It's been a long time since I've written. The summer flew by and now school has started back up again. I'm actually taking more credits this semester than I did my first semester. My internship at AVITAS went great. I really enjoyed the company and the work and definitely want to stay in the industry. Elizabeth started a new job this summer, too, as a Nurses Aid at a local day-surgery center and really likes it. She should be getting her RN license soon, too. We moved into a new apartment this summer. It's a one bedroom that we hope will be easier to sublet when we move to Switzerland after Christmas. That move means we have a lot to do between now and then.
Well, that's really all the time I have for now. I just wanted to put a "heartbeat" post up, in case anyone was wandering.
Chris
"The real issue is this: Who would you rather have in charge of the defense of the United States of America, a group of people who never served a day overseas in their life, or a guy who served his country honorably and has three Purple Hearts and a Silver Star on the battlefields of Vietnam?"
John McCain is a recipient of the Silver Star, the Legion of Merit, two Bronze Star Medals, a Purple Heart and the Distinguished Flying Cross. He was in Vietnam a helluva lot longer than 3 months, too.
--Chris
Elizabeth and I spent last week in Quebec City, Canada as I had a week off of school for Spring Break and the Profs didn't load us up with work this time. We had a great time and really enjoyed the city. Quebec is only about a 9 hour drive from Ithaca and we had great weather for the drives both way. They had feet upon feet of snow there, and got another 8 to 10 inches while we were there. It certainly doesn't slow them down, though. Click the picture at right to see our SmugMug photo album.
--Chris
In other good news, I am happy to report that I have accepted a summer internship as a financial analyst with AVITAS in Chantilly, Virginia. AVITAS is well known in the niche market of commercial aircraft finance and is relied upon by many airlines, banks, and leasing companies to establish the value of commercial aircraft. They also providing consulting services for fleet planning, industry forecasting, valuation modeling as well as aircraft management for banks and leasing companies. AVITAS is a great fit for me and I am really looking forward to working with them this summer. As a bonus my old college roommate, Jon, and a buddy from time in the Army, are both living in the DC area now, so I'll get to catch up with them.
--Chris
I am excited to report that I have been selected to participate in the international exchange program and that I was awarded my first choice: the University of St. Gallen in St. Gallen, Switzerland. I will be spending the last semester of my MBA program, Spring of 2009 (February - May), at St. Gallen. Elizabeth is excited, too, because we decided that she will come with me.
This is going to be great opportunity for me. Although USG isn't well known outside of the German speaking countries, it has a great reputation for banking and finance and appears to be well regarding in management consulting, as well. Four months in Switzerland, I believe, will help me build my German language skills and some credentials that should help me acquire work in Europe some day. Most people that know me know that I have "a thing" for Switzerland, so I'm absolutely ecstatic about the opportunity to live there for 4 months.
--Chris
There is fantastic assortment of color palettes over at ColourLovers.com that are derived from butterflies. I'm not really a graphics or design kind of guy, but I think this is really neat. Next time you are picking a color scheme for your website, or even if you are redecorating a room or house, keep the palettes in mind.
--Chris
My new Passport arrived today. Not terribly exciting news, I know, but what is surprising was that I just mailed my application on the 17th. That's right, the federal government processed my application for a passport renewal in less than two weeks. Amazing. I'm sure it helped that it was a simply renewal, and that I missed the pre-holiday rush, but still, I'm both surprised and impressed. The passports sure have changed a lot in the last 10 years.
Elizabeth just submitted her passport application last week, so hopefully she'll have hers soon, too, and then we can go someplace interesting this summer. We have our fingers crossed that an opportunity in Ireland might manifest itself. I'm also applying for an exchange program in Europe for the Spring of 2009, too. We'll see what happens.
Happy New Year!
--Chris
My first semester at the Johnson School is complete; winter break has begun. It's kind of weired to have a few entire weeks on the calendar with no appointments or meetings scheduled. The past 18 weeks has been very busy, challenging, and fun. August feels both like it was just yesterday, and years ago.
So, what I have done since arriving in Ithaca in August? I've completed "core" classes in Marketing Management, Microeconomics, Accounting, Corporate Finance, Statistics, and Business Strategy. I've been to a retreat to get to know my new classmates (part of orientation back in August), and traveled to New York City to meeting with some prominent consulting companies. I learned how to play rugby (I'm being generous with myself when I say "learned"), practiced numerous consulting case interviews, rewritten my resume, attending numerous corporate recruiting breifings, written several cover letters, and have applied for some select summer internships. I've probably learned over 300 new names and spoken with several alum regarding their current employers. It's certainly been busy. Most 2nd years and alum say that the lest few weeks of the first semester are the toughest and busiest part of the entire 2 years here. I hope that proves to be true.
The teaching here has been truly excellent. Before coming to Cornell, I've taken classes and great schools and at marginal schools, so I was fully aware of how different the two can be. That was no small part of why I chose to get my MBA through a full time program at a top school. The professors here at the Johnson School certainly delivered. Johnson puts its best faculty into the teaching trenches, and not a single class is ever taught by a TA. All professors are very accessible, as well as eager and willing to help. What I especially liked is how well the coordinate with each other. First year MBAs are required to all take the same set of core classes (unless they test out, and CPAs are not allowed to take intro accounting). The professors meet weekly, I believe, and discuss what subjects they are currently covering. This allows, for example, our Finance professor to time his introduction of certain topics with the material we covered in Statistics (calculation of Beta, if you are interested), or to apply som accounting concepts in our marketing course as we determine break even points for new products.
I've also really enjoyed living in Ithaca. The fall was especially nice, although now we have had quite a bit of snow over the past few weeks. It isn't as cold here as Wisconsin, but the weather is generally very similar. Students from LA and Texas are having fun adjusting (sarcasm). Locals like to act as if Ithaca is the coldest place on the planet, but a lot of Cornellians seem to have never lived outside of New York, so their world view isn't quite as broad as they think it is.
So, what don't I like about the Johnson School? I really have few complaints, and they are minor. The biggest disappointment for me has been the overlap in dates of the international treks planned over winter break with the early start of classes for those of us enrolled in certain "Immersion" programs. Classes officially begin on January 21st, but I am taking the Managerial Finance Immersion, which requires me to start classes on January 8th. There is a trek to China immediately after the new year, but it doesn't finish in time to make it back for class. Hopefully a similar trip will be available in my second year. Generally speaking, there is so much going on here that you just simply can't do it all. You have to prioritize and do the best you can.
The Career Management Center here is top notch. It comprises a great staff that is eager and very qualified to help. Unfortunately, they are also very busy and it can be difficult to get on their calendar. But they are worth the wait.
I am not in the Investment Banking program, but I see the biggest downside to Johnson resting on the wannabe bankers' shoulders. Ithaca is close enough to NYC (under 5 hours), that both banks and the school expect students to make frequent trips to the city to network and gain traction on getting an internship. However, 5 hours is a long drive to be making once or twice a week. The school has tried to help with this by arranging busses, but I would still like to see the school do more. We have a classmate in the hospital because he was involved in an accident on the way to the city. Luckily, I hear he'll be back in classes next semester. Again, none of this directly affects me, but I do see what hoops many of my classmates have to jump through. Then again, no one really ever feels sorry for Investment Bankers.
So, now I have a few weeks to relax. Well, mostly. I do have homework assigned over break. As I mentioned, my Managerial Finance Immersion (MFI) begins on Tuesday, January 8th. It begins with a class called "Corporate Financial Policy" and kicks off with a quiz over 3 chapters of our finance book on the first day of class. The entire 1.5 credit hour class is condensed into 6 days of classes. We then get on a bus and visit 5 corporate headquarters over 3 days to discuss real-world financial issues that each has faced and how they addressed them. These visits will frequently include discussion with the CFO. Companies we'll visit include Air Products, Merck, S&P, American Express, and JP Morgan Chase. It should be a great trip.
After the first two weeks, I'll begin the normal class schedule. I'll be taking Consulting Process, Intermediate Accounting, Managing and Leading in Organizations, Operations Management, and Valuation Principles, as well as a Managerial Finance Practicum that includes case studies.
Late January and February is the prime interview season for summer internship positions. I've applied to a few already and have several more that I'm interested in. There are a lot of opportunities here, so it's really hard to say we're I'll end up. Hopefully I'll have something locked up by February. That means I'll be spending a lot of time over my so-called break to study and practice for interviews. Maybe it's a good think that I couldn't make the China trek after all?
I'm having a great time here and am pleased both with my decision to get an MBA and to attend the Johnson School at Cornell. It's a great experience and opens the door to a whole new world of opportunities. It's also a great facilitator for a career change, as long as the career you want to change into appreciates the benefits of an MBA.
Next semester will be even more enjoyable for me as Elizabeth will get out here next week. She is about to finish up her school. The job prospects for nurses looks pretty good here in Ithaca, so hopefully she can get her NCLEX behind her and find a job quickly. We'll both be happy to erase the distance between us.
I know I have some friends that are contemplating an MBA, so please let me know if you have any questions.
--Chris
Maurice W. Day, age 80 of Batesville, Indiana, died Friday, November 30, 2007, at Margaret Mary Hospital in Batesville. Born September 29, 1927 in Vincennes, Indiana, he is the son of Mamie (Nee: White) and William Day.
Maury managed the Hills Department Store, part of Federated, Inc., in Vincennes for 10 years before moving to Batesville in 1970. Maury then managed the Nobbe Clothing Store for the next 25 years before retiring in 1992. After retiring, he remained with the store part time for several years.
Maury enjoyed several hobbies and volunteered many hours to civic activities including the Batesville Chamber of Commerce and the Batesville Promotional Association, serving as a past president for both organizations as well as being extremely involved in Junior Achievement, spending several years as its’ president. Being an avid golfer, he was a charter member of Cricket Ridge Golf Course in Batesville. Other pleasures included reading, working crossword puzzles and bowling, where in recent years, he still carried a 185 average.
He is survived by daughter Cindy Price of Greencastle, Indiana; son Tim Day of Noblesville, Indiana; step son John “Pike” Fielder of Atlanta, Georgia; four grandchildren, five step grandchildren and former wife June Howard. In addition to his parents, he is also preceded in death by his second wife Mary; step son Ernie “Skip” Fielder; sisters Loretta, Genevieve; Roxie, Phyllis and brother Wesley. Friends may call on the family Monday, December 3rd, from 4-7 p.m. at the funeral home. A private family burial will be held. Memorials may be made to the American Cancer Society.This is too funny: Confused man with one shoe found covered in dressing at D/FW.
I double checked and it was not anyone from our rugby team...
--Chris
I just learned that Wal-Mart has been selling a Linux PC for $199. From the customer reviews on Wal-Mart's website, it looks like people generally like it, even though it is apparent that some are buying it and loading it with a Microsoft Windows Operating System. For someone who just needs internet access and word processing, this is a great option. Given the Open Source options for software, there really isn't much of a need for anything Microsoft produces any more. For example, if you are using Internet Explorer 7, then you just don't know how much better your world could be by simply switching to Fire Fox. IE 7 is an unmitigated piece of crap. I'm appalled that it ever even got released. Office 2007 is generally pretty good, but it's performance is unimpressive. I'd be happy to use Open Office in its stead, but for compatibility with my school, I decided to just go with the flow. Luckily, when I bought my new ThinkPad T61 last summer, I decided to stick with Office XP. Given the comments I've heard about Vista, I'm glad I did. The one thing that will likely always keep me on a Microsoft Operating System, however, is simply the availability of 3rd party software, especially Microsoft Flight Simulator. In other words, I don't continue to us MS OS's because I like the product, but because I like other products that only work on MS OS's.
So, kudos to Wal-Mart for offering such a product. It will be interesting to see how the product does for them, and it is a great stride for the Linux community.
--Chris
I've managed to get a tiny bit of hiking in over the past few weeks. Two weeks ago, I went up to Watkin's Glen State Park, and yesterday I went up to Taughannock Falls State Park with my friend Oren. Pictures from both hikes can be found here and here, respectively.
We're anticipating our first snow this week, so I'm glad I got in a few hikes while the Fall colors were at peak.
Also note that I uploaded pictures that Oren took a few weeks ado on his hike around Bebe Lake, which is actually on Cornell's campus and I more or less walk by on my way to class every day.
--Chris
For those of you who haven't heard, I allowed myself to be talked into playing rugby here at Cornell. I am certain that I'm the oldest guy, and probably the slowest guy, on the team, but the ruggers are nice enough not to point out the obvious and let me play anyway. A natural, I ain't, but I enjoy it. We played the annual alumni game on Saturday in wet and muddy conditions. The alums had a pretty good showing and thoroughly walloped us rookies (almost none of the 1st years on the team have ever played rugby prior to business school). No notable new injuries for me in the game, although my ribs don't like it when I try to sleep on my right side now. I'm sure that will go away soon enough, just like it did when the left side hurt...
--Chris
Well, it has been a few months since my last blog post. Since then I've quit my job, moved to Ithaca, New York, and completed my first quarter of business school. Life is busy, to put it mildly. But, I figure this blog is a good way to distribute quick updates to my family and friends, and I have a few comment that they miss me posting. So, I will attempt to post updates semi-regularly. Thanks to Jerry for helping me recover my password to this blog, which I run on his server. I hadn't blogged in so long, I had forgotten it!
--Chris
Today is my last day of work for Beacon Technologies, as well as for American Family Insurance, the client site that I have been working at for nearly five years now. I have been fortunate to work for people who have been supportive of my efforts to go to business school, even though that means leaving them. I have not had to keep secrets. I have not had to lie. This is not by accident. I have continued to work here for this long precisely because that is the type of people that I have been working for/with. I could have made more money elsewhere, but working for people that actually treat you well is both hard to find and carries its own intrinsic value that is hard to put a dollar amount on. I'm sure my blood pressure is much lower because of it.
Having said all that, there is no sorrow in my departure. I have successfully advanced my career here, but the momentum has diminished since last Fall. If I was not going to business school, I would likely being moving on to something else anyway.
So, today, I close one chapter in my life and begin to write the next. I've commented to Elizabeth several times that some day we will look back fondly at our "quiet years in Wisconsin". We have little doubt that the next 5 years will be decidedly more exciting. And demanding.
--Chris