« steps to an engagement | Main | upcoming blog changes »
June 05, 2009
couch, analysis, career
It's late and I should be sleeping but I'm surfing while Kara naps on the couch. In the event of a fight, the loser has to sleep in the bed. It's a really comfy couch.
This Financial Statement Analysis class is crushing my skull. The prof, who is visiting from BC, decided the other day that she would hold off on derivatives in order to make sure we covered bonds and liabilities in detail, and prep for the mid-term on Tuesday. I sent her an email thanking her, indicating that, in convos with some classmates, I'm not in the minority for thinking that the volume of information is like sucking a fire hose through a cocktail straw...in space.
She concurred...I asked her a quick question about the exam at the end of class, and she thanked me for my email. It's her feeling that BU really shouldn't be offering this as a compressed-schedule summer course, where a normal 14-week class ends up being 12 classes in 6 weeks. It's just too much for a technical class.
But like all finance classes, I like having the information. In some ways, I wish that high school math showed some more practical applications, where you could really look at a balance sheet, run some numbers, and arrive at a conclusion that could make/save you some money. It's like trig, or writing, or anything, really...you need to cover the basics before you can really apply it, I get it. But it's 2009; we have the attention spans of gnats. And I'm haunted by that guy in my senior year broadcasting class who spent his whole life wanting to be a sportscaster, and got his chance, and really, really sucked at it. Do you have to wait until you've devoted your whole life to something to realize that it's not for you? What's crueler: an early culling, or having your dream snatched out of your hands? And people wonder why I'm a moral relativist.
Work is progressing. I'm getting good stuff done. I did join the International Institute for Business Analysis, which is possibly the first time I've joined a professional organization. I'm figuring out career goals which include me staying put at my present employer for as long as they'll have me, and trying to find a way to make my long-term desire to be in a more strategic role fit with the need for somebody to manage web development. I think I can make that happen.
Posted by Mark at June 5, 2009 01:00 AM
Comments
Post a comment
My Mom reads this site. Controversy is fine, just don't swear. Please don't be a spamming jerk.