One thing I have learned from my classmates is that they've practically done it all. Sometimes, people will rhetorically say things like, "I was a [occupation], so I know" to end a conversation by claiming expertise. E.g., "When I was a South American dictator, I learned..."
In my experience, I have found that people do this jokingly, and claim ridiculous jobs. In school, I have found that when people say these things, they turn out to be true. Some of the random occupations I've heard bandied about include:
- Cinematographer
- Scuba diving instructor
- Health inspector
- Children's book authoer
- Yoga teacher
- Beverage spokesperson
- Professional basketball player
- Marksmanship instructor at sniper school
You get my drift.
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Showing posts with label school. Show all posts
Friday, September 12, 2008
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Shortlisted: How I decided on where to apply
I decided last fall that I wanted to get an MBA. I didn't have much time to decide where I was going to apply.
At that time, I was in serious *like* with my job. We were going steady for a while, but I wanted to wear someone else's letter jacket to school on game days. I thought there were other fish in the greener sea, or whatever tortured analogy you'd like to use. While I liked my job, I'd classify myself as a career switcher.
Now, I was already working in a post-MBA position at a consulting firm. I figured, if I get into school, great. If not, I'll stay at my company at a job I like. I had nothing to lose. So, I decided to gamble and maximize my ROI by applying only to top programs. I trimmed the list based on where I would and would not live. I ruled out the Midwest (U.S.), kept the East Coast (U.S.), West Coast (U.S.) and Europe. For now, but probably not for long, the top MBA programs are still in the U.S.
I didn't apply to any safeties. If I'm going to spend $150k in tuition and living expenses, plus a few hundred $K in opportunity cost, I should go somewhere which will open doors for me. Besides, a half-assed application is pretty transparently half-assed.
Ultimately, I'm happy about where I applied. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably sub out INSEAD for Columbia. It was time for me to leave NYC, and this would have guaranteed it.
At that time, I was in serious *like* with my job. We were going steady for a while, but I wanted to wear someone else's letter jacket to school on game days. I thought there were other fish in the greener sea, or whatever tortured analogy you'd like to use. While I liked my job, I'd classify myself as a career switcher.
Now, I was already working in a post-MBA position at a consulting firm. I figured, if I get into school, great. If not, I'll stay at my company at a job I like. I had nothing to lose. So, I decided to gamble and maximize my ROI by applying only to top programs. I trimmed the list based on where I would and would not live. I ruled out the Midwest (U.S.), kept the East Coast (U.S.), West Coast (U.S.) and Europe. For now, but probably not for long, the top MBA programs are still in the U.S.
I didn't apply to any safeties. If I'm going to spend $150k in tuition and living expenses, plus a few hundred $K in opportunity cost, I should go somewhere which will open doors for me. Besides, a half-assed application is pretty transparently half-assed.
Ultimately, I'm happy about where I applied. If I had it to do over again, I'd probably sub out INSEAD for Columbia. It was time for me to leave NYC, and this would have guaranteed it.
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