MBAwesome!
May 2, 2005
The Three-Minute-Seventeen-Second MBA
In which I reveal all the big secrets about what one learns in business school (sort of) I just finished business school. (Huzzah!) At some point in the not-so-distant future, I imagine that there will be time for me to reflect on the things I've learned, the people I've met, and the time/ money I've spent. I'm talking serious, sober reflection -- really deep shit. Meditation, in a trance, a me-and-my-journal-on-a-mountaintop sort of thing. That time is not now. Now I'm just happy to be done. And in the absence of deeper meditations on the subject, I'm at least going to ask myself if the time and money I spent were more worthwhile than just buying one of those "Twenty-Minute MBA" sorts of books (they were). Still, if I was putting together one of said publications, what would I include? Thus, in the absence of any Big Thoughts on B-School,...
Posted by thatkid at 3:55 PM | Comments (0)
April 19, 2005
The Worst Class At Business School
In which I describe the most excruciating genre of classroom experience encountered in business school So this is it. My final week of graduate school. Whoa. Full adulthood beckons. I figure it's a time for reflection, contemplation, and examination of the 22 months I've spent as a grad student. And I suspect at some point there will be time for all of that. But right now I'm having some bandwidth issues in re: all-the-work-that-I-should-have-done-all-semester-but-didn't-because- I-mean-really-it's-my-last-semester-of-grad-school-and-I-have-a-job. So. I don't suspect I'll be doing much posting on the electric internet over the next week or so, save for some repurposings of class projects that fit with the overall theme and tone of thatkidinthecorner.com (said theme and tone being "whatever the hell it is I choose to think and/ or write about at that moment"). All that said, I can't let the final week of b-school pass without some summary comments; let's start...
Posted by thatkid at 7:34 PM | Comments (0)
March 24, 2005
It Has Been Made To Mean Something!
Quick hits and corrections on the goings-on at my semi-esteemed graduate school Since I'm sure at least 6 of the 11 people who visit ThatKidInTheCorner have been nervously awaiting an update on the school election, I figured I'd offer some quick updates (as well as some corrections): Only Eleven Direct Reports: in my eagerness to ridicule the absurdity of the student government org chart posted in the school lobby, it seems I misspoke somewhat. Whereas I claimed that "15" faces were directly connected to the president, it turns out it is actually only 11 faces. Mea culpa. The remaining four report to other people on the org chart. Note that the entire concept of the org chart with reporting lines remains self-parodic and absurd. He Made Something Mean Something Else!: guess who won the school election. Just guess. Captain Website carried the day! I guess the student body really wanted...
Posted by thatkid at 4:33 PM | Comments (0)
March 16, 2005
Making Something Mean Something
In which there are ample opportunities for a semiotic discussion of the relative merits of the descriptors "self-parodic" and "caricature of itself" Business school has been very good to me. I've learned a ton, met some great people, and feel good about my investment in the degree. At the same time, I've had more than a few shake-my-head moments at b-school, the moments when I feel really out of place, in a very I-don't-belong-here-please-tell-me-I-don't-act-like-these-people sort of way. (See also: why most people don't like people with MBAs.) On balance, I'm pretty simpatico about the whole thing -- b-school is great and I recommend it to anyone who asks, warts and all. However, there are certain things that just don't work for me. And by "just don't work for me" I mean "drive me to the verge of apoplectic seizure." Student government elections are one of said things. In lieu of...
Posted by thatkid at 6:29 PM | Comments (0)
February 23, 2005
The Professor (Doesn't) Wear Prada?
An exercise in uncomfortable silence For a group of people ostensibly 100 grand poorer for their two years in graduate school in a big city, my business school classmates' penchant for snobbery -- specifically related to profligate consumption of overpriced luxury goods and services -- never ceases to amaze. Perhaps it's a byproduct of their choice in graduate school (I mean, you'd expect the money-grubbing/ consumerist folks to end up at b-school), or just a function of living in New York, but I am perpetually amazed by the brands of attire and gadget that grace the hallways. I imagine the folks getting their masters in comp lit aren't dressed quite as well. All that said, I was still floored by an exchange in one of my classes yesterday. The professor in said class is an accomplished marketing professional who has held jobs with a number of the world's leading consumer...
Posted by thatkid at 4:48 PM | Comments (0)
February 3, 2005
Today The Poltroon Was Hungry
In which an ill-mannered classmate defies all conventional standards of polite behavior Right. So I know I should be more mature and/ or unbothered by the classroom conduct of my fellow students. This is my last semester of grad school, we'll all adults, and a certain degree of professionalism governs most interactions in the classroom environment. I shouldn't be complaining about other students; I just shouldn't. (But I will.) I dropped an episode involving a fellow student (the "poltroon") a couple weeks back. Since then, I will admit that I've taken particular note of said poltroon's classroom behavior. We've had three classes since then. The poltroon has been no fewer than 8 minutes late for each of those classes. It would be one thing if this was a gigantic lecture hall, but no, this is a small seminar classroom with about 15 students (which is excellent, by the way). Thus,...
Posted by thatkid at 4:05 PM | Comments (0)
January 26, 2005
Spring 2005 Course Selection
A complete and thorough listing of my classes at business school Though I'm admittedly a bit saddened by the prospect of facing down my final semester of business school (and the attendant obligation to secure gainful employment!), my mood is buoyed somewhat by the exciting roster of classes I've assembled for this term -- included below with their catalog descriptions. Check it out, and I think you'll understand why I'm so excited! B8945-003 High Performance Middle Management: among the school's most highly coveted classes, this course focuses on techniques and strategies for succeeding in organizational life during the crucial "first five years" following business school. Topics include micromanaging low-performing subordinates, the role of non-specific language in strategic communication(s), issuing thinly veiled threats in lieu of real-time feedback, taking credit for other people's work, non-obsequious agreement with superiors, pretending to be interested in colleagues' personal lives, and lowering spousal expectations of...
Posted by thatkid at 4:56 PM | Comments (0)
January 20, 2005
The Inevitable Opening Salvo of Suckiness
In which I go back to school for the last last time, and am reminded why most people don't like MBAs Went to the first class of my final semester as a grad student this morning. I was pretty fired up for the class in specific, and relatively enthusiastic about returning to school in general. It's the final semester and I have a great roster of classes -- this term would be all about thinking and learning. It would be chill. But no. Twenty-eight minutes into the ninety-minute class, following a brief introduction and survey of the course syllabus, the professor asked the class if there were any questions. A hand shot up. "Yes?" "I have a question." "Go ahead...." "Will the exam be take-home or in-class?" ARGHGRH!! AHGHAGH!!! UHGHGUGHJGGUHGAHG!!!!!!! UGHYTEHRYHHGGG? GGUSHETSHJSH??? SHSHGIFGOIHO!!!!!!! &@#$@&#%!!!.....IUGHHGUHGUH!!!!! (This is me having a seizure.) This is it. Our final semester. No potential employer is...
Posted by thatkid at 12:13 PM | Comments (0)
September 9, 2004
My Last First Day Of School
Barring some unforeseen act of extreme self-indulgence that would lead me to seek an additional graduate degree, Wednesday September 8, 2004 was OFFICIALLY my last first day of school. SIGH. My mother will be very excited to know that I snapped a photo of myself before walking out the door (using the always amusing "reach those arms out and point the camera back at myself" method), allowing her to add it to her collection. My haven't I grown! My schedule this semester is rather Wednesday-heavy; I start at 8:15 a.m. and go straight through to 6:15 p.m. with fifteen-minute breaks every 90 minutes or so. I didn't so much plan it that way -- it just worked out that most of the classes I was really excited about were on Wednesdays. For the first day, this meant that I was starting WAY earlier than I had even been awake over...
Posted by thatkid at 8:26 PM | Comments (0)
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