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Lowe’s I goes! April 26, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles, Work & Beyond, Success , 17 comments

And I am thrilled beyond anything. Lowe’s is a gaint retailer and I am helping them with Strategy & Operations. Today, I have accepted my offer and will be heading out to Mooresville, a couple of hours drive from here! No winners for guessing whether I will take the offer or not… ;)

Now, how the hell did I land up here considering that I was gunning for tech/telecom firms. Well, dont we all get lucky once in a while! :D Actually I had imagined that my transition into the tech sector would be easier considering my back ground in hard core telecom but it turned out that getting into any field & function is quite a bit of a challenge and takes an enormous amount of work! To dispel all wild assumptions, let me be clear.. I am not absolutely thrilled with techology firms, but yes the application of technology is fascinating to some extent! In a wild way, I had interviewed with 2 tech firms here for good positions and an offer from them would have calmed me a long time back but I wouldnt have been like thrilled about it!

I just cant tell you how happy that I am for breaking this ’stigma’ of techie, am sure anyone in this field can vouch for that! I was not into software or IT, more like a hardware/operations kind of gal but still I was viewed all the same. Now, at least I can boast of breaking the shackles and entering a new market of retailing. The work seems interesting and I really liked the people I got to meet during my interview. So, this phase should be a new learning experience! New kind of work in a new environment with new people… Of course, all this was made possible by a simple 3 lettered word - ‘MBA’ :)

As PG said, I guess I have learnt a lot from this whole process of internship hunting than I would have had I received an offer from my first interview. Today. I can write mails to people whose names I cannot pronounce, I can pick up the phone and cold call anyone, reach out to people who I think can be of help.. I mean, arent these some of the skills that we absolutely seek as business leaders! Am sure all these wont go a waste and I can’t stress on how much self-learning this process in itself gives.. yes, I cried, nagged, cribbed about the world being insensitive & life being unfair.. I will never go back on that.. I have faced innumerable sad days wondering where I was heading and so many self doubts about my own capability! So, did all this vanish into thin air with one small job offer.. Hell no! But it atleast altered my thought pattern, it gave me new avenues I could do things, better ways of getting stuff done… I would not want to go through those stressful days again and can empathize with everyone whoz been there! But put me again in such demanding situations, I can pick on certain cards to make my game a little, a tad little, simpler!

LOL, now I worry about being a total bummer during my internship.. what if I am a total loser & they decide to kick me out! Will I be the first one in the history of Fuqua to have a student kicked out in the middle of a summer internship?!

And life goes on… ;)

Internship - Nailed! April 20, 2006

Posted by Simba in : MBA, Work & Beyond, Success , 29 comments

I cant tell you how happy and relieved I am today. I just got an offer and I am so thrilled that I cant even think! Hugs to all those who stayed with my nags through out. I will give more details later on. Am just so happy that I cant think straight now! :D

Yipeeeeeeeeeeeeee!! So, I am working this summer too!!!!! LOL!

Restless in Durham April 9, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Wiggles, MBA, Duke , 11 comments

No, its not the name for another romantic flick! Rather it is how I am feeling these days. If you have been following my i-hunt page for the last few days, you might have seen my ups & downs, mostly downs! Hmmph! I dont even know why I am blogging now, maybe just to let out my frustration about things not happening. I am a hyper person who wants to get work done fast, that minute. But this slow painful process of looking for jobs is becoming more of a drag. I am not sure how things will roll out for me but I am just worried sick! Why are there lack of opportunities?! I keep asking myself, as one of the alums had written in his article in Fuqua Times.. you will always feel that you are not doing everything thats to be done, so, stop fretting! *Sigh* Attimes I feel that the reality of many such things is not disclosed in the right manner… like how tough it was for SYs to get an internship, how they settled for something lesser than anticipated, how some just got extremely lucky, how the early birds really got their due.. all these & much more. Maybe that is a human reaction, I mean, after you pass a sickness or a bad period, you tend to forget the self-doubt moments you had and you also forget to pass it on to others!

Even if I dont pass on anything to my readers, I will say this, getting through an MBA with high lofty expectations can be tougher than actually getting admitted. Its a test of your skill and patience all through your 2 year period at a B-school. I guess, thats one of the things that Adcoms are really concerned about, apart from all the application stuff, I am sure they sit back & ponder whether you are strong enough to even make thro’ the 2 years. Wow! I wish people had told me how hard it will be and why you should always be more alert about the off-campus events too. Why dont more people write articles about stuff like this. Everyone talks about the great things etc etc but why dont they mention the small battles that had to fight & the self doubt moments they had to pass,though, I wish someone had told me! For me, at this point of time, it seems like a no-brainer.. I should have been more proactive, but, before it didnt strike! Complacency pays back sooner or later! I will ensure that atleast the Class of ‘08 and beyond are more active with regards to their job-search! X, Y or Z school, it never hurts to go beyond what you are told and search for places you want to be & want to work! Never trust only on your campus recruitment, you might get some good ones but you might also miss out on something awesome had you looked harder! I fret about the breaks which I let past & the people I didnt write to, more often! Now, in the last minute, the ball is still rolling and wonder when it wil halt!

This Term has almost been a blur with my mind off all the courses. I dropped one course earlier on so that I can have a breather with my i-hunt. I think I did try my best and am still willing to do that… small fights aint hurt anyone! But I am not really into the courses I am taking. I feel bad that I am not gonna able to get an A plus in Corp Finance though I love it! No, I dont fret about all courses nor am I an academic person with great scores. I like to learn courses which I pick up a serious liking for! I am sooo restless to even look at anythingelse, my mind wanders about the 2 months when I will be doing nothing, I mean, nothing substantial!

In memory of J.B.Fuqua April 6, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Duke, General , 1 comment so far

A snippet about the man behind The Fuqua School of Business:

J.B. Fuqua, the retired entrepreneur for whom Duke University’s Fuqua School of Business is named, died at Piedmont Hospital in Atlanta on April 5. He was 87 years old. Mr. Fuqua began his relationship with Duke University when, as a teenage student, he borrowed books by mail from the Duke library. A voracious reader and a quick study, Fuqua pursued a higher education on his own. I began to order books on finance and banking and things I did not understand much about, wrote Fuqua in his book Fuqua: How I Made My Fortune Using Other People’s Money. I think if I had not had access to those books from Duke and other reading materials, I would certainly have been less successful early on in my business career.

Though he never went to college, he set a premium value on education.John Brooks Fuqua was born on June 26, 1918 and raised on a tobacco farm in Price Edward County, Virginia. His vision and hard work resulted in many accomplishments, but Mr. Fuqua is best known as the founder and chairman of Fuqua Industries, Inc., the Atlanta-based Fortune 500 company. He used a small brick manufacturer to build a conglomerate.

“I am proof that any obstacle can be overcome if you are willing to educate yourself and work hard,” Mr. Fuqua wrote in his book.

Detailed News - Here

No, we didnt get to meet him. But am sure this man deserves a post on my blog, for making Fuqua rock! May his soul RIP.

Am bored! April 5, 2006

Posted by Simba in : Frivolous Me , 1 comment so far

Am so bored that I am taking an online quiz to test my temperament! Jeez, I need to see a doc! Am all thats said below & more! So dont mess with me! :P


You Have a Choleric Temperament


You are a person of great enthusiasm - easily excited by many things.Unsatisfied by the ordinary, you are reaching for an epic, extraordinary life.You want the best. The best life. The best love. The best reputation.You posses a sharp and keen intellect. Your mind is your primary weapon.

Strong willed, nothing can keep you down. Your energy can break down any wall.

You’re an instantly passionate person - and this passion gives you an intoxicating power over others.

At your worst, you are a narcissist. Full of yourself and even proud of your faults.

Stubborn and opinionated, you know what you think is right. End of discussion.

A bit of a misanthrope, you often see others as weak, ignorant, and inferior.
What Temperment Are You?