Word-up to the blogosphere....
It has been well over a year since I last decided to promulgate my nonsensical ramblings. So much to tell. But being a verbose individual, I may have to focus my thoughts on one or two pertinent things going on in my life. If you're reading this, then welcome back, or thank you for joining my forum for shit talk...
So, what's happening in my world? Well, spent last Summer working as a contract management consultant through FreshMinds. Was pretty awesome work. Did three and a half months doing strat consultancy for W H Smith with a senior consultant, who I ended up becoming pretty good friends with. Tried to get a permanent position in a consulting firm, and had a few interviews, including a second round one with AT Kearney, but alas, to no avail. This was whilst the financial markets where seemingly imploding so it became increasingly more difficult to even get noticed by decent consulting forms. Coupled with no prior consulting experience and recruitment freezes at a lot of firms, I have certainly been left high and dry.
So, this year I have been getting progressively more depressed and disillusioned. Have had four interviews with three different firms, including a final round interview/presentation with Thomson Reuters ( Centre for Medicines Research) for a Business Analyst position which I thought I absolutely nailed. Put so much effort into what I thought was an intelligent, informative, reasoned, and professional presentation on the "Future Challenges Facing the Pharmaceutical Indsutry". However, in hindsight, and based upon questions posed to me following the interview, I think my style was too consultancy-focused, and dare I say it, too challenging. To be honest I think that CMR were looking for a data cruncher really, and I don't quite fit that bill. Their loss, I say.
So, spent most of February and March studyng for the GMAT (General Management Admissions Test) which is the entrance exam business schools use for MBA courses. Like no other exam I have ever done, and arguably the hardest. Still, I actually got really into it, and thoroughly enjoyed the personal challenge. Ended up getting 690 (out of a maximum of 800) on the MCQ section, and maximum marks on the essay section (6/6), which I was very pleased about. Put me just outside the 90th percentile in the former, and in the top 13 percent in the latter. However, once I finished the GMAT at the end of March, I spent the whole of April entering a phase of pretty bad depression: basically had no job, no money, no focus, and no mates around me. Stuck in Leicester living with the old dear. What a miserable existence. Decided that applying to do an MBA course at this stage would not be at all worthwhile, given the fact that I only have 3 years of professional experience, which is hardly solid. Plus MBA courses at my top choice schools (Imperial, Cass, Warwick) are in the order of £30k, and that is just fees alone.
So, after some soul searching, and a brief encounter with the LSE website, I have found a couple of fantastic courses that I have just recently applied to. My first choice is an MSc in International Health Policy (Health Economics) followed by a second choice in MSc Biomedicine, Bioscience & Society. Both have a nice mix of theory and pratical application, and are vocational in outlook. The MSc in IHP includes a Summer internship with a consultancy, private industry (e.g. Pharma company) or government department/agency so the opportunities are plentifold and very diverse. I haven't been accepted yet, but I am certainly very excited, and definitely feel ready to take on a Masters at the LSE for one year. Start date is begining of October, so if I get accepted, I will have the Summer to get my proverbial shit together.
Have so much more to talk about, including some amazing mixes and albums I've been lsitening to over the last couple of months, especially now I have discovered BitTorrent. Shhhh! Suffice to say, once again, music has been my saviour through this difficult period. I definitely like to embrace whatever I am feeling with music, so there has been a glut of ambient/folk/gothic shit over the last month or two. Interestingly though, I have started to listen, and appreciate more upbeat music again, notably the Field's new offering, "Yesterday and Today". In the same vein as "From Here We Go Sublime", though dare I say it, better. Not sure about Alex Willner's take on the early-mid-90s rave/hardcore classic " Let Me Be Your Fantasy" by Baby D though!
I am currently on my second listen of Seth Troxler's new Resident Advisor mix. Not knowing a huge amount about him, I thought he was very much part of the US Detroit/Chicago house scence, so have been pleasantly suprised by his mostly downtempo, eclectic mix taking in artists as diverse as Animal Collective, Jimi Hendrix, Arthur Russell and some interesting 80s European synth-pop at the end. Nice. Has been the perfect soundtrack to my imminent return.
The title to this post is of course ironic, but you will already know that if you know me. I have a an old school mate, who granted, isn't really into electronic music, but was still shocked to hear he'd never even heard of the BoC. What world is he living in...?!
Stay posted. I will definitely be hitting this blog up regularly from here onwards. I promise!
Peace...
F.
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