Published May 15, 2006
So did I mention that I graduated on Friday? I’m officially an MBA. I think the description for what I’m feeling now is “bittersweet, elated terror.” I definitely feel as if I’ve accomplished something incredible, but, gosh, the pressure to now accomplish something even more incredible is that much greater.
Marshall really was incredible. My brain is chock-full of new and useful concepts and ways of thinking — I can rattle on about NPV, scenario development, backup behaviors, target costing, cramdown, the five forces, and so on in myriad topics that will all bore you into a deep slumber. If you’re unlucky, you might get me talking about risk mitigation in real estate investment, or what exactly is wrong with that ad we just saw, or about the astronomical beta of the condo market, or even — and this is embarassing to admit — why Webvan’s astronomical burn rate may not have been such a bad idea after all. I’ve got a ridiculously long list of projects that could make me millions, or something. It’s really difficult to overestimate how much my thinking has changed in the last two years (hopefully this change is for the better!).
I had an incredible time; it really was two years of summer camp. Well, summer camp getting my ass kicked stylee. I will miss the vast majority of the people I’ve met and worked with at school, and even miss complaining about the small majority I’ll be glad to be done with. Most of all I’ll miss being in an environment of ideas scattered willy-nilly all over the place; I could always count on sitting down for lunch and running into at least one non-disastrous business idea a week. Bet I won’t get that hanging out at Starbuck’s!
While there are big plans on deck for me, I’ve got a regular old summer vacation ahead. That means regular old things like figuring out how to have lunch now that I won’t be sitting at Popovich Cafe, like learning how to live without my fancy-shmancy school Exchange e-mail system, and like actually having to figure out what to do tonight and tomorrow night and this weekend ad infinitum, because there’s no more homework and deadlines telling me what to do. Do you realize I got two e-mails from people today? Two? I must have been completely forgotten by the world, because who gets just two e-mails?
I’ll tell you the answer to that: regular old people on vacation. I’ve got no fires to put out, except for that darned health insurance that expires in a week. And it’s funny, this time last year I was prepared to tell real live Tyco execs that they should divest a lot of their companies, but I’m vacillating on the health insurance purchase. Do I want the high-deductible insurance that, if something awful happens, will pay for almost all of it? Or should I get the moderate-deductible insurance that gives me a small co-pay for preventative care but can hoover my wallet for $7500 if I get Bird Flu or something. Ah, the dilemmas of adulthood.
For now it’s adulthood vs. the powerful alliance of sleeping in and Tivo. It’s been two years, and frankly I want to have the time to watch stupid things that add to my life in no substantive way whatsoever. Two years is a lot of missed episodes of Cops, a lot of “no time to go out this weekend”, and a lot of five- and six-hours-of-sleep nights. I slept until 9:30 this morning, and I woke up with no fires in my inbox or on my to-do list. And I bet tomorrow will be just the same. Whatever will I do then?
Hey, congrats. And, btw, one of those e-mails was from me, and it is still unanswered. :)
http://vmac.smugmug.com/photos/69272925-L.jpg
Heh, upon reading your comment I investigated further and discovered that I did in fact receive four e-mails today, if I just checked all my accounts. I guess I’m just on vacation already!
As for the photo, wow, you must have had some nice fast glass on, and a front-row seat too. Or do you really have a zoom that fast — or a flash that powerful?
congratulations, baby! you are a bonafied superstar now. let me know if you’re interested in procuring employment at my place of business. they only hire superstars here.