Last Tuesday I had the interview to transfer to the full time program. Unlike interviewing to gain acceptance the first time around, this little exercise in self-indulgent blather about oneself was much less nerve wracking—much more a general chin-wag. All told I think it went well, although if I did what I was supposed to do and impressed the person with whom I interviewed, I'll be left having to make a decision and that's not something I'm necessarily looking forward to doing.
The problem is that I kind of like my current predicament; I've got oodles of time on my hands to dive into my studies and I feel a strong connection with the rest of my class. Switching to an all day, full time regimen will ruin both of those little comfort spots. The playing field will be levelled and I'll no longer be the sole person in class who's done the homework and researched the cases.
Then there's the prospect of actually finding meaningful employment once again. After taking the last week or so off to focus squarely on annihilating the exams I sat last Saturday, I cast a couple of applications out into the ether today. There's no reason to believe that they'll illicit a response any different to what has transpired in the past: silence. You know, were it not for all the pressure of study I'd probably be quite depressed right now.
And when is that ridiculous Selective Service status letter going to arrive? I can't keep paying for this education out of pocket like I've been doing. It's killing me.
Showing posts with label MBA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MBA. Show all posts
Monday, March 16, 2009
Monday, February 09, 2009
Going Full Time
It's been seven months and something has to give. Since June I've been on the warpath, searching for a better way to fill the hours between 8am and 5pm without any luck. In fact today I uncovered a job opening at Adobe. With the help of an inside operative I discovered the status of the job: an offer was about to be extended and the person was going to take it. This is a common script, one that has played out for me over and over in the wake of my layoff.
So what's next? The MBA studies have keep my brain afloat and lent purpose to what might otherwise have been very aimless and purposeless days. Perhaps it's time to embrace that frame of mind to its fullest extent. Perhaps it's time I jumped off the weekend MBA train and went full time. It's something I'm seriously considering.
Honestly, I'm doing more than considering it—I'm going to do it; apply that is. Around five transfer spots are made available each year for evening and weekend students who for whatever reason would like to make the hop. Don't think of it as a sure shot, it's not. The transfer requires the completion of forms describing the reason for the request, explaining in detailed terms exactly what the prospective full time student might bring to the program. While the powers that be are considerate enough for forgo another round of GMAT examinations (rejoice!), the process is tantamount to a re-application. But I'll do it.
I'm not actually required to accept should I be offered the transfer, but at this juncture I'd probably take it. The tuition fees are significantly cheaper—I could claim in-state rates—I'd be out faster and the career launchpad provided by the program that much more lifting. With the rate at which I'm not finding any interest in my resume that last point is amongst the most attractive. Watching my limited funds dwindle away is far from pleasant. Retreating to the cloisters while the current financial tempest wreaks its havoc might be exactly what I need.
So what's next? The MBA studies have keep my brain afloat and lent purpose to what might otherwise have been very aimless and purposeless days. Perhaps it's time to embrace that frame of mind to its fullest extent. Perhaps it's time I jumped off the weekend MBA train and went full time. It's something I'm seriously considering.
Honestly, I'm doing more than considering it—I'm going to do it; apply that is. Around five transfer spots are made available each year for evening and weekend students who for whatever reason would like to make the hop. Don't think of it as a sure shot, it's not. The transfer requires the completion of forms describing the reason for the request, explaining in detailed terms exactly what the prospective full time student might bring to the program. While the powers that be are considerate enough for forgo another round of GMAT examinations (rejoice!), the process is tantamount to a re-application. But I'll do it.
I'm not actually required to accept should I be offered the transfer, but at this juncture I'd probably take it. The tuition fees are significantly cheaper—I could claim in-state rates—I'd be out faster and the career launchpad provided by the program that much more lifting. With the rate at which I'm not finding any interest in my resume that last point is amongst the most attractive. Watching my limited funds dwindle away is far from pleasant. Retreating to the cloisters while the current financial tempest wreaks its havoc might be exactly what I need.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Anatomy of the Day of an Unemployed Man Part 1
Being unemployed can really suck. The bank account is ever dwindling as the sum total of your life's work slowly ebbs back out into the economy from which it came. Unemployment checks help stem the losses but there's an itchy feeling under the skin that receiving a dose of cash injection from the EDD tends to leave. I think it's got something to do with the stigma of being a leach on society. Sure, I know, I put into the system for over a decade so it's only fair that I be allowed to draw something back out, but it's still not the sort of thing that generally boosts one's ego. Quite the opposite, in fact. It would be a mark of shame if only there weren't so many others drawing from the same communal largesse.
Nevertheless, my impecunious predicament is gradually spiralling downward, compounded by a bleak job market punctuated by layoff after layoff after layoff. Like I mentioned, I've got plenty of friends in the EDD club. Despite the overall shittiness of the employement landscape I've thus far remained resolute in my efforts to find work. Word to the wise, the resolve is beginning to crumble, but that's a separate post.
So how do I go about accomplishing this commendable goal of rejoining the work force? How does an unemployed man's day get filled? Surprisingly easily. Shaking off the effects of a night's sleep interrupted repeatedly by feline shenanigans usually starts at about 8am. Then there's more coffee from the magical siphon and the "productive" part of the day begins. Honestly it's productive. There's less Guitar Hero involved than one might think.
A good chunk of my morning was spent tracking tailoring my resume for a job I found posted on McAfee's site. The job involves serving as a Web Marketing Manager; a role similar to what I did at my former place of employment. I could probably run rings around the job, but that's now what really matters. What matters is getting access to the right people. Submit the resume without any target softening at the intended company and it disappears without any word or trace. Trust me, this is how the job market currently works. Fortunately a former direct report of mine, someone whose career I had a strong hand in developing, picked up a contract job there about 6 months ago. He's my mole in the organization. I'm relying on him to ensure that my cover letter and resume find their way to somebody who might actually care.
But there's a snag, and it only dawned on me when I was at the gym a little earlier this evening. The cover letter is a revision of a cover letter I used for a cold-call job submission at Hotwire, a job for which I actually received a kindly worded "piss off, you suck" response. Even getting a "no" from a submission should be chalked up in the success column. Ninety percent of the time I don't even get that. The snag in this instance is that I forgot to change the reference to Hotwire in the first paragraph. Visions of the recruiter or hiring manager barged into my brain. His or her eyebrows twist and furrow while my hopes of gainful employment are tossed into the "not on your life" pile. Quickly phoning my mole I discovered, as I expected, that he'd not really done much to shop the thing around, so time was on my side. I've got the chance to put the right name in the letter.
To be honest I don't expect anything to come of my efforts. Just last week I went through the depressing agony of finding a job at Apple that was appropriate for my background. Kicking my intelligence network into full gear I wheedled my way into a phone screen—which went exceptionally well—only to be told via email, after a too-long wait for a good response, that the hiring manager was opting for an internal candidate. "He quite liked you," the email read, but that doesn't really count for much when there isn't a job hanging on the end of that stick. The hiring manager got a "gee, you're a nice guy, perhaps you'll give me a job later" email that will never illicit a response. It's good to feel loved.
These experiences temper my expectations, and with McAfee it's no different. They lack the glamour of Apple. They lack the Jonathan Ive shininess and rabid fan base, but they're hiring and they've got a revenue stream. Perhaps they'll take me on.
How else does a bum pass his day? Getting his homework done. I'm taking two classes for this supposed part time MBA that's bleeding me about $4,000 per month. One of which is Operations. Unlike the rest of my class mates I've got ample time to study the living shit out of the subject. People want me in their study groups since they sleep assured at night that when they show up for the meeting the next day they can feel confident that at least one of the team members has made some decent headway with the problem sets. My GPA rises up in testament to the power of having more time than the rest: 3.925. There's plenty of time for that number to drop. And in the meanwhile, as the layoff announcements keep flooding in, the ranks of students suddenly exposed to too much time continues to swell. I'm not so lonely anymore.
Nevertheless, my impecunious predicament is gradually spiralling downward, compounded by a bleak job market punctuated by layoff after layoff after layoff. Like I mentioned, I've got plenty of friends in the EDD club. Despite the overall shittiness of the employement landscape I've thus far remained resolute in my efforts to find work. Word to the wise, the resolve is beginning to crumble, but that's a separate post.
So how do I go about accomplishing this commendable goal of rejoining the work force? How does an unemployed man's day get filled? Surprisingly easily. Shaking off the effects of a night's sleep interrupted repeatedly by feline shenanigans usually starts at about 8am. Then there's more coffee from the magical siphon and the "productive" part of the day begins. Honestly it's productive. There's less Guitar Hero involved than one might think.
A good chunk of my morning was spent tracking tailoring my resume for a job I found posted on McAfee's site. The job involves serving as a Web Marketing Manager; a role similar to what I did at my former place of employment. I could probably run rings around the job, but that's now what really matters. What matters is getting access to the right people. Submit the resume without any target softening at the intended company and it disappears without any word or trace. Trust me, this is how the job market currently works. Fortunately a former direct report of mine, someone whose career I had a strong hand in developing, picked up a contract job there about 6 months ago. He's my mole in the organization. I'm relying on him to ensure that my cover letter and resume find their way to somebody who might actually care.
But there's a snag, and it only dawned on me when I was at the gym a little earlier this evening. The cover letter is a revision of a cover letter I used for a cold-call job submission at Hotwire, a job for which I actually received a kindly worded "piss off, you suck" response. Even getting a "no" from a submission should be chalked up in the success column. Ninety percent of the time I don't even get that. The snag in this instance is that I forgot to change the reference to Hotwire in the first paragraph. Visions of the recruiter or hiring manager barged into my brain. His or her eyebrows twist and furrow while my hopes of gainful employment are tossed into the "not on your life" pile. Quickly phoning my mole I discovered, as I expected, that he'd not really done much to shop the thing around, so time was on my side. I've got the chance to put the right name in the letter.
To be honest I don't expect anything to come of my efforts. Just last week I went through the depressing agony of finding a job at Apple that was appropriate for my background. Kicking my intelligence network into full gear I wheedled my way into a phone screen—which went exceptionally well—only to be told via email, after a too-long wait for a good response, that the hiring manager was opting for an internal candidate. "He quite liked you," the email read, but that doesn't really count for much when there isn't a job hanging on the end of that stick. The hiring manager got a "gee, you're a nice guy, perhaps you'll give me a job later" email that will never illicit a response. It's good to feel loved.
These experiences temper my expectations, and with McAfee it's no different. They lack the glamour of Apple. They lack the Jonathan Ive shininess and rabid fan base, but they're hiring and they've got a revenue stream. Perhaps they'll take me on.
How else does a bum pass his day? Getting his homework done. I'm taking two classes for this supposed part time MBA that's bleeding me about $4,000 per month. One of which is Operations. Unlike the rest of my class mates I've got ample time to study the living shit out of the subject. People want me in their study groups since they sleep assured at night that when they show up for the meeting the next day they can feel confident that at least one of the team members has made some decent headway with the problem sets. My GPA rises up in testament to the power of having more time than the rest: 3.925. There's plenty of time for that number to drop. And in the meanwhile, as the layoff announcements keep flooding in, the ranks of students suddenly exposed to too much time continues to swell. I'm not so lonely anymore.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
Get Back On the Horse
When you fall off the horse you have to dust yourself off and get back on.
In the wake of my GMAT meltdown I took a much needed break. A little introspection often goes a long way and in this instance it really did the trick. I've got a tendency to focus a little too intently on matters such as test taking, and this time around I really worked myself into a mess. The time pressures imposed by the test format; the performance expectations I'd placed on myself—the list of factors all added up to a very rocky frame of mind. Now my head has cleared, my feet are back on Earth and I'm about half way through GMAT Study: The Sequel. This time it's no more Mr. High-Strung.
If only that was 100% true. In actual fact there's still a measure of anxiety lurking inside of me and it's always likely to be there. Just look no further than my dad. Roger's no stranger to sliding into a frantic state of mind and he himself apologized for passing along his anxiety gene to his offspring. Thanks, Dad, but it's really not your fault. Or maybe it is, but he can't be blamed, can he? He can't help who he is anymore than I can.
In many ways it has felt like I was returning to square one on this whole test preparation kick. My initial method that was based upon blindly charging into revision armed with nothing but an over-inflated sense of confidence and precious little understanding of exactly how one takes standardized tests—I've never in fact taken one in my life; something that blows the minds of most of my American-born friends who are veterans of thousands of multi-choice exams. God bless the American education system and it's slavish reliance on standardized tests. The ship demanded a course correction and I ponied up for the Princeton Review series of books. They're none too shabby and instill a healthy sense of confidence, although I suspect their questions aren't quite as representative of what the GMAC concocts for the actual test. The Princeton Review's questions seem to test what the Princeton Review teaches quite well but might fall short of striking the same tone adopted by the GMAC. I suppose that's why the student is advised to pick up the official revision guide and use the Princeton Review techniques on real questions in order to shore up some knowledge. It's sound advice and I'm following it.
So I'm back in the saddle; not necessarily breaking into a gallop just yet but I'm moving along at what I'd consider to be a comfortable canter. There's still a lot of work to accomplish—lots of practice tests, getting the pacing right, developing swift recall on the problem topics—but at least the road seems more smooth and predictable. I'm even starting to enjoy the ride.
In the wake of my GMAT meltdown I took a much needed break. A little introspection often goes a long way and in this instance it really did the trick. I've got a tendency to focus a little too intently on matters such as test taking, and this time around I really worked myself into a mess. The time pressures imposed by the test format; the performance expectations I'd placed on myself—the list of factors all added up to a very rocky frame of mind. Now my head has cleared, my feet are back on Earth and I'm about half way through GMAT Study: The Sequel. This time it's no more Mr. High-Strung.
If only that was 100% true. In actual fact there's still a measure of anxiety lurking inside of me and it's always likely to be there. Just look no further than my dad. Roger's no stranger to sliding into a frantic state of mind and he himself apologized for passing along his anxiety gene to his offspring. Thanks, Dad, but it's really not your fault. Or maybe it is, but he can't be blamed, can he? He can't help who he is anymore than I can.
In many ways it has felt like I was returning to square one on this whole test preparation kick. My initial method that was based upon blindly charging into revision armed with nothing but an over-inflated sense of confidence and precious little understanding of exactly how one takes standardized tests—I've never in fact taken one in my life; something that blows the minds of most of my American-born friends who are veterans of thousands of multi-choice exams. God bless the American education system and it's slavish reliance on standardized tests. The ship demanded a course correction and I ponied up for the Princeton Review series of books. They're none too shabby and instill a healthy sense of confidence, although I suspect their questions aren't quite as representative of what the GMAC concocts for the actual test. The Princeton Review's questions seem to test what the Princeton Review teaches quite well but might fall short of striking the same tone adopted by the GMAC. I suppose that's why the student is advised to pick up the official revision guide and use the Princeton Review techniques on real questions in order to shore up some knowledge. It's sound advice and I'm following it.
So I'm back in the saddle; not necessarily breaking into a gallop just yet but I'm moving along at what I'd consider to be a comfortable canter. There's still a lot of work to accomplish—lots of practice tests, getting the pacing right, developing swift recall on the problem topics—but at least the road seems more smooth and predictable. I'm even starting to enjoy the ride.
Monday, April 30, 2007
More Bother Than It's Worth?
There's little to report at the moment, not that I have any readership that actually cares. For some odd reason I got the notion of completing an MBA stuck into my head. Of course getting accepted into a program requires sitting the GMAT, a test that I can only recommend if you're really hell-bent on this whole "business" thing.
The GMAT—and getting into business school—has become all consuming of late, and that's probably not a healthy frame of mind in which to exist. Having tried a practice test on the weekend I realized that when it comes to the maths component I'm kind of underdone right now, despite what I might have thought a week ago. I lack sufficient familiarity with the problems which in turn gets me bogged down. In short I'm slow when it comes to the number crunching, although with a lot more practice I ought to be able to turn that around. Just like any sport or skill, it all comes down to practice in the end.
Beyond that just how much time should I really be dedicating to this pursuit? To what extent is it really worth the bother? My career is doing well—so long as you discount the fact that I haven't worked professionally for more than one company—and in most respects my life is chugging along just fine. At the end of the day what's it really going to accomplish? Will I suddenly attain a heretofore out-of-reach degree of career mobility? Will I be catapulted into the upper echelons of high-tech corporate structures? Nah, I seriously doubt it. Perhaps I'm better off not worrying about it—pull back, chill out, take a break.
Whatever the case I've hit the point where some perspective is needed. Tonight I'm home early with the books and study materials stashed safely at my desk at work. Tonight it's all about skipping the gym, sliding off the shoes and relaxing for a while. It feels good, doesn't it?
The GMAT—and getting into business school—has become all consuming of late, and that's probably not a healthy frame of mind in which to exist. Having tried a practice test on the weekend I realized that when it comes to the maths component I'm kind of underdone right now, despite what I might have thought a week ago. I lack sufficient familiarity with the problems which in turn gets me bogged down. In short I'm slow when it comes to the number crunching, although with a lot more practice I ought to be able to turn that around. Just like any sport or skill, it all comes down to practice in the end.
Beyond that just how much time should I really be dedicating to this pursuit? To what extent is it really worth the bother? My career is doing well—so long as you discount the fact that I haven't worked professionally for more than one company—and in most respects my life is chugging along just fine. At the end of the day what's it really going to accomplish? Will I suddenly attain a heretofore out-of-reach degree of career mobility? Will I be catapulted into the upper echelons of high-tech corporate structures? Nah, I seriously doubt it. Perhaps I'm better off not worrying about it—pull back, chill out, take a break.
Whatever the case I've hit the point where some perspective is needed. Tonight I'm home early with the books and study materials stashed safely at my desk at work. Tonight it's all about skipping the gym, sliding off the shoes and relaxing for a while. It feels good, doesn't it?
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