I've been wondering whether or not to post something with students and faculty now focused on finals. But something keeps coming up, so I decided to put it out here. That something is “connections.” More specifically, the importance of connections. So, here’s my Top 5 Tips for Creating Connections.

1. Networking is everything. It takes much more than a polished resume and cover letter (even with work experience) to get an internship, job, or to get ahead.
2. Because… many times, it’s not what you know, but whom you know.
3. Be open to feedback and what you can gain from others. No one expects you to know it all!
4. Seek out creative connections. Kelley alumni are available to be mentors, speak to classes, provide internships, even job opportunities.
5. The Kelley Alumni Association provides a big family – 86,000 strong worldwide – that’s ready to support you. There are career resources, opportunities to network and learn; voices of experience ready to share with you. The Central Indiana chapter will hold a special event to welcome and celebrate the newest Kelley Graduates on June 12 at Easley Winery in Indianapolis. All new graduates and alumni are invited. More information and online registration is at http://kelley.iu.edu/alumni/Calendar/event.cfm?key=IN080612

Good luck with finals! If you have other suggestions on creating connections, let me know!

Hey Guys,

I just got back from the Kelley Scholarship Breakfast at the University Hotel. It was a great event with a lot of familiar Kelley School faces and some unfamiliar faces as well. The breaktfast menu, because I know you all are wondering, was Scrambled Eggs, Bacon, and Potatoes. Pastries were passed around and the beverages were Water, OJ, and Coffee (I went with water and OJ). Moving on, I thought it was cool to see the hard-working students that I sit with in class every day being honored for jobs well done. It is not often that people are recognized for the long hours put forth studying. Eventually you are honored with a degree, however, it is nice to have a pat on the back every now and then saying "Hey, you're doing good stuff", typically this pat on the back consists of a $1,000 to use towards tuition, but we arent in it for the money, right guys?

In addition to the scholarship breakfast, yesterday (Thursday), I went to Victory Field home of the Indianapolis Indians, accompanied by a couple other soccer players, to read some trivia questions in front of a camera that will be presented on "Kids Day" which is this coming Wednesday April 30th. The questions will be presented on the big screen in center field and the kids will be told to shout out the answers. It was a cool opportunity to be on the field, watch some players take batting practice and see a couple pitchers warming up. Although I told them I could throw some smoke, they did not seem to interested in my pitching abilities and my dreams of becomming a Minor Leaguer slowly diminished. In addition to the trivia questions, the soccer team will be singing the 7th inning stretch on top of the home dugout, this is all on April 30th at 11:00am. So come out and see us!

Anyway, that is what I have been up to. Hope everyone is avoiding a stressful finals week. Talk to you guys soon.

-John

Why hello everyone out there in blog land. My name is John and this is my first time bloggin', so I am a little unsure about what to say but I think I am just going to go for it.

As finals are fast approaching with just two more weeks of school, finals are once again taking over my life. As anxiety creeps in, knowing I need to perform well on my tests, it gets tough to relax. And that is why I want to give my Top Five Ways to a relaxing finals week:

1. Enjoy the NBA Playoffs. As you will or will not continue to read, you will figure out that I am an avid sports lover. I do play soccer here at IUPUI but I am a lover of all sports. The NBA playoffs is a sports fans last fresh breath of air before a long summer of baseball begins. It is the worlds best athletes competing on one of the biggest stages and that is why I love it.

2. Goldeneye 007. Thats right, N64's version. Recently got back into the game and it was the best mistake I have ever made.

3. Dont study. This is a surefire way to not worry about finals. It is also a surefire way to enjoy more finals in years to come.

4. Hit up the canal for a jog, walk, bike ride, skateboard, roller blade, or swim. Great way to break from finals. Looks a lot better now that its clean.

5. Think about what is to come. Summer and relaxing. Even if you work or take summer classes, it cant be as bad as the daily grind of the spring and fall semesters.

I hope you guys can find this advice useful. If you have your own ways to relax, please tell. Hope everyone has a great pre-finals and finals week now that we can see the light on the other side of the tunnel.

A couple months ago, I mentioned that the second semester of the evening MBA program was reputed to be one of the most difficult. With less than two weeks left, I can confirm that it has lived up to its reputation.

I think the biggest reason is the increased demands on our time. Finance and Econ have been challenging courses (especially for someone, like me, who doesn’t live for calculations and formulas) and the Enterprise Lecture Series has been time consuming in its own right.

I think the pinnacle was last week which started Tuesday morning at 7:00 AM for a breakfast meeting with my SophWiki group and was followed by Econ class that evening. On Wednesday afternoon I had a meeting on campus with a professor and had to leave that in time for a tour and site visit to CIK Enterprises. Thursday was Finance class. The week ended with a Friday afternoon tour and site visit to Brightpoint Americas.

When I add in the assignments due the last few weeks, my attempts to adequately prepare for finals, and, of course, “work” - there isn’t much extra time to go around.

It’s been a good experience but I’m glad that it’s over a week from Thursday. I’ll enjoy the time off until the summer session begins (four days later).

Our Kelley student organizations can be very proud of their accomplishments.  As demonstrated by three recent awards, they are leading the way to the future. 

We have many very vibrant clubs and organizations.  We are especially proud of the recent accomplishments of our Kelley student organizations. 

I especially want to congratulate Kelley School of Business Student Government (KSBISG)! On April 17 at the Leadership Recognition Reception KSBISG was recognized three times.

Student Council of the Year:  Kelley School of Business Student Government

Advisor of the Year:  Maureen Kinney

Co - Sponsorship of the Year:  Undergraduate Student Government & Kelley School of Business Student Government for the IUPUI and UMASS Basketball Game on December 1, 2007 at the Jungle

Please congratulate the leaders of KSBISG and each of our student organizations!!

Getting involved, not only in attendance, but also in leadership roles in the student organization and sub-committee roles to help organize events are great ways to learn about leading a group or organization.  This is also the reason that companies prize applicants with club experience.  Helping to organize events and lead student clubs gives an additional sense of experiential learning.  See the organizations on the following website for some of the many Kelley organizations.

http://kelley.iupui.edu/undergrad/studentLife/organizations.cfm

Our Entrepreneurship Club lives up to its name.

On Friday, April 18, I attended an afternoon workshop hosted by The Entrepreneurship Club of IUPUI.  Just a few months ago, this club was just a thought in a couple of student’s minds.  It had its first meeting in February and by April 18, it was hosting an event with 10 speakers.  Over the afternoon, I think over 40 people attended the event.   The event lasted from 3 pm to 7 pm.  Speakers talked about starting a business, the process of patenting, private equity and funding, operations, a panel by the faculty, Entrepreneurship in Indianapolis, Technology, and the perspective from the eyes of an entrepreneur.

It was a great event.  Coming from a finance background, I especially enjoyed listening to Nana Baffour, a CFA with Knox Lawrence International in NYC.  He runs and owns a private equity firm that purchases and sells small businesses.  He spoke of the challenges of funding.  In fact, the challenges of funding a small business were one of the main topics.  Raising funds for a start-up is truly a difficult process.  However, all the participants, acknowledged that the prospects for start-up companies in Indiana had improved significantly in the last several years.  Tom Mason spoke from the perspective of the Indiana Venture Center, discussing the ways they help entrepreneurs.  Jeff Ready is a local entrepreneur in the software industry and spoke on his perspective of the need for persistence and belief in your endeavor.

I’m looking forward to more of the events by the Entrepreneuership Club as they continue to expand and grow.  The club is reaching out for not only Kelley students, but any students interested in entrepreneurship.  Find out about their next event at http://www.eciupui.com/

Kelley at Indians Baseball Game

On Monday April 14 Kelley School student, staff, and faculty attended a Indians baseball game.  I had a great time at the game.  It’s great getting to know people on a less formal basis than the usual school environment. 

 It was a bit cold with temperatures only in the low 50s, but the Indians put on a good game, beating the Northfolk Tides by 3 to 2.  We scored in the first, sixth, and seventh inning.  The Tides scored in the 5th. 

Several of the students competed in the dizzy bat race.  Hope you will join us next year.

For a recap of the game, go to

http://www.minorleaguebaseball.com/multimedia/video.jsp?sid=t484

Well, sort of. 

I would be four years too late if I thought I would be on the cutting edge by writing a blog about the popularity of the iPod, but everyone once in a while it still surprises me how ubiquitous those telltale white earphones really are.  I was in full procrastination mode on Sunday afternoon as I sat down at mo'joe Coffeehouse to write my own term paper for a Master’s course, so I concluded that an unofficial count of the percentage of people at mo'joe listening to their iPod was of the utmost importance.  The results: 70% - 14 of 20 – had those white earphones in, and another 4 were listening to some kind of portable music device.  My naked ears were certainly in the minority.

Aside from a brief respite from my paper - for which I could still use a little inspiration - my little research project was of particular interest because I am currently planning two career planning courses as an instructor and I’m very interested in incorporating multimedia into the curriculum.  My first idea was to give students the option of listening to select chapters from the audiobook of What Should I Do With My Life by Po Bronson for the weekly reading reflections.  If you have ever listened to an audiobook, you know that the reader makes all the difference in the world, so I hopped onto the iTunes music store to listen to a sample – and the book, which is an entertaining read – is read by the author who is so totally, unbelievably, surprisingly dull that I knew I had to at least explore a Plan B.  So I digitally dug around in the podcast section of the music store and stumbled upon an entire collection of career-related podcasts hidden in the business section.  Who knew?

Many of the podcasts are entertaining and some are genuinely thought provoking - and it is worth your time to explore - but I think it is fair to warn you that just because someone recorded a podcast and put it on iTunes does validate their advice.  Everyone thinks they have unlocked the secret to the job search or teach you everything you need to know about a career real estate investing through a 10-step program.  Be sure to take it all with a grain of salt.  So, while no one can complain about surfing through the iTunes music store at work, I’ve had to listen to parts of hundreds of podcast to find even a few to include as part of my upcoming courses. 

Just for fun, I do think you might be interested in seeing a quick overview of what iTunes has included in their Top Downloads:

#1) The Project Management Podcast, including Episode 92: Ten Things You Can Learn About Project Management From Britney Spears

#3) Climbing the Ladder by BusinessWeek, with a focus on navigating the workplace

#25) Strategy and the Fat Smoker, and odd title for sure, but a podcast series covering careers and whole lot more. Read by the engaging British author, David Maister

#26) The Cubicle Escape Podcast, which explores the process of starting a small business

#29) MBA Working Girl Podcast, which combines b-school school with real-world business practice for women and men

We all define the term career differently, so you might find the sixth rated (labeled explicit) podcast an interesting inclusion in careers section.  And did I mention that these are all free?

This is always an exciting yet busy time of year. Everybody is preparing for Finals, planning end of the year celebrations and holding banquets for celebrations and reflections. I am sure many students can relate to how this time of year feels.

I encourage all students to get involved, there are so many opportunities out there. Of course you must know your limits and do not over commit. But, the opportunities are endless. You can learn so much from outside of the classroom activities, attending conferences, networking, volunteering, going on trips (Chicago), and listening to speakers.

I have received some great news in the last week that I thought I would share. Last week I received the Northwestern Mutual scholarship thought the Kelley School of Business and then just yesterday I found out I was awarded the Gene B. Glick scholarship another Kelley School of Business scholarship. I am so excited. This would not be possible if it wasn't for my mother! She has worked so hard and has been through so much. I have four younger siblings and I told her on my senior night in high school that I would find a way to pay for my tuition and she needed to worry about my other four siblings. She teared up and gave me a big hug. I will never forget this moment. So far I have held my promise. My point is that if you work hard, get involved, keep a good head on your shoulders, and never forget where you came from anything is possible.

I believe these rewards have come from a number of things. Hard work and dedication to my school work is a given. But, also my commitment to service and being involved in so many activities on campus. Have fun and have a great time while in college. Learn all you can and make the most of it. Get involved!     This is one of the greatest times of a person's life. Being a first generation college student my mother did not tell me this. But, listening to others and realizing how special these four years are and will be, I understand.

Well good luck on FINALS and enjoy your end of the year celebrations and banquets. Remember to spread the word about the KELLEY HOUSE we have tons of great programs and activities for next year in the KELLEY HOUSE.

On Monday, I attended a meeting of the Accounting Club.  The topic was about the accounting recruiting cycle and how to get an internship or a permanent job.  The information was beneficial very much to me, and I was kind of shocked that I missed information like this, when I was an undergrad student looking for a new job.   

I didn’t know about the Accounting Club until recently.  There was a Dinner Etiquette event held by CPO a few weeks ago, and it was when I got to know about this club.  I sat a same table with Jessica, who is an accounting major student and also a representative of the Club. She talked a bit about the club at that time.     

At the etiquette dinner, the guests of our table were representatives from a CPA firm, S&H.  I was excited about having a table with them.  There was a reason for that.  Last summer, just after I enrolled MPA (at that time) program, I attended a local toastmasters meeting as a guest, and met a lady who recently graduated from IUPUI MPA program.  She was working for S&H.  What made this incidental acquaintance with this lady memorable to me was, as soon as I said to her that I just enrolled MPA, she immediately brought up a name of an accounting professor who’s been teaching classes in the MPA program.  She told me how wonderful this professor was, and I felt that I should take his class ASAP and find out how true that is.  I also wanted to ask about the firm for which she was working, but the chance was missed.  The toastmasters meeting started. I could barely get her business card, and I hadn’t made any move on that since then. On the day of dinner event, I was able to sit with the representatives of this firm, and could ask what I wanted to ask almost a year earlier.  

Now, let me quickly review what I had: A lady at toastmasters meeting left me two names, a name of the firm for which she was working and a name of an accounting professor at IUPUI.  I soon afterword took one of his classes, and I felt that it was one of the most exciting classes I’ve ever taken (Ok, let me be honest here.  I have two classes so far that I most enjoyed.  Those were F402: Corporate Finance Strategy/Governance, taught by Prof. S, and A515: Federal Income Taxation taught by Dr. K). 

Going back to my quick review: I attended the dinner event and met S&H representatives.  I met Jessica at the dinner, and learned about the Accounting Club.  The club meeting was beneficial, and I was thankful that I could attend.  One another thing: at the meeting, I met an accounting graduate student.  She is from China.  We exchanged contact info, so we may keep in touch.  I realized how interconnected people can be across situations, and how easy it is to start networking.  

A little thing that I keep in mind when I do my small networking effort is that I keep the things going forward.  I pass the information to the next person (or simply anyone), hoping someone at the end of this network-web may be feeling “I got connected!”.

Since I was called out by a fellow student in class tonight for not posting for a few weeks I s’pose it’s time (it’s great to know that someone reads these, by the way):

I didn’t start the MBA program last Fall expecting to be surprised by anything. I mean, at its roots, business is somewhat common-sensical (a word sure to make Webster’s soon) and anyone who has spent a couple years in the corporate world is aware of the fundamentals of accounting, marketing, economics and whatnot. However, my expectation was wrong: there’s a lot more to supply chain than meets the eye.

It’s not that I don’t have a lot to learn in accounting, marketing and economics (and, of course, whatnot), I certainly do. However, I had a pretty good feeling ahead of time what it was that I was getting into.

My concept of supply chain management was completely limited. The words alone made me think of trucking. In the interest of full disclosure, I haven’t yet had a class in supply chain management (though I did register for Professor Tatikonda’s Operations class this Fall). However, the X522 Enterprise Lecture Series has provided a nice preview:

One of my favorite classes was the week before the Super Bowl when we had guest lecturers from Adidas-Reebok. Their presentation was entertaining and informative, and more importantly completely relatable. The logistics of printing and distributing that much fan gear the morning after a game that finishes late in the evening with so much revenue on the line is mindboggling. A class a few weeks ago featured the Conexus organization and executives from a few of their member companies. It’s amazing that a company like Brightpoint Americas will process and distribute 100 million mobile phones (50% of the US devices, 10% of the world’s supply) this year alone, most of which will come through suburban Indianapolis. Contrast that to Rolls-Royce, who produces 12.5 engines per week at their Indianapolis facility (and 0 cars, who knew?).

A week or so, I was able to attend the site visit to the Fedex hub at IND and marveled at their “matrix” of automated conveyor belts sorting and slinging 75,000 packages per hour between inbound planes from cities as far away Seattle just so they can put them back on planes to head to cities just as far away.

Four very different companies; each of which operates on a global scale and have a heavy investment in Central Indiana.

This semester has just opened my eyes to supply chain management and I look forward to learning more about it in the coming semesters. With a business enterprise, a new MBA major on the way and a recently announced Center of Excellence all part of Kelley Indianapolis, I’m in the right place.