifts. Sixty-five percent of programs in Canada and 63 percent in Europe saw international application growth. As a result, applications from international applicants outnumbered those from domestic applicants in each region.

Asia-Pacific programs, meanwhile, saw increases fueled largely by domestic growth, with more candidates from those regions considering educational options closer to home.

Elite U.S. Schools Not Immune

It’s the fourth consecutive year that application volume has fallen for U.S. schools overall. But this year, even the most elite MBA programs in the country are feeling the squeeze. In particular, U.S. programs have struggled to attract international applicants, with just 28 percent reporting growth this year.

The GMAC survey data included responses from 1,087 graduate business programs at 363 universities worldwide, a mix of MBA, specialized business master’s, and Ph.D.D programs. The results are in keeping with application volume details we’ve been hearing and reporting on from schools since late summer.

Harvard Business School was down 4.5 percent—its biggest decline in five years. Stanford Graduate School of Business saw a 4.6 percent drop year over year. The University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School was off by 6.7 percent. The list goes on and on. Down less than one percentage point over last year, Cornell’s Johnson Graduate School of Business leads most other top schools in terms of application volume.

Only Dartmouth’s Tuck School, out of all those we’ve talked with, saw applications increase. Speaking to Clear Admit over the summer, Admissions Director Luke Anthony Peña was optimistic that applications would end up being up ever so slightly. And he was right. With 0.4 percent growth year over year, Tuck’s news is the best we’ve heard.

Why So Soft in the States?

The Wall Street Journal was quick to say the MBA “degree had lost its luster.” For some applicants, this could be true.

The GMAC survey found that a majority of European Master in Management and Master of Finance programs reported growing demand. In the United States, the one bright spot was that most Master of Data Analytics programs reported year-over-year growth, including more reporting greater increases among international applicants than domestic applicants.

That said, the GMAC survey findings still show that full-time, two-year MBA programs are the most in-demand of all program types. Overall, MBA and business master’s programs reported a similar volume of applications this year as compared to last.

Many Factors at Play

A closer look at application drop-off at U.S. schools reveals that many factors—beyond potential diminished interest in the two-year MBA degree—have also been at play.

With U.S. unemployment rates at near historic lows, many young professionals are making good money right where they are. Some are deciding the opportunity cost of taking two years off to go to school just doesn’t make sense at the moment. This can be seen reflected in the soft domestic application volume to U.S. schools: Only four out of 10 U.S. programs reported growth in domestic candidates.

But this is nothing new. Business school admissions volume has taken a hit in past boom times as well for precisely the same reason—only to later rebound.

Of course, there’s also the Trump factor. Whatever your politics, it’s hard to dispute that the policies or proposed policies of the current White House administration have created new concerns for international applicants to U.S. programs.

Some international candidates worry that even if they get in, they won’t be able to get a visa to study at Harvard or Stanford or Wharton. According to the Pew Charitable Trusts’ Stateline report, the number of student visas issued by the United States dropped 40 percent from its peak in 2015 to 2017.

For other international applicants, the possibility of not finding a U.S. employer willing to sponsor them post-graduation is an even greater obstacle. For candidates from some regions of the world, paying for a top U.S. MBA program without assurance of a U.S. job and salary upon graduating is an economic equation that just doesn’t work.

GMAC’s Chowfla also underscored the fact that educational and professional opportunities outside of the United States have been expanding and improving over the past decade. The increases Asia-Pacific programs have reported in domestic growth signal that candidates from the region are increasingly viewing educational options closer to home as high value.

Another bright spot is that all programs have seen increasing percentages of applications submitted by women in each of the past five years, GMAC reports. Full-time, two-year MBA programs have seen the greatest increase—an 8-percentage point gain between 2013 and 2017. So far only specialized master’s programs—Master in Management and Master of Finance—have reached gender parity.

And there’s this: Nine in 10 participating programs report that the applicants this year are similarly or more academically qualified than candidates last year.

Finally, we should also note that the drop in application volume at U.S. schools—especially the most prestigious—in many cases represents a decline from previously record-high levels. Harvard, Stanford, and Wharton don’t run the risk of having empty seats in their MBA classrooms any time soon. But if current trends continue, it might not be the worst time to apply.

シカゴ大学経営大学院 Expands Deferred Admission MBA Program to All College Students

The University of Chicago Booth School of Business announced this week that it has expanded its deferred admission MBA program. Previously limited to undergraduates at the University of Chicago, it is now open to any student in their final year of study at any undergraduate institution.

Chicago Booth Scholars

The Chicago Booth Scholars program gives talented undergraduate seniors the opportunity to apply for a place in a future Booth MBA class. Those who gain admission can then complete two to four years of full-time work experience before heading to Booth for their MBA.

In an effort to provide ultimate flexibility, participants in the expanded program can chose between the full-time MBA program at the Hyde Park campus or the evening and weekend MBA program at the downtown campus.

“Continuing to build the most talented and diverse classes of MBA students is a priority for Chicago Booth,” Dean Madhav Rajan said in a statement announced the news.

Why Expand?

Chicago Booth has chosen to expand its deferred admissions MBA program, which launched in 2002 exclusively for University of Chicago undergrads, in an effort to draw great talent from across the nation and the world.

“This program is extremely successful in terms of the caliber of students it has attracted and the excellent alumni that come out of it,” Stacey Kole, Chicago Booth deputy dean for the MBA program, said in a statement. “There is great talent beyond our own university, which is why we are opening this opportunity to students attending other colleges and universities.”

To Apply

The next application deadline is April 4, 2019, and the $250 application fee will be waived for all Chicago Booth Scholars applicants. One advantage of the program is that it lets college students complete the MBA admissions process—including taking the GMAT or GRE—while they are still in test-taking mode and before they enter the busy working world.

Learn more by reading the news release here.

MBA. Applications Decline at Harvard, Wharton, Other Elite Schools as Degree Loses Luster

American business schools struggle to lure professionals out of strong job market, face competition from top programs overseas

By Kelsey Gee

Oct. 1, 2018 12:01 a.m. ET

Applications to American M.B.A. programs dropped for a fourth straight year, with even elite universities starting to show signs of struggling to lure young professionals out of the strong job market.

For the first time in nearly a decade, waning interest in the traditional master of business administration degree hit business schools that draw the most applications, including Harvard and Stanford universities, according to a survey of 360 schools by the Graduate Management Admission Council, a nonprofit that administers the GMAT admissions exam. Those top-tier programs were until recently thought to be immune to the shakeout plaguing less-prestigious programs.

Americans are saddled with more college debt than ever, and they have grown increasingly reluctant to leave behind jobs for a year or more to pursue one of the nation’s most expensive degrees, school administrators say—particularly as the economy has improved. In response, schools in recent years have launched cheaper, more flexible or more customized master’s degrees in hot areas such as data science and supply-chain management.

In the application year ended this spring, U.S. business schools received 140,860 applications for programs including the traditional two-year M.B.A., down 7% from the previous year, GMAC data shows.

Until recently, international students had been a bright spot for U.S. business schools. Now, foreign students face steeper hurdles to getting work visas after graduation, leading fewer to apply to U.S. schools, university administrators say.

Overall applications fell more sharply this year than in 2017 as international students submitted 11% fewer applications this year. Applications from U.S. candidates fell 2%.

The decline in M.B.A. applicants hadn’t affected top business schools until now, even as smaller programs such as those at the University of Iowa and Wake Forest University closed their flagship two-year programs citing weak demand. A handful of large, top-tier M.B.A. programs such as Harvard Business School and the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School last year received a little more than half of all business-school applications, according to recent GMAC data.

Harvard Business School received 9,886 applications for this fall’s entering class, down 4.5% from last year—the biggest drop since 2005. Applications to Wharton fell 6.7% to 6,245. At Stanford’s Graduate School of Business, they slid 4.6% to 7,797. Such top schools are still receiving many more applications than they can accept, but the declines mark a reversal after years of growth.

“People are thinking, ‘Oh my gosh, if the top is struggling to find applicants, what are the rest of us going to do?’” said George Andrews, director of admissions at Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Business, which saw a 27% drop in full-time M.B.A. applications to 587 this year.

Representatives of Harvard and Wharton declined to comment. A Stanford spokeswoman said that the number of applicants will vary from year to year, but that an M.B.A. degree and the Stanford experience remain valuable.

The M.B.A. was once considered a prerequisite for climbing the management ladder at many major American corporations. But as students have sought out shorter and more specialized degrees, applications have been scattered across a wider array of schools and types of business degrees, further weakening the M.B.A.’s hold on distinguishing high-performing talent to employers.

GMAC’s survey this year included a record 1,087 business-school programs, including 571 M.B.A. programs. In 2015, it included 641 business degrees, 426 of them M.B.A. programs.

“The growth of new M.B.A. and master’s programs across the country has been massive,” Mr. Andrews said. “Are there really enough students to fill all these schools?”

Sangeet Chowfla, GMAC’s president and chief executive, said it is possible business-school applications are bottoming out as the U.S. economy approaches its peak and could rise again in the next recession. But more competition from high-caliber schools in Asia and Europe, combined with the Trump administration’s heightened scrutiny of work programs for international students, could continue to squeeze American business schools, he said.

World-wide, the number of M.B.A. applications was flat from 2017, partly because of an increase in students looking to pursue their degrees in Europe and Asia, according to the GMAC survey. Applications surged 8% to schools in Canada and 9% to schools in East and South Asia.

Soojin Kwon, admissions director of the full-time M.B.A. at the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, said that despite a 9% decline in applications in 2018 at the school, she expects highly ranked programs will recover from the recent dip. These M.B.A. programs “provide access to jobs with attractive companies and great salaries, with a strong alumni network. That’s what students are buying,” she said.

Smaller schools likely won’t be so lucky, she added. “Students are questioning whether the value is worth it, and if they can actually get jobs afterwards,” Ms. Kwon said.

MBA Applications Plummet: 2018 a Disaster Year for U.S. MBA Programs

MBA applications this past year plunged at 18 of the Top 20 U.S. business schools. Only two schools bucked the trend and not by very much: Dartmouth College’s Tuck School of Business, saw a one percent gain over its year-earlier number, and at UCLA’s Anderson School of Management, applications rose 3.3%.

Just outside the Top 20, only one other prominent school could report an increase: the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business, which saw just a one percent uptick. But ten highly prominent MBA programs suffered double-digit declines, including the University of Texas’ McCombs School and the University of Virginia’s Darden School of Business.

There are a couple of quick conclusions once you look at the data. One is that even the very best schools, including Harvard Business School, Stanford GSB and Wharton, could not evade the downturn. The so-called M7 schools, which include those three plus Booth, Kellogg, MIT Sloan, and Columbia, saw a combined 4.7% drop.  Booth saw an application falloff of 8.7%.

SCHOOLS RANKED TENTH TO 25TH SUFFERED TWICE THE DECLINE IN MBA APPS AT THE VERY TOP MBA PROGRAMS

Another is that schools ranked from tenth to 25th suffered twice the decline in MBA applications in 2017-2018 than those in the Top Ten. Altogether, the Top Ten MBA programs experienced a 4.9% fall in applications; the next 15 ranked business schools saw their applications decline by 9.7%.

In several cases, the falloff has been so severe that it is shocking. At Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Management, there was a 27.7% year-over-year drop in MBA apps. At Vanderbilt’s Owen School of Management, MBA applications plunged 23.9%. And at the University of Minnesota’s Carlson School of Management, applications fell by 20.5%.

In all, 70% of U.S. business schools reported declines in their MBA applications, according to a survey of the schools by the Graduate Management Admission Council. According to GMAC, U.S. business schools experienced a nearly 7% decline in app volume from last year, including a 1.8% decline in domestic applications and a 10.5% drop in international volume across all program types.

AT RICE AND UVA DARDEN, THE DOWNTURNS WERE MADE WORSE BY UNUSUAL EVENTS

By now, the reasons for the decline are well known. International MBA candidates, scared off by anti-immigration talk in the U.S. and concern over their ability to get a work visa, are now applying to European and Asian MBA programs or just postponing their graduate education ambitions. The strong economy is keeping domestic applicants in their current jobs because there already are plenty of opportunities at work. And the sticker shock applicants may experience when they calculate the full costs of an MBA are putting off many others who might be willing to apply and enroll in a two-year program.

There’s no doubt that immigration policy is having a negative impact on U.S. business schools. 

In some cases, however, the falloffs were exacerbated by other issues. At Rice University’s Jones Graduate School of Management, the downturn was made worse by last August’s Hurricane Harvey which dumped 51 inches of rain on greater Houston in two days. 

AT DARDEN, ROUND ONE APPS LAST YEAR PLUNGED BY 27% AFTER THE CHARLOTTESVILLE PROTEST

At UVA Darden, the downturn was fueled in part by the violent white supremacist protest in Charlottesville, Va., last August. As if international candidates needed another reason not to apply to a U.S. business school, the protest which made headlines all over the world didn’t help.

The highly publicized protest scared off many applicants, particularly from abroad, causing round one applications to fall by 27%. 

GMAC: 70% Of U.S. Schools See Drop In Applications

Data from the Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) has shown a large, consistent drop-off in application volume at U.S. business schools. 

According to GMAC, which looked at graduate- and doctoral-level programs that saw a combined 466,112 applications during the 2018 application cycle, shows

1. U.S. business schools experienced a nearly 7% decline in application volume from last year.
2. A 1.8% decline in domestic applications
3. A 10.5% drop in international volume across all program types.
4. Most U.S. programs (53%) surveyed by GMAC reported application declines, including 70% of full-time two-year MBA programs.
5. Asia-Pacific programs had an 8.9% increase.
6. Canada realized 7.7% growth.
7.  Europe had a 3.2% increase in application demand across all program types

Demand for graduate business education is “stable” overall since application volumes are up in Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Canada.

Source: GMAC

MBAが醸すクラフトビール 「帰る場所」失い起業

 

  ファーイーストブルーイングの創業者、山田司朗さんはITビジネスを離れてビール造りに転じた

　1975年生まれの山田司朗さんはファーイーストブルーイングというクラフトビール会社の創業者だ。大学卒業後に入社した証券会社のベンチャーキャピタル（VC）業務を振り出しに、黎明期のサイバーエージェントへ転職。さらに、「ホリエモン」こと堀江貴文さんから声を掛けられ参加したオン・ザ・エッヂ（後のライブドア）での経営企画など、2度の転職を経て、英国に渡る。
　これは転職ではなく「転学」で、英ケンブリッジ大学に進み、MBA（経営学修士）を目指した。「ケンブリッジのMBA」を手にすることで会社にもより大きな貢献ができるという考えもあったのだろう。足かけ5年尽くしてきた会社も彼の希望を快く受け止めてくれたらしい。
山田「上司に相談したら『良いチャンスだ。もう一回り大きくなって戻ってこい』とあたたかく送り出してくれました」
　ところが、英国に渡って程なく、ライブドアにまつわるショッキングなニュースが日本から次々と届き始めた。堀江社長（当時）をはじめ、一緒に働いていた仲間たちが追及されたり亡くなったり。会社の状況が極めて厳しいことを知っても、はるかな地で気をもむことしかできなかった。やがて自分の帰る場所がなくなったという事態を冷静に受け止め、こう考えた。
山田「人生はどうなるか分からない。どうせ分からないなら後悔のない人生を歩みたい」
■英国留学で知ったクラフトの深み
　「会社を移る」ではなく「起業する」へと意識をスイッチさせた瞬間だった。実は渡英後、難解な講義、きつい研究論文執筆のなか、唯一の心の支えが「クラフトビール」だった。伝統的にビール文化の進んだ欧米の本格的クラフトビールの深い味わいと多彩さに山田さんは魅了された。
　「こんなビールもあったんだ」。あちこち飲んで回ったのはもちろん、講義のなかで「自国の料理に合ったクラフトビール造りに成功した人のケーススタディー」など「ビジネスとしてのクラフトビール」も学べた。
　長らく我が国の飲食店では「ビールを」と注文すれば、料理のジャンルに関係なく、4つのメジャーブランドの、どれがどれとも区別しにくい「アルコール度数5％前後の黄色い炭酸入りの飲み物」が提供されてきた。多様な味よりも「キンキンに冷えた」や「のどごし」「キレ」を強調した「万人向けのアルコール飲料」が一般的だった。
　この「既存ビールへの見解」は、山田さんではなく、あくまでも私、ビール素人である梶原の個人的な感想に過ぎない。居酒屋の「1500円追加すれば生ビール飲み放題」のキャッチに飛びつき、元を取ろうと、ジョッキ5、6杯をがぶ飲みした若き日の「私のビール生活」を反省したついでに私の口をついて出てしまった（近年は大手各社もおいしいクラフト系を展開している）。

■日本でのクラフト普及を確信
山田「文明が発展すればするほど、量ばかりガブガブ飲むスタイルから、酒量を抑えて、貴重なビールを少ない量でゆっくり味わって堪能するようになる。近年の健康志向もその後押しをするようになりましたから、日本の状況も変わるでしょうね」
　山田さんによれば、英国に限らず、留学中に足を伸ばした欧州各国では多くの店が「ビールは何になさいますか？」と聞いてくるらしい。各店がよりすぐって用意した、いくつもの銘柄のクラフトビールのうちの「どれを」「どんな食事に合わせたいのか」を知りたがるわけだ。客が自分の好みを言うと、それに一番合った個性を持つ、店自慢のクラフトビールを紹介してくれることが珍しくないようだ。
山田「個性の際立った味のクラフトビールを一度知ってしまうと、コモディティー（商品）化されたビールに後戻りできないんですね。人は、自分好みの味を探す喜びを奪われたくないものです。日本も必ずそうなるんだと思います」
　MBAを得て帰国すると、山田さんは、転職人生で培ったIT（情報技術）系、VC系の技術を生かした「アルバイト」で起業資金を蓄えながら、クラフトビール人脈を探り、修行するという5年間を過ごした。そして、2011年。山田さんは自宅を本社として「日本クラフトビール」を立ち上げた。

■高収入の職種を見切った理由
　ところで、山田さんとのインタビューが今回実現したのは、2年ほど前のある夜、たまたま購入したクラフトビールがきっかけだ。当時、中目黒駅（東京都目黒区）前にできたばかりの「蔦屋書店」にふらりと立ち寄り、「なんで本屋さんに？」と不思議に思って手にした「KAGUA」を試しに買って帰宅し、風呂上がりに飲んでみた。その瞬間、しゃれや冗談抜きに「和（わっ）！」と声をあげたのをいまだに思い出す。
　インタビューの中で私はしばしば下品で意地悪なことを聞く。
梶原「VCとかIT企業向け経営企画の仕事からケンブリッジでMBA取得というキャリアなら、なにもビール醸造という泥臭い製造業より外資系コンサルあたりで、もっと楽に稼げたんじゃないですか？（下品でしょう？）」
山田「もうけという点ではその通りです。しかし、自分が今、何をやっているか、人に説明するのがこんなに簡単な職業もないと思うんです」
■商品に語ってもらえる「自分」
梶原「VCとか、IT向け経営企画って多分、私レベルだと詳しく説明されればされるほどわかんないと確かに思いますね」
山田「僕の場合は『これ、造ってるんです』って、うちのビールをお渡しするんです。そうすると相手は、うちがデザインしたボトルの手触り、栓を抜いたときのにおい、口に含んだときの味わい、全て一瞬で理解してもらえます」


■社名に込めた自覚とウイット
　その後、会社の規模拡大に伴い、社名をファーイーストブルーイングに変えている。「ファーイースト」とは極東。欧州や米国などの「世界の中心」から東に遠く離れた我が国を表現するとき使われる言葉だ。
山田「命名理由の一つは、ビールの歴史や伝統においても『辺境』であるという自覚を忘れないで努力し続けるため。もう一つは、ビール造りに欠かせない大事な酵母（イースト）にも掛けたしゃれでもあります。欧米人なんかは結構ニヤッと受けてくれたりするんです」
　こういう「自覚」と「しゃれっ気」のせいで、というわけではもちろんないが、山田さんのビールは、国内はもちろん、世界20カ国近い国の一流料理店やホテルで「和食にピッタリのクラフトビール」として支持されていると、うれしそうに話してくれた。
　私の「クラフトビール好き」は「文明」とか「健康志向」ではなく、単に年齢のせいで、飲む量が減り、以前より少量でより満足のいくお酒をと探していたらクラフトビールに行きついたというだけ。じっくり味わいながら飲むのはせいぜいグラス3杯だから、「ガブ飲み時代」よりむしろ安くあがることのほうが多い。

梶原しげるの「しゃべりテク」

MBAが醸すクラフトビール　「帰る場所」失い起業

2018/9/27

■高収入の職種を見切った理由
　ところで、山田さんとのインタビューが今回実現したのは、2年ほど前のある夜、たまたま購入したクラフトビールがきっかけだ。当時、中目黒駅（東京都目黒区）前にできたばかりの「蔦屋書店」にふらりと立ち寄り、「なんで本屋さんに？」と不思議に思って手にした「KAGUA」を試しに買って帰宅し、風呂上がりに飲んでみた。その瞬間、しゃれや冗談抜きに「和（わっ）！」と声をあげたのをいまだに思い出す。
　インタビューの中で私はしばしば下品で意地悪なことを聞く。
梶原「VCとかIT企業向け経営企画の仕事からケンブリッジでMBA取得というキャリアなら、なにもビール醸造という泥臭い製造業より外資系コンサルあたりで、もっと楽に稼げたんじゃないですか？（下品でしょう？）」
山田「もうけという点ではその通りです。しかし、自分が今、何をやっているか、人に説明するのがこんなに簡単な職業もないと思うんです」
■商品に語ってもらえる「自分」
梶原「VCとか、IT向け経営企画って多分、私レベルだと詳しく説明されればされるほどわかんないと確かに思いますね」
山田「僕の場合は『これ、造ってるんです』って、うちのビールをお渡しするんです。そうすると相手は、うちがデザインしたボトルの手触り、栓を抜いたときのにおい、口に含んだときの味わい、全て一瞬で理解してもらえます」
梶原「ほ？！」
山田「山田さんって、今はこれを造ってるんだって」
梶原「確かに」
山田「自分がやっていることを瞬時に伝えられる仕事を選んでよかったと思うんです」
　「転職」「転学」を経て探り当てた「天職」をいとおしむように語る山田さんだった。
※「梶原しげるの「しゃべりテク」」は毎月第2、4木曜更新です。次回は2018年10月11日の予定です。

1950年生まれ。早稲田大学卒業後、文化放送のアナウンサーに。92年からフリー。司会業を中心に活躍中。東京成徳大学客員教授（心理学修士）。「日本語検定」審議委員。著書に「すべらない敬語」「まずは『ドジな話』をしなさい」など。

梶原しげる