I stopped off in Borders Books yesterday, while waiting to see Tropic Thunder, and perused the business books section. It's filled with loads of general books on leadership, skills assessments, and management that seem to all be eerily similar to self-help books. Nothing particular really caught my eye so I moved onto the education section to check out the GMAT books to get an idea of what to expect. This is a little off topic, but The Official Guide for GMAT Review seemed to be a GREAT resource that I will definitely pickup when it comes time to start studying for that test.
On my way out of the store I literally bumped into a display table that had been setup for 'Top Business Books' and the very first one to catch my eye was, Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School. Funny I thought, a possible sign? I read the back cover and the first few paragraphs of the preface and decided it would be a good read.
When I got home from the movie I looked it up online and realized it was only just published about two weeks ago (July 31st, 2008) just before I started this blog, possible sign number two?
[Except from Ahead of the Curve] I did not go to Harvard Business School planning to write a book about the experience. In fact, after ten years as a journalist, I went there to recover from writing, to stop looking at the world around me as a source of potential stories. I wanted to learn about business in order to gain control of my own financial fate and, more important, my time. I was tired of living at the end of a cell phone, prey to an employer's demands. A master's in business administration, I hoped, would be my path to greater knowledge about the workings of the world and broader choices about the life I might lead.
On my way out of the store I literally bumped into a display table that had been setup for 'Top Business Books' and the very first one to catch my eye was, Ahead of the Curve: Two Years at Harvard Business School. Funny I thought, a possible sign? I read the back cover and the first few paragraphs of the preface and decided it would be a good read.
When I got home from the movie I looked it up online and realized it was only just published about two weeks ago (July 31st, 2008) just before I started this blog, possible sign number two?
[Except from Ahead of the Curve] I did not go to Harvard Business School planning to write a book about the experience. In fact, after ten years as a journalist, I went there to recover from writing, to stop looking at the world around me as a source of potential stories. I wanted to learn about business in order to gain control of my own financial fate and, more important, my time. I was tired of living at the end of a cell phone, prey to an employer's demands. A master's in business administration, I hoped, would be my path to greater knowledge about the workings of the world and broader choices about the life I might lead.I saw this only to make clear that this book was never intended as an inside raid. In many ways, I loved my two years at Harvard. My classmates were smart and considerate. The faculty was, for the most part, inspiring and committed. The facilities and the speakers who came to spend time with us were extraordinary. As a catbird seat for viewing capitalism, there is no better place. For me, and everyone I knew, Harvard change the view of our futures and the possibilities available to us through business.
I get the feeling that the book might not shed the most positive light on his experiences at Harvard, he seems to be somewhat covertly apologetic for what were are about to read. The author, Philip Delves Broughton, was actually in a similar situation to me when he entered Harvard, though he had his undergrad degree when he decided to apply, he too had spent ten years working in a non 'business' field. He also decided to attend Harvard as a way to greater understand himself and open new opportunities. Though I feel I am a bit more specific in my goals and career track; I wish to build and manage Internet/New Media/Entertainment companies. It will be an interesting read for me that I will be sure to write about when I am done. You can pick it up on Amazon here.
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