My brand comm management class for SY2011-2012 just ended, and strangely, I'm feeling withdrawal symptoms from this batch of students. I often say it's because their noise level is through the roof, and everywhere else, in comparison to them, sounds sooooo eerily quiet. But I also think it's because this batch is exceptionally talented, and I'm excited to see what their prospects will look like after they've passed the baptism of fire called IMC 4th year. They're such a vibrant and energetic group of kiddos.
Also, I have a few observations about this batch, mostly gleaned through our interactions and in part from this final paper output I assign to every batch called "Brand You." The requirement is to draft a brand strategy paper about yourself, with future employers as the target market. The objective is to link your present self to your ultimate dream or career apex, by outlining the steps you think you need to take or barriers you need to overcome to put yourself in a good position to realize your dream. Typically, most of my students do not have a firm vision yet of their desired futures, and this is something I really expect. After all, they're 18-19 years old only; who at that age would already know where they want to go and what they want to be? When I was their age, I knew I wanted to be in client, but anything beyond that, I had ABSOLUTELY no idea.
What's interesting with this batch is that the majority actually had a concrete picture of their future! I was so surprised to read that 80 or even 90% of the kids in this class already knew what field they wanted to get into, what version of themselves they want to be, and how they think they should improve on their current selves in order to get closer to that "apex" they want to reach. IMPRESSIVE! I was so inspired, I wrote little notes on each paper on my suggestions and friendly advice on how to best navigate their chosen careers, at least the ones I'm familiar with. The ones I only observe and cannot claim to know very well, like theater and law, I only gave general encouragement. I find it so amazing. I don't know if it's going to be a general trend now, with kids being so internet-savvy and being bombarded by so many imageries out there, but I think it's a good sign. I can only be happy in the fact that they seem to have really liked my class and learned a lot from me. I intend to keep tabs on these kids, especially the talented ones that I even intend to hire in the future, just because I think they're gonna be, as they like to say a lot, "BIG".
I'm quite excited to meet 2012's batch and see if they're the same (or better)
:)
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Tuesday, October 18, 2011
dream job?
I read this article where the author worried about this growing sentiment among his peers to want to drop their current jobs and go in search of their one true "dream job", inspired by the life of Steve Jobs and often quoting his famous speech at the graduation ceremony at Stanford. He says he's worried because people might not be seeing the bigger picture and are just choosing to focus on the nice-to-the-ears ideas of going to where your passion lies. Sometimes, what's more material and what's more doable is to change your attitude about the job you already have. Also, sometimes, you idealize and romanticize the idea of your "dream job" and never fully prepare yourself for the "job" part of "dream job", since your head was just brimming full of the "dream" component.
Also, it doesn't always translate that if you like dessert, your career path should be something along the lines of a dessert magnate or a cake queen. Because having a passion for dessert does not mean you have what it takes to get into the dessert business. At the end of the day, it's a business, just one about desserts as the product. If you don't prepare yourself for the qualifications required for the business, you'll just find endless frustration, not to mention expose yourself and your family to a level of risk you weren't ready to take on.
I think those were wise words and should be said as a P.S. to all these quotations of Steve Jobs' famous speech. True, you shouldn't settle and you should always strive to find work that's meaningful to your life and to your heart. But I guess the bottom line is you should also put in the required effort to prepare yourself for that kind of work, and not just assume that having enough passion for it will be enough. Just like with romantic life, love just ain't enough.
Another point to consider is that usually, people think of setting up their own business as the automatic best way to have their dream jobs. This is such a mistake. As I mentioned, business is a field altogether that needs preparation and oftentimes, an appetite for risk - something not everybody has. More importantly, owning a business means commitment akin to the kind you dedicate to a spouse. A business that's entirely your own can require endless hours, every day, including the weekends. It means having no real vacation days, because even when you're halfway across the world, your business is still at the back of your mind. It means never "switching off" or "logging out" completely, sometimes mentally and always emotionally. It means being relied on by other people for their source of livelihood, and sometimes this pressure alone can feel like one million tons. Having your own business means being entirely accountable, all day, everyday. Seeing my dad take this on is enough to make me see the immense responsibility, commitment and dedication required, and I guess, by and large, that's one of the biggest reasons I feel unprepared as of now to launch my own thing. Even if it's about something I like.
The author ended with wishing his friends well- the ones you jumped off the corporate ship and chose to swim alone, carrying their life's passion with them. I guess I'd do the same if I knew these people. There's no one formula in life, I guess, and Steve Jobs' story is just one that happened to work out, in hindsight. It doesn't mean everyone should copy what he did and risk things they may not be ready to. Especially in this world economy. Maybe an attitude adjustment would do the trick for now :)
Also, it doesn't always translate that if you like dessert, your career path should be something along the lines of a dessert magnate or a cake queen. Because having a passion for dessert does not mean you have what it takes to get into the dessert business. At the end of the day, it's a business, just one about desserts as the product. If you don't prepare yourself for the qualifications required for the business, you'll just find endless frustration, not to mention expose yourself and your family to a level of risk you weren't ready to take on.
I think those were wise words and should be said as a P.S. to all these quotations of Steve Jobs' famous speech. True, you shouldn't settle and you should always strive to find work that's meaningful to your life and to your heart. But I guess the bottom line is you should also put in the required effort to prepare yourself for that kind of work, and not just assume that having enough passion for it will be enough. Just like with romantic life, love just ain't enough.
Another point to consider is that usually, people think of setting up their own business as the automatic best way to have their dream jobs. This is such a mistake. As I mentioned, business is a field altogether that needs preparation and oftentimes, an appetite for risk - something not everybody has. More importantly, owning a business means commitment akin to the kind you dedicate to a spouse. A business that's entirely your own can require endless hours, every day, including the weekends. It means having no real vacation days, because even when you're halfway across the world, your business is still at the back of your mind. It means never "switching off" or "logging out" completely, sometimes mentally and always emotionally. It means being relied on by other people for their source of livelihood, and sometimes this pressure alone can feel like one million tons. Having your own business means being entirely accountable, all day, everyday. Seeing my dad take this on is enough to make me see the immense responsibility, commitment and dedication required, and I guess, by and large, that's one of the biggest reasons I feel unprepared as of now to launch my own thing. Even if it's about something I like.
The author ended with wishing his friends well- the ones you jumped off the corporate ship and chose to swim alone, carrying their life's passion with them. I guess I'd do the same if I knew these people. There's no one formula in life, I guess, and Steve Jobs' story is just one that happened to work out, in hindsight. It doesn't mean everyone should copy what he did and risk things they may not be ready to. Especially in this world economy. Maybe an attitude adjustment would do the trick for now :)
Sunday, October 16, 2011
thankfulness post of the day
THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU for giving me a dad who :
- loves my mother beyond anything and anyone in this world, including his children, as the best way to love your children is to love their mother
- gave us a stable childhood with all needs met and some luxuries provided.
- is sooooo OC and so adorably a neat and control freak. His compulsions always crack me up.
- takes responsibility seriously and gives 100% hard work behind everything he does ; he taught us about being accountable, "doing first things first", "fast play" aka do things in a fast and efficient manner, and always trying to stay detail-oriented. You can keep talking a big game, but you'll only attain success if you cover your bases and do your homework.
- is a loyal brother and a great friend, who'll make it his mission to help you up whenever you fall
- has such a voracious appetite for knowledge. He's my go-to guy to ask about anything and everything about the world of business and politics.
- gives a whole new meaning to the word "SUPPORT"
I love you, papa. You'll always be the first man I ever loved, ergo the man I will love the longest. I love you so much I feel like I married a version of you. Dennis reminds me so much of you in so many ways, that I feel like God cloned you and put you in the *chubby* body of a Xavierian-Atenean lawyer who's just as OC, control-freaky, responsible, loving, loyal, supportive and FUNNY as you. I can't believe this family is so lucky as you have two versions of you in it :) Love you!
- loves my mother beyond anything and anyone in this world, including his children, as the best way to love your children is to love their mother
- gave us a stable childhood with all needs met and some luxuries provided.
- is sooooo OC and so adorably a neat and control freak. His compulsions always crack me up.
- takes responsibility seriously and gives 100% hard work behind everything he does ; he taught us about being accountable, "doing first things first", "fast play" aka do things in a fast and efficient manner, and always trying to stay detail-oriented. You can keep talking a big game, but you'll only attain success if you cover your bases and do your homework.
- is a loyal brother and a great friend, who'll make it his mission to help you up whenever you fall
- has such a voracious appetite for knowledge. He's my go-to guy to ask about anything and everything about the world of business and politics.
- gives a whole new meaning to the word "SUPPORT"
I love you, papa. You'll always be the first man I ever loved, ergo the man I will love the longest. I love you so much I feel like I married a version of you. Dennis reminds me so much of you in so many ways, that I feel like God cloned you and put you in the *chubby* body of a Xavierian-Atenean lawyer who's just as OC, control-freaky, responsible, loving, loyal, supportive and FUNNY as you. I can't believe this family is so lucky as you have two versions of you in it :) Love you!
Monday, October 10, 2011
Strauma
This class I'm taking this term in continued pursuit of my MBA is easily THE HARDEST CLASS I'VE EVER TAKEN IN MY ENTIRE ACADEMIC LIFE. The name of the class is Strama, standing for Strategic Management. But I fondly call it Strauma due to the traumatic experience it's giving me.
Reasons are as follows:
1. Every class we have on Mondays requires the following:
- Reading some 25 to 40 pages of readings, EVERY SESSION. And these are not the easy-reading types of readings. They are highly complex concepts and theories. Plus one reading is always a case, which you must analyse together with your groupmates.
- Meeting with groupmates to discuss the readings, analyse them based on the frameworks taught, and make powerpoint presentations itemizing the results of this analyses.
- Reciting in class to cover the readings and to make the presentation
- Listen attentively in class, lest you make an incorrect understanding of any of the frameworks taught and risk failing in the requirement # 2 detailed below.
2. The final output of the class consists of:
- A final exam, which requires studying all the readings (40 pages times 12 sessions)
- A final paper which is on average 150 pages long and written 100% by you and you alone. Research prior to writing the paper is required, since you are expected to quote facts and figures to make your conclusions and recommendations.
It's sooooo stressful, like you wouldn't believe.
There are times I want to quit this class but the following are stopping me:
1. My pride. I don't know if I can face myself calling my own self (haha, I know, you get my drift) a quitter. I've never quit on anything in my life and I think my pride has successfully garnered that achievement on its own. So I will NOT quit this one.
2. This is my last studying term in MBA. After this class and this term, I just have to make further polishing of my term paper and present it in the OCE (oral comprehensive exam) next term. Then I am done. The end is in sight. I did not study these 4 years only to stop 1 term short of finishing.
3. Dennis is strictly not allowing me to quit. If my pride is a strong force, my husband is a much much stronger one.
4. I really love business, even if MBA is purely the theory side of it. And I don't want to quit on studying something I love. Also, I took this up for a reason (reasons, actually) and these reasons are still valid, no matter how difficult the climb to the finish line may be.
5. I've paid xxx,xxx amount thus far. Self-explanatory.
Reasons are as follows:
1. Every class we have on Mondays requires the following:
- Reading some 25 to 40 pages of readings, EVERY SESSION. And these are not the easy-reading types of readings. They are highly complex concepts and theories. Plus one reading is always a case, which you must analyse together with your groupmates.
- Meeting with groupmates to discuss the readings, analyse them based on the frameworks taught, and make powerpoint presentations itemizing the results of this analyses.
- Reciting in class to cover the readings and to make the presentation
- Listen attentively in class, lest you make an incorrect understanding of any of the frameworks taught and risk failing in the requirement # 2 detailed below.
2. The final output of the class consists of:
- A final exam, which requires studying all the readings (40 pages times 12 sessions)
- A final paper which is on average 150 pages long and written 100% by you and you alone. Research prior to writing the paper is required, since you are expected to quote facts and figures to make your conclusions and recommendations.
It's sooooo stressful, like you wouldn't believe.
There are times I want to quit this class but the following are stopping me:
1. My pride. I don't know if I can face myself calling my own self (haha, I know, you get my drift) a quitter. I've never quit on anything in my life and I think my pride has successfully garnered that achievement on its own. So I will NOT quit this one.
2. This is my last studying term in MBA. After this class and this term, I just have to make further polishing of my term paper and present it in the OCE (oral comprehensive exam) next term. Then I am done. The end is in sight. I did not study these 4 years only to stop 1 term short of finishing.
3. Dennis is strictly not allowing me to quit. If my pride is a strong force, my husband is a much much stronger one.
4. I really love business, even if MBA is purely the theory side of it. And I don't want to quit on studying something I love. Also, I took this up for a reason (reasons, actually) and these reasons are still valid, no matter how difficult the climb to the finish line may be.
5. I've paid xxx,xxx amount thus far. Self-explanatory.
Thursday, October 06, 2011
Thank you, Steve Jobs
For someone I've never met, I feel really affected by the death of Steve Jobs. On one hand, he was taken away far too soon. He was way too young. More importantly, I feel like he still had so much to offer the world, but what else he could've come up with, the world will never know.
So much of today's cyberspace activity was devoted to eulogizing this great man. I've never seen this much mourning and admiration pouring in after someone passes. Not a President. Not a King. Not an Artist, even Michael Jackson. Not anybody in recent history. Amazing how one person's life's work influenced and touched the entire world that people feel they've actually lost a good friend when he died.
Apart from admiring the man for the visionary that he was and the sheer marketing genius he had, I also need to thank him for reminding me of a very important life lesson today. To paraphrase him a bit, the only way to live meaningfully is to do great work. And the only time work can be great is when you love it. You spend a great deal of your life doing work, so why settle for one that doesn't get your juices flowing, your heart beating and your tummy all filled up with butterflies? Definitely, work is not meant to be easy. But it won't feel (and shouldn't feel) like a cross on your back if it's work that your heart and mind are destined to be dedicated to. Do not compromise this, just like you wouldn't want to compromise on a choice of a spouse. It's like a love affair- this relationship we have with work. Why? It has its ups and downs, just like a marriage. It has its bad days and rough sailing points, but at the end of the day, you keep going and you never let go because at the heart of it all lies true, unadulterated and passionate love.
I feel this way about marketing and I feel this way about teaching. For that, I'll be forever grateful. But I feel that my love for marketing may not translate to love for my current company. So on this point I will need to keep searching.
I also love the theory side of business but feel a little (okay, a LOT) scared about the application side of it, because it involves risk at a level I'm not sure I'm ready to take on.
But see, I'm not yet sure if any of these two choices are on the "true love" level. I don't know. But at least now I'm reminded once again never to give up searching for it. Just like I wouldn't give up on love (good thing I found it rather soon), I shouldn't give up on finding that one true professional path that constitutes my calling. At the end of my life, I want to be like Steve- someone who did what he set out to do, without compromises and without apology. Someone who played at work and worked when he played. Someone who dreamed and had the guts to make those come true (or at least give it his darnest, best shot). Someone without regrets (at least professionally), as I didn't know him personally at all. I guess it's all part of living everyday as if it were your last - taking away all the bullshit of this world, the unnecessary temptations and distractions clogging our judgment, and focusing on what truly, deeply matters. Using only your inner compass and your very own mirror to show you where to go. Listening to your own voice first and last, even as you consult other people what they think. Knowing who you are, what you're about and what you stand for, and never letting anything change that.
Thank you, Steve Jobs. Rest in peace. This world is a much less interesting world now that you're gone.
So much of today's cyberspace activity was devoted to eulogizing this great man. I've never seen this much mourning and admiration pouring in after someone passes. Not a President. Not a King. Not an Artist, even Michael Jackson. Not anybody in recent history. Amazing how one person's life's work influenced and touched the entire world that people feel they've actually lost a good friend when he died.
Apart from admiring the man for the visionary that he was and the sheer marketing genius he had, I also need to thank him for reminding me of a very important life lesson today. To paraphrase him a bit, the only way to live meaningfully is to do great work. And the only time work can be great is when you love it. You spend a great deal of your life doing work, so why settle for one that doesn't get your juices flowing, your heart beating and your tummy all filled up with butterflies? Definitely, work is not meant to be easy. But it won't feel (and shouldn't feel) like a cross on your back if it's work that your heart and mind are destined to be dedicated to. Do not compromise this, just like you wouldn't want to compromise on a choice of a spouse. It's like a love affair- this relationship we have with work. Why? It has its ups and downs, just like a marriage. It has its bad days and rough sailing points, but at the end of the day, you keep going and you never let go because at the heart of it all lies true, unadulterated and passionate love.
I feel this way about marketing and I feel this way about teaching. For that, I'll be forever grateful. But I feel that my love for marketing may not translate to love for my current company. So on this point I will need to keep searching.
I also love the theory side of business but feel a little (okay, a LOT) scared about the application side of it, because it involves risk at a level I'm not sure I'm ready to take on.
But see, I'm not yet sure if any of these two choices are on the "true love" level. I don't know. But at least now I'm reminded once again never to give up searching for it. Just like I wouldn't give up on love (good thing I found it rather soon), I shouldn't give up on finding that one true professional path that constitutes my calling. At the end of my life, I want to be like Steve- someone who did what he set out to do, without compromises and without apology. Someone who played at work and worked when he played. Someone who dreamed and had the guts to make those come true (or at least give it his darnest, best shot). Someone without regrets (at least professionally), as I didn't know him personally at all. I guess it's all part of living everyday as if it were your last - taking away all the bullshit of this world, the unnecessary temptations and distractions clogging our judgment, and focusing on what truly, deeply matters. Using only your inner compass and your very own mirror to show you where to go. Listening to your own voice first and last, even as you consult other people what they think. Knowing who you are, what you're about and what you stand for, and never letting anything change that.
Thank you, Steve Jobs. Rest in peace. This world is a much less interesting world now that you're gone.
Monday, October 03, 2011
Turning 29...
It'll be my 29th birthday in 25 days. Which means I only have 390 days left before I turn the big 3-0. I'll say (silently) my birthday wish now.
..........
There.
Hope it comes true! :)
..........
There.
Hope it comes true! :)
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