I have been spending the majority of my day finalizing the "switch," as Apple markets it. In other words, I've been bashing my head against the desk while trying to move information from my PC onto my Mac. Outlook, in particular, refuses to play nice with Entourage or Address Book, which is hugely problematic because I have over 600 contact files that I will most certainly not be re-typing by hand.
Also, after reading this short but revealing article from Time Magazine yesterday, I finally caved and signed up for a Twitter account. Whether or not I'll be using it remains to be seen. My first look through the website makes me think it is a fun novelty, but more a time waster than useful tool. However, human curiosity is a powerful force, and the creator of Twitter (who also created Blogger, the very engine I'm typing on now) has managed to harness this force to create [yet another] social network.
Hardware, software, network, whatever... it all boils down to the creation, dissemination, and capture of information. Technology has spawned some powerful tools that have revolutionized the way information is transferred, but it has also stolen our valuable downtime, and often times in trying to simplify our lives makes it a hundred times more complicated.
One of my biggest challenges of transitioning to being a business school student is getting my technological-toolkit ducks in a row. Whereas previously, my laptop, Blackberry, cell phone were all paid for, set up, and maintained by my company, I now have to consider how to most effectively allocate my dollars to provide me the most support through my b-school years. Furthermore, I need to make sure ensure that what I use doesn't conflict, and not only gets the job done but does it quickly and as hassle-free as possible. I've summarized my technology-related decisions and thoughts below.
Computer:
I'll be on my 13" Macbook, upgraded to 4gb RAM & 256gb SSD HD, which I do enjoy greatly, but I know this purchase has been a mistake. I am a big enough geek that I admire the simplicity, superiority, and elegance that permeates Apple's product line, and I had always told myself that if I ever went back to school or started my own business, I would reward myself with a Mac. Although VMWare, Bootcamp, and a large base of open source support has made Mac a way more viable option, innate compatibility issues remain. Whereas before, you flat out couldn't achieve certain tasks, now you can, but it's a gigantic pain in the rear. I still love my Mac, and I know it will serve me well throughout it's lifespan; but if I were to do it again, I would buy another Dell XPS M1330 to serve as my Kellogg workhorse.
Phone:
It is a given that you will be living out of a calendar and a pile of to-do notes during your 2 years at b-school, which makes it imperative to own a smartphone. Here, there is a very defined separation between the iPhone & Blackberry camps, and I definitely fall into the Blackberry one. No matter how sophisticated the touch screen is, it will always be a flat pane fof glass and I need the tactile response of buttons. An even greater reason that I go Blackberry is it is the quintessential corporate powerhouse, combining perfect synchronization with Exchange with a no-nonsense interface and a comfortable, all-in-one package. Web-browsing and games? Not it's forte, and it doesn't even pretend. There are enough custom apps out there to achieve what you want it to do, although of course nothing can compare to the onslaught from devoted iPhone-app programmers. If you enjoy the novelty of tweaking and something endlessly, and/or are a Mac user (perfect synchronization *wistful sigh*) then get an iPhone. If you're serious about getting your email on the run, and want to sync flawlessly with Exchange, get a Blackberry. Disclaimer: I have not used any Windows Mobile phones, due to my inherent distrust of Microsoft and the earlier, clunky builds I encountered. I'm told the newer phones have much improved, and also the Palm Pre sounds pretty good on paper, but I have been so satisfied with my Blackberry I have no inclination to learn a new interface.
Software:
I use Entourage for my school email & calendar (this will be replaced by Outlook for PC users), and I use Apple Mail to deal with my multiple Gmail accounts. I have both Office 2008 for the Mac and Office 2007 on my Windows XP VMWare; just in case, yanno. The Adobe CS3 Suite takes up nearly 10% of my available hard drive space, but has Photoshop, Illustrator, and other invaluable design tools. Adium (Pidgin on the PC) lets me combine the AIM/Yahoo of my college friends, MSN of China friends, and Gchat of my "too lazy to download a chat program" friends all in one messenger program, and log it all to boot. iTunes keeps me happy and productive, and Google Reader lets me stay up to date with everything I care about. Last but not least, Firefox is the best browser in the world, hands down; no other browser lets you "add on" whatever the hell you damn feel like. Open source ftw.
Network:
Facebook - A must to stay connected socially in the modern day world. When I moved from Los Angeles to Shanghai, this let me keep abreast of what was going on with my friends back home, and let them take a peek into my new life. Also, it was used heavily as an event organizer; if you weren't on Facebook, you basically weren't notified that so & so was organizing a party. I imagine Twitter has stolen some of its glory these days, but there's no way a 140-char update log will replace the . The danger is when your bosses (present and/or future) see your beer-kegging way or dominatrix outfit picture album. The easy way to circumvent this: make sure you put nothing potentially embarassing up to public. If you can't seem to manage it, just make your profile private to friends only.
Webboards - Oldie but goodie. Too bad the Kellogg ones don't seem to be used too much. I'm guessing LinkedIn is taking over some of it's turf?
LinkedIn - The up and comer, the Facebook of the corporate world. It reminds me slightly of what Plaxo or Ringo tried to do, but they went above and beyond and seem to be succeeding quite well. I will be interested in seeing how this grows further. I have my doubts about the authenticity of relationships "created" over the net, and is it necessary or even possible to -maintain- existing business relationships via an impersonal website?
Blog - You're reading it now, aren't you? I wonder if I should make it less personal and more corporate, or less free-form and more structured, but in its beginning stages it is more for me and my friends or classmates than the public at large. The idea is to both save my thoughts for later, and also contribute to a small, online pool of knowledge and discussion; I haven't quite warmed up to the idea of a blog as a personal marketing tool. I spend enough time writing cover letters and preparing for interviews that if a company can't accept I may have a life beyond stilted polite business language, well, that's too bad then.
Twitter - First appeared on my radar after my friend received mucho publicity for his website on Twitter trends. I'll admit, the concept seemed a bit "what's the point" to me, but it's prevalence now means I'd be a fool not to at least reserve a user name.
Google Wave - Deserves a mention because it's going to be huge. I'm hoping it will include their existing Google Documents technology, and regardless I look forward to using it as the core of the many group projects that will follow in the next 2 years... oh and the name comes from FIREFLY *swoons* (this is why Google is taking over the world, because they're genius AND badass).
Closing thoughts: It's a lot to keep up with! Information overload, ADD, carpal tunnel syndrome, and Blackberry thumbs are all common ailments in these times (I have them all) and it sometimes feels like I spend more time managing the technology then getting the original use out of it. The next big money maker will be whoever can come out with a seamless, user-friendly interface to manage the many different streams of information ... sounds impossible for sure, with all the different players, each elbowing to be THE source you go to, and not to mention the compatibility and synchronization issues, but that's why whoever figures it out is going to be a multi-billionaire.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Power-leveling
I wanted to talk today about something which I have learned is very important - having a mentor. I do not come from an impoverished background, nor have I been beset by any especial hurdles, but I was definitely mired in full-blown mediocrity when I discovered mine. Or, as it would be far more correct to say, when she took me under her wing.
We had just gone through a regime change at my company, and none of us in the accounting/finance department knew anything about the incoming CFO. I wish I could say she swept in with gusto, but actually, her entrance was quiet, and marked by her asking us relevant, important questions and then actually taking the time to listen to the answers.
Her style revealed itself very slowly, even as her knowledge of the company grew quickly, and it wasn't until much later that I realized she was the modern-day Superwoman, who juggled a successful executive career with being a talented, social, and caring wife & mother. This lady also was the first person to ever give me a straight, honest assessment of my professional faults, without any sugarcoating whatsoever. To which she then added, "Yeah, you remind me a little of me when I was younger." Along the way, she gave me tips on ways to improve, and then many a chance to prove myself. It was her who convinced me to apply for business school last year, when I was perfectly happy charting my company's explosive growth in the Asia Pacific region. And now it is her I need to thank (yet again), after my company brought in an ethnocentric, cross-eyed director who has alienated half our client base, that I am now on my way to bigger and better things.
I never did anything to deserve her help, never babysat or brown-nosed, and yet she continues to look out for me, giving me insight on my future direction and writing me sparkling recommendations. To this day, I cannot say I am her friend, or even an associate, as we both have long left our original posts and continue to move in vastly different circles. But I know I owe her a lifelong debt, and she will always be a role model.
I talk about this for a few reasons. I think most people, who are in a position of success, probably have somebody (or even more than one) they feel similarly about. For those out there feeling a little lost, I encourage you to think about the people in your life who have looked out for you. Or even those people you know and admire. Don't be afraid to ask them advice; more often than not, you will be pleasantly surprised.
Secondly, "networking," is the word of the century it seems, particularly for those in the business circle. But too often, it connotes having a mile high Rolodex, or meeting people for the sake of meeting people (or the people that the people that the people know ;p). I propose something different. I am looking to cultivate a few, meaningful relationships with people who can be counted on not only to drink with me but to carry me home when I'm drunk. I will never be a social butterfly. I will never want to be able to pass through a room of 300 and call them all by name. But I will be happy having a small, close-knit network of people I can depend on, and who know they can always depend on me. That is my MO.
And lastly, like I mentioned before, I know I owe my mentor a great debt. But it can never be repaid to her, and instead, I will be repaying it to the next generation after me. In the hopes that they will then pass their knowledge and success down to even the next generation after theirs. And so on and so forth, because this is the natural order of things. So for those here like me who have debts (and who doesn't, in America?) I write this to remind myself, and you, to never forget to repay them, no matter how busy or wrapped up in our own lives we may be we owe it to those who have helped us along the way to pass the favor on.
So why did I title this post "Power-leveling?" Because in an RPG, you can either perform the quests yourself, with great difficulty and no small amount of risk to your bodily health, or instead, you can get somebody who's several levels higher to take you through them in half the time, paving the way for you to level faster. It's scary how many gaming analogies I can find in life. And that's the last time I ever reference gaming on this blog, I prom...hope. ^_^
We had just gone through a regime change at my company, and none of us in the accounting/finance department knew anything about the incoming CFO. I wish I could say she swept in with gusto, but actually, her entrance was quiet, and marked by her asking us relevant, important questions and then actually taking the time to listen to the answers.
Her style revealed itself very slowly, even as her knowledge of the company grew quickly, and it wasn't until much later that I realized she was the modern-day Superwoman, who juggled a successful executive career with being a talented, social, and caring wife & mother. This lady also was the first person to ever give me a straight, honest assessment of my professional faults, without any sugarcoating whatsoever. To which she then added, "Yeah, you remind me a little of me when I was younger." Along the way, she gave me tips on ways to improve, and then many a chance to prove myself. It was her who convinced me to apply for business school last year, when I was perfectly happy charting my company's explosive growth in the Asia Pacific region. And now it is her I need to thank (yet again), after my company brought in an ethnocentric, cross-eyed director who has alienated half our client base, that I am now on my way to bigger and better things.
I never did anything to deserve her help, never babysat or brown-nosed, and yet she continues to look out for me, giving me insight on my future direction and writing me sparkling recommendations. To this day, I cannot say I am her friend, or even an associate, as we both have long left our original posts and continue to move in vastly different circles. But I know I owe her a lifelong debt, and she will always be a role model.
I talk about this for a few reasons. I think most people, who are in a position of success, probably have somebody (or even more than one) they feel similarly about. For those out there feeling a little lost, I encourage you to think about the people in your life who have looked out for you. Or even those people you know and admire. Don't be afraid to ask them advice; more often than not, you will be pleasantly surprised.
Secondly, "networking," is the word of the century it seems, particularly for those in the business circle. But too often, it connotes having a mile high Rolodex, or meeting people for the sake of meeting people (or the people that the people that the people know ;p). I propose something different. I am looking to cultivate a few, meaningful relationships with people who can be counted on not only to drink with me but to carry me home when I'm drunk. I will never be a social butterfly. I will never want to be able to pass through a room of 300 and call them all by name. But I will be happy having a small, close-knit network of people I can depend on, and who know they can always depend on me. That is my MO.
And lastly, like I mentioned before, I know I owe my mentor a great debt. But it can never be repaid to her, and instead, I will be repaying it to the next generation after me. In the hopes that they will then pass their knowledge and success down to even the next generation after theirs. And so on and so forth, because this is the natural order of things. So for those here like me who have debts (and who doesn't, in America?) I write this to remind myself, and you, to never forget to repay them, no matter how busy or wrapped up in our own lives we may be we owe it to those who have helped us along the way to pass the favor on.
So why did I title this post "Power-leveling?" Because in an RPG, you can either perform the quests yourself, with great difficulty and no small amount of risk to your bodily health, or instead, you can get somebody who's several levels higher to take you through them in half the time, paving the way for you to level faster. It's scary how many gaming analogies I can find in life. And that's the last time I ever reference gaming on this blog, I prom...hope. ^_^
Monday, June 1, 2009
Business School as an MMORPG
I'll admit to getting a little freaked out today, as I browse the blogosphere and read students comment on the intensity of the first few quarters and the pervasive lack of sleep, with phrases such as "drinking out of a fire hose" and "I knew it would be difficult, but I never imagined to this level." Working as the senior manager of a startup company for the last 2 years, I am no stranger to hard work or overnighters, but I've also given myself time to recuperate between projects and I have always been one of those people who needs 8-9 hrs of sleep a day to be on top of my game.
The whole thing reminds me a bit of an MMORPG, which stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game for you non-geeks out there. As an ex hardcore gamer, I always had a bit of a chip on my shoulder about MMORPGs, because of their lack of parity. In a standard game, such as an FPS, every player starts with the same amount of money and the same access to weapons. Your success in the game is determined primarily by your skill. However, the nature of an MMORPG encourages players to devote their time to the game to gain levels, get better equipment, etc... Which means success stops being determined by skill, and is instead primarily determined by the amount of time you devote to the game. Skill will always be a factor, but in most MMORPGs, it becomes almost negligible. Furthermore, if you are a latecomer to the game, you will never be able to catch up to somebody who has started months before you, as long as they are putting sustained effort into playing.
Back then, as a competitive gamer who had other priorities such as staying on the Dean's List or keeping her full-time job, MMORPGs just didn't make sense. I enjoyed gaming, and while I knew I was missing out on some of the best games, I tried to avoid MMORPGs. I was too competitive to be happy losing to people who had more time, who because they didn't go to work or school had what I perceived as an unfair advantage. Unfortunately, real life is unfair too, and I'll admit to having more than a little bit of envy and resentment for people who can run full throttle on very little sleep. An example is my current general manager, who can stay up until 4am schmoozing clients and be ready for the 7am meeting the next day no problem, repeat ad nauseum for the rest of the week. It's maddening; the man is a machine. Compare that to me after only 3 hours of sleep, when I tend to put my socks on backwards, stumble zombie-like into stationary objects, and come home to discover a rank smell because I've put the cereal in the refrigerator and the milk in the cupboard. Ewww...
Of course I know that I will get out of business school what I put into it. But it annoys me to know my success will be proportional to the amount of time I sink in, no matter how clever I am or what background I have, and following from that, it bothers me to know already that I will not be able to have my cake and eat it too, to ace my classes, network like crazy, and still maintain a regular sleep schedule. The knowledge spurs me to get my ducks in a row now, to start researching and prioritizing before I ever get on campus, while the other half of me is bemoaning the loss of my precious "relax and recharge" mindset I was going into summer with. But it cannot be helped. I have always liked the saying "work smarter, not harder," and by jove, I am going to give it a good shot.
On a side note, does anybody else think Entourage 2008 is the clunkiest, ugliest, most godforsaken software ever created? I really wish there was a better alternative for syncing with Exchange & a Blackberry on the Mac.
The whole thing reminds me a bit of an MMORPG, which stands for Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game for you non-geeks out there. As an ex hardcore gamer, I always had a bit of a chip on my shoulder about MMORPGs, because of their lack of parity. In a standard game, such as an FPS, every player starts with the same amount of money and the same access to weapons. Your success in the game is determined primarily by your skill. However, the nature of an MMORPG encourages players to devote their time to the game to gain levels, get better equipment, etc... Which means success stops being determined by skill, and is instead primarily determined by the amount of time you devote to the game. Skill will always be a factor, but in most MMORPGs, it becomes almost negligible. Furthermore, if you are a latecomer to the game, you will never be able to catch up to somebody who has started months before you, as long as they are putting sustained effort into playing.
Back then, as a competitive gamer who had other priorities such as staying on the Dean's List or keeping her full-time job, MMORPGs just didn't make sense. I enjoyed gaming, and while I knew I was missing out on some of the best games, I tried to avoid MMORPGs. I was too competitive to be happy losing to people who had more time, who because they didn't go to work or school had what I perceived as an unfair advantage. Unfortunately, real life is unfair too, and I'll admit to having more than a little bit of envy and resentment for people who can run full throttle on very little sleep. An example is my current general manager, who can stay up until 4am schmoozing clients and be ready for the 7am meeting the next day no problem, repeat ad nauseum for the rest of the week. It's maddening; the man is a machine. Compare that to me after only 3 hours of sleep, when I tend to put my socks on backwards, stumble zombie-like into stationary objects, and come home to discover a rank smell because I've put the cereal in the refrigerator and the milk in the cupboard. Ewww...
Of course I know that I will get out of business school what I put into it. But it annoys me to know my success will be proportional to the amount of time I sink in, no matter how clever I am or what background I have, and following from that, it bothers me to know already that I will not be able to have my cake and eat it too, to ace my classes, network like crazy, and still maintain a regular sleep schedule. The knowledge spurs me to get my ducks in a row now, to start researching and prioritizing before I ever get on campus, while the other half of me is bemoaning the loss of my precious "relax and recharge" mindset I was going into summer with. But it cannot be helped. I have always liked the saying "work smarter, not harder," and by jove, I am going to give it a good shot.
On a side note, does anybody else think Entourage 2008 is the clunkiest, ugliest, most godforsaken software ever created? I really wish there was a better alternative for syncing with Exchange & a Blackberry on the Mac.
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