The one in which I work a lot

 Hello old friends,

Well it’s been another long week. I started working with Mitchell this week, so between class, work and more class I worked a solid 8 a.m. – 9 p.m. every day and then got to do homework. Still, working for Mitchell is going to be good and I’m glad that I can get some training out of the way before I start full-time after graduation.

This week’s highlights:

               -My team in Strategic Management won the challenge assignment. Every semester Dr. Anand surprises students with an extra assignment that is bit more challenging than our usual ones. This one involved coming up with a new business model for the circus industry. Anyway, my team looked at some other models out there and took the best bits from each and came up with a project that we really felt was exciting. Evidently, our professor and the judges thought so too. We get a boost in our participation grade and little reward like a small gift card to Starbucks. Mainly, it’s just exciting because we all thought we had a great project and it was nice to get confirmation of that.

               -Learning lots of fun things on IBM’s SPSS Modeler in Enterprise Systems. I do enjoy getting to play with data. I just hate having to wait for a model to load.

               -Just about there in Grant Writing. It’s odd because so much goes into to writing a grant but the output for this one will be less than ten-pages. I feel like I do a bunch of research to write one or two sentences.

               -Work at the library is chugging along. I’m painstakingly sorting out the InternationalBusiness Library Guide. You should check it out. I have a question to my international friends out there—what region of the world do I place Turkey in? It doesn’t really fit well into any region—Middle East, Central Asia, Eastern Europe?

               -Work at Mitchell is going to be good. Everybody is nice and excited to work there, which is always a good sign.

Here’s the video for the week:

The One in which I get a Job

Hello all,
 I'm writing this to you from the past because I wanted to tell you all about my job but I didn't want to say  anything about it until the papers were signed, so this post has been saved on my desktop for the past three days. Hopefully, the future finds you well. 

I hope you guys had a good break because I sure did. I mean, sure, it rained and I had a take-home midterm to work on BUT I also got a job. Yep, I have a big girl job all lined up and it starts the Monday after graduation.[1]

So where is this job, you say? Why it’s at MitchellCommunications Group here in Fayetteville. I’ll be working in research, which is actually pretty perfect for me. Because as most of you know I like breaking down all things in to their little parts so I can better examine them.[2]

Outside of getting a job, I got to visit family and see my niece and nephew, which is always awesome. I also got to do some shopping and may (or may not) have bought 4 pairs of new shoes. It happens.

Classes are moving along. We had a big test in Strategic Management before Spring Break and I found out that score and I have safe B.[3] Enterprise Systems is fun and I’m gaining some more exposure to the different Business Intelligence softwares out there. Grant Writing is great! I love working with Life Styles and I’m really excited about the program that I’m writing a grant for. Finally, Project Management is an interesting course and I like the group I’m working with but I just wish it wasn’t so long. My Tuesday’s are soooo long with that 3-hour class from 6 to 9 pm.

Alright, that’s it for today. I’ll leave with you with this video to celebrate my job and Spring.

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[1] Actually, I start working part-time next week so I can get onboarded before I start full-time.

[2] However, it will still take me a while to not associate my job with the David Foster Wallace short story “Mister Squishy.” Go read it. In fact, go read any David Foster Wallace.

[3] You’ll learn to love those in the MBA program. 

More Music: In Honor of this Lovely Spring Day

The One in Which I Realize I'm Almost Done

               Well that was a packed week. At least it wasn’t one hour shorter.[1] I had a couple of assignments, work, a new class and a midterm. Let’s start with the new class, Project Management. I’m taking it through the global campus out in Rogers and it’s team-taught by 3 guys with a lot of project management experience, so it should be a good class. (The problem: it’s a three hour class on Tuesday, after I’ve been at class and work all day already and the room is cold.) The assignments weren’t bad but they didn’t leave me a lot of time to study for my test on Thursday.[2] Yep, I had a mid-term in Strategic Management and I either got a B or an F. I—and the rest  of the class—ran out of time  on the essay section, so I’m fairly certain I didn’t  get an  A. As horrible as that test was—and it was—the upside was the fact that it’s a mid-term, meaning I’m almost done with my last semester. Spring Break is next week and then it’s just a short six weeks to finals and seven to graduation. Except, I don’t have a job yet. But!  I’ve got an interview this week or next week (we haven’t finalized the day), so there’s at least a little progress. I’m really hoping I get this one because it’s a great organization to work for and there are plenty of opportunities from this position. I’ll tell you all about it when I find out the result. Until then, cross your fingers.

               This week, the week before a glorious spring break, doesn’t look to be any less packed.  No tests, but a group assignment and a couple individual assignments. The work for my grant writing class is really to increase in difficulty and importance[3] and I have to spend a lot of timing researching and writing for it. (However, because I love these things and the nonprofit I’m writing for—Life Styles—it’s pretty enjoyable.) Still, I put a lot of pressure on myself to be successful because I really want Life Styles to get a grant to do the work they need to do. I also have a professional development class on Project Management through Mitchell Communications’ Training Center—they do a lot of work the MBA program—and, most importantly, a haircut! It’s been three months and I have to wash and dry at night then sleep on it and then flat iron it to keep it from being an overly fluffy, shapeless mop.[4] I won’t even talk about my caterpillars eyebrows.

               Alright, until next week. Be good and have fun. Here's a little something to get you through the week:

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[1] Thanks, Daylight Savings Time. Though I shouldn't complain too much I did get an extra day this year.

[2] I can also thank night classes on Monday and Tuesday for that.

[3] I mean that we’re starting to write the grant for real, real now.

[4] I always identified with Hermione Granger on the hair front.  

Fun Video

   I keep forgetting to post this embarrassing video of my friend Ellen and I after a show at TheatreSquared. In our defense, we were coerced into doing it. (We show up around minute 1.)

The One In Which I Go To The Airport (And Don't Leave)

   So, as I mentioned last week, I had a trip Chicago Tuesday and Wednesday to see the Walgreen’s format, visit the Saatchi & Saatchi X office and United’s headquarters. But we had some trouble getting out of Fort Smith on Tuesday and missed the new Walgreen’s format and, well, most of Tuesday. We didn’t make it to the hotel until 11:30 pm. At breakfast on Wednesday, we found out that our flight out had been moved up 30 minutes, which meant that we had to leave United earlier than planned, but when we got to the airport our flight  had been moved back. Basically, we spent the majority of the trip in airports and didn’t see much of Chicago.

    

   But it was fun to get to visit Saatchi and United. They were such different workplaces but you could tell that everyone was passionate about was their job. It’s always a little inspiring to get to see people working at something they love. And the weather was actually really nice, so I didn’t freeze, which is always a good thing. Anyway, my new picture is one I took at the hotel at 11:30 when we were checking in.

               On the agenda for this week:

·        My project management course starts on Tuesday. I’ll now have class and work until 9pm on Mondays and Tuesdays.

·        I have a phone interview on Wednesday, wish me luck!

·        I have a test Thursday morning in Strategic Management. A class that always makes me think of this SNL skit. 

·        It feels like spring. That means skirts and, of course, new shoes. I’m open to suggestions. 

Deep(ish) Thoughts

               For my returning readers, sorry I didn’t post last week. I was in the hospital with, hopefully, a freak thing that resulted from some scar tissue from a gallbladder removal almost two years ago.[1] I know, I know. I’m being vague but it was nothing serious and I’d just like to move on now.

               Interestingly enough, I had decided last week that my blog post would be slightly serious and discuss how this semester has been one of change and figuring out where I’m going. I’ve never been good at having a defined plan for myself, even when I’ve had months to think about it, and starting this semester by dropping out of  the entrepreneurship program, losing my internship (and potential job) and the women’s shelter partnership falling apart hasn’t really helped matters. Not that spending a week in a hospital bed helped either. It wasn’t really a contemplative stay; rather, it  was a sleepy-time stay. What I’m saying is that somewhere between classes, work, group projects and sleeping I’m going to have to figure out some things:

                              1) How intense of a job do I want? I like to work hard but do I want a job that consumes my whole day?  Or have to travel a lot?

                              2) Nonprofit or profit?

                              3) How many Reese’s peanut butter eggs are too many? Seriously, I love them and it’s that time of year.

               Anyway, next week’s post should be more interesting because I’m to Chicago on Tuesday and Wednesday to see United Airlines’ headquarter and the Chicago Saatchi & Saatchi X office!

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[1] Don’t worry. I won’t bore you with the details, which include a lot of sleeping and Jell-O eating.