Tuesday, March 10, 2009

A Fork Stuck In The Road

I consider Q3 to be my "lost quarter" -- kind of like Japan's lost decade of the '90s. When it came and when it went, I have no idea. I pretty much watched it go by. An out-of-body experience, if you will.

But now, on the cusp of Q4, with the weather getting warmer and being on spring break - I see a new dawn coming. Three-quarters of our first year has passed by, and what had become status quo to us will soon be changing. We've effectively finished up the first year core curriculum of Accounting, Finance, Operations, Marketing, Decision Analysis, Global Economic Markets, and Strategy. There are only two core classes we'll be sharing with our sections (Leading Organizations and Ethics), and the rest is all electives. That means a more flexible schedule and the opportunity to pursue subjects that we're interested in (and avoid the ones we're not - goodbye accounting! It was nice to have met you.)

And yet, I have to admit I'm a little nervous. FY so far has been a cocoon of sorts - keeping us secure in a fixed schedule and familiar faces. They're releasing us into the wild now, and I'm sure the dynamics are going to change. No doubt that there'll be more time to socialize and make more friends, but we're now in charge of our academic destiny. That's disconcerting.

But I'm also looking forward to it, for sure. I can't wait to explore Marketing in more depth; it is my passion, after all. But we also have an array of really exciting electives awaiting us in the second year. And have I mentioned no more accounting? (woohoo!)

Looking forward to see how it all shapes up..