Recently in Books

Again, it's been a while since my last update. But honestly, who wants to hear about the boring life of a college student, especially one that is married, works alot, and has dogs that take up too much time. So to jump from the last post about three months ago, I am now half way through Winter term here at UC Davis. Classes this term are: French 3, Intermediate MacroEcon, Philosophy of Religion, and Politics and Resistance: the Creation of the Political (Anthro). Classes are progressing well, but not really anything excited to report. Surprisingly I am enjoying the Anthropology and French class the most out of all. Even though we are halfway into the term, economics is still working on pretty basic concepts. I expect it to intensify soon (and thus become more interesting).

I've noticed more SPAM comments on the site recently, I need to setup a CAPTCHA system to block them. However, that's good news, because atleast somebody out there thinks the site is worthy of SPAM! I'll take that as a win.

I still need to start studying for the GMAT.

I need to figure out what I am doing this summer. The option of working in France or London has presented itself and I need to decide what will be best.

I have been reading a book called "The Best Business Schools' Admissions Secrets". It is written by an ex-Harvard B.School admissions board member and discusses how to "brand" yourself when writing your admissions packets. It's pretty interesting and suggest you check it out.

I have been very lucky to maintain one large client while I am living up here in Davis. They have been keeping me very busy maintaining and updating their multiple web domains. It's funny because I was originally trying to run away from performing 'service' work in the web field, but now I am truly greatful to have it as an income source (and as something to distract me from the hum-drum-Davis lifestyle).

A little over half way into the book "Ahead of the Curve", author Philip Broughton has a passage where he writes about David Rubenstein's (cofounder of The Carlyle Group [wiki]) visit to Harvard as a speaker. Broughton explains Rubenstein's rise from working for Jimmy Carter to his creation of the Carlyle Group and he quotes him on one simple piece of career advice:

"...be a principal or decision maker, not a service provider." Principals make all the money. They can turn the cells phones off on weekends. They are the ones for whom everyone else runs around. They posses the grail: control over their time.

I could not agree with this more. Even though I run my own business and am very independent, I am still a service provider. I create web pages, fix web pages, produce projects and offer technical and creative advice. It's easy to fall into that category as there are a lot more opportunities to support those on top then there is to be on top.

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.

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.