About sixteen years ago, I met him for the first time. My trainwreck sibling brought home this adorable puppy he had no business adopting because he had not one thing in his life that wasn’t a mess. I was furious at my sibling – he didn’t even take care of himself, how could he drag
Read More
July 23, 2008
Higher Education, yea or nay?
As an Asian, I was raised to believe that higher education was the key to advancement, and practically the key to life. Even knowing it can mean nothing, having met my share of M.D./Ph.D. idiots, I still have a thing for the validation of a higher degree. I can’t deny that I’ve also got a fascination with the idea of being called Dr. Revanche someday. [Smartass friends suggest that I change my name to Doctor. Funny!] But I digress.
I’m not trying to make a six figure mistake without first evaluating the costs and benefits. The last time I did this, much like The Baglady’s analysis, the benefits didn’t bear out the costs. At the time, though, I was able to secure a major raise based on my work and experience. Now, assessing the prevailing head winds, I may have reached the point of salary saturation.
A: If I stay in my field, there are some benefits to attaining higher education than the standard bachelor’s degree, but it’s not a pass go, collect $200 step to success. Experience is equally, sometimes more, prized. I’ve got experience in spades for the amount of time I’ve spent in this industry, so I’m set for moving up into the management level. If I want to continue on this path, though, I still need to seek out greener, happier pastures in keeping with my intention to move out. I had set a tentative goal for the end of this year, I’d still like to make that happen.
B: If I leave my field and try my hand in business, accounting, banking or financial advising, I’m almost certain to need some higher education. Perhaps not entirely a whole new degree, but definitely some classes in more quantitative subjects. School, though rather intimidating with all the talk of calculus and such, is really appealing. I’m loving the idea of an M.B.A. or an E.M.B.A, or an M.S. in Management. Not, however, loving the price tags involved just in applying. I’ve spent a whole lot of time this weekend researching business schools to get a feel for what they teach, and talking to friends who have gotten in to familiarize myself with the admissions process. An M.B.A. seems to run anywhere from 100k to 150k for a full time program without assistance. Ideally, I’d like to get a job that offers a healthy tuition reimbursement, preferably at the university itself. The entry costs are pretty hideous: $250, GMAT; ~ $250, application fee per school; $XXX, interview costs if necessary; $XXX, new suit if interviewing. (Friend who was recently accepted to b-school reminded me of that cost, I’m not sure if I’d spring for it yet but I may.)
If this is the path I choose, and I haven’t yet completed my research to make the call that the degree gives me the kind of leg up that I want, I need to:
~ have $2000-3000 in application money
~ start studying for the GMAT right now
~ find job options near all the schools I want to apply to that offer tuition reimbursement and figure out the balance of work vs school
So here’s the conundrum: I love my current field, and I love finance. To be honest, I love working, too, so doing what I love as a job is probably more appealing than I give it credit for. I’ll let you in on a secret: I always had a sneaking conviction that doing something for fun is fun, but doing something for fun because you have to for your job makes it less fun. It turns out that doesn’t mean it’s entirely not-fun anymore. Good to know.
I’m still pondering, exploring the options, and collecting information on the various parts of the country where I could attend school and work. Ultimately, the choice I need to make is whether or not the M.B.A. or a graduate degree gives me the kind of knowledge and ability that I need and cannot get simply by working in the field. Is it going to serve as a door opener where my experience alone may not suffice?
I’m not positive how to answer that question yet, but before I make the decision, I’ve got to decide where I’m trying to go (industry) and what I want to do when I get there (actual work).
Decisions, decisions, heavy decisions to be made right before Con!
July 22, 2008
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately. By my measure, I’ve reached the height of my career with this company. There are a lot of reasons to stay: more experience, projects and management courses, not to mention the fantastic tuition reimbursement and retirement plans, but the overriding reason to leave can’t be argued with. This environment will get a whole lot worse before it gets better. My sanity has already been through the wringer and back, and the law of numbers says I’m going to lose it permanently if I stick around too much longer. No one wants to be the best-performing lifer in the asylum, right?
This brings me to a very important question: what’s next?
I ask myself that question daily to keep myself moving, working harder, smarter, faster and as best I can manage, more than 100%. And it was all to build my skill sets and knowledge, to get the promotions and raises to set myself up for the next step in my career. I thought I kept my eye on the bigger picture this entire time, but it turns out, the next step isn’t always that obvious. I need to break out of the comfort zone that is my job with the uberstress but is a known quantity, my responsibilities, my cushy healthcare with a doctor that takes me seriously and takes good care of me. The benefits, the things that are basically peripheral to the job itself are great, but the main dish isn’t so hot anymore.
So, this early on in my career, I’m not sure what the best next move is: to pursue higher education, deepen my experience by climbing the ladder to the next logical step (management), or broaden my horizons by expanding on my current experience in a related job (lateral move)?
What’s more important? Which road is the best for both the journey and where I want to end up? More than job security which doesn’t truly exist, more than oodles of money in the bank that can go away, I want to know that come rain or shine, richer or poorer, I have developed the ability to survive and thrive. I want to be the person who can pick herself up in any set of circumstances, determine what needs to be done to succeed, and make it there. The key to this is marketability and flexibility.
Decision making process to follow ….
I complained too soon. It was really just the tracking information page that was pathetic, because my package was delivered yesterday while I was at work.
Sadly, the contents were not all I’d hoped they would be.
The ruched scoopneck tee was a really soft, durable seeming material until I looked closer at it. The ruching was evident on the outside of the shirt: you could see gobs of thread at each of the gathers. When I looked more closely, the fabric near the gathers was stretched and in one spot, had a hole in it! A light experimental tug was all it took for the fabric to give. Definitely not high quality, definitely not a keeper.
The white button down was nicer in that it wasn’t ready to tear, but the construction was just a little too boxy. I often have this problem with shirts where there’s too much material under the arms and I look like I have a fabric-membrane set of flying squirrel wings. But on a shirt. Also, since it’s white, it’s quite a bit more see-through than I like. I’m undecided on this one because a seamstress could easily fix up the squirrel wings, but I’m not sure I like it quite enough.
All in all, I was a little disappointed in this ordering experience. After all, these shirts retailed for $34. Just because I got them at a discount shouldn’t, and wouldn’t, change their quality so that means they’re selling pretty shoddy, insome cases, overpriced clothing under guise of a schmancy name. If you could believe it, the receipt came sealed in a thick dark blue/metallic silver envelope made of nearly cardstock with a silver embossed logo. Their clothes were presented wrapped in a generous sheaf of tissue paper. If only the products matched the presentation and implied quality, I’d be much more impressed. Posh on the outside, poor on the inside. Hah, reminds me of Moneymonk’s empty castle, full cabin!
July 21, 2008
Perhaps it was too much to ask for with free shipping, but I was hoping to take my new Martin+Osa button down shirt with me to the East Coast. I placed the order on July 11th, and the tracking information still hasn’t been uploaded, so that’s probably not going to happen.
I wonder if this slow delivery is typical of their shipping methods, or if there’s a problem? Hope it’s the former.
Part of my flurry of life-rehab has been taking the dog for a walk every day after work. My hours finally get me home before dark these days, and I’ve been doing pretty well with taking her out between 3-5 times a week, depending on whether or not I’ve walked home from the train station.
As she and I meander through the neighborhoods, I count the For Sale signs on some lawns, and note the unshuttered, unblinded, dark-eyed gazes of those abandoned homes. I wonder, whatever happened to those people?
Out of curiosity, I examined the notice posted on the door of one of our former neighbors’ homes. It said that the owner of the home had been foreclosed on, and the renters were given 30 days to move out. We weren’t friends, but I’d seen the family members occasionally, nodded hello when walking the dog as they were watering their lawn. I wonder where they went and if they were able to find affordable and adequate housing elsewhere? The For Sale sign had been on their lawn for several long months, and my guess is that they either couldn’t find a buyer or the renters weren’t willing or able to purchase the home from the owners.
The real estate sign disappeared some time ago and at that point, I assumed it’d sold. Apparently not. I feel like a bit of a bad neighbor, having nary a clue what happened to the folks on the corner while the signs of prosperity, large trucks and SUVs, parties and such, were in ostentatious evidence right across the street from them. We’re quietly tucked into our corner sans claim to wealth, but right across the street from us, and across from the neighbors who quietly disappeared, it seems as though none of the troubles of the economy have remotely touched our neighbors across the street. It’s almost like we’re in two different worlds, and on our side of the street, a house has been claimed by the housing troubles with a most ominous sign: Bank owned property. I’d read quite a few stories in the Wall Street Journal of renters who were losing their homes because the owners of the rental homes were in over their heads, and always felt bad for those poor people. It’s a terrible feeling to be at your landlord’s mercy if you’re month to month, or setting a new lease, it’s even worse when you’re also dependent on their financial stability to maintain your home.
As a renter, that sign reminds me daily that my emergency fund and the down payment fund are critically important. While I have no reason to believe that our landlords are experiencing financial difficulties, they could easily decide to raise our rent beyond my strained budget, and we’d be in hot water soon enough. If nothing else, the down payment fund might have to play a bridging role by supplementing the increased rent until I managed to find cheaper lodgings or had enough to truly consider buying property. That involves complications in and of itself, especially with family and pets, but it’s not impossible, and I want to be be as ready as can be when the time comes.
July 18, 2008
On Wednesday I’m getting out of Dodge and spending 3.5 glorious days at Comic-Con. Then we follow up with a less glorious four days on a business trip to the East Coast. Two of the four are travel days, so we won’t have any leisure time. They don’t believe in LT anyway, so we’re not really missing out.
So why am I not packed yet?? ’cause. Just ’cause I’ve been lazy and thinking about it everyday so that sort of counted. I did get my suit dry-cleaned, so that’s ready to go, and I wrote up my packing list last night so FB’s post on Packing for Business Trips is right on time! Now I can compare my list to her guide. I’m usually quite good at packing lightly, but it’s always a challenge to pack better each time.
Current List:
1 business suit, black
1 3/4 sleeve light blazer, black
1 knee-length skirt, black
2 shirts, red/brn and white
3 dinner dresses: black, black and white, and 1 undecided
1 pair dark red strappy heels
Pajamas
Enough underwear
1 pair jeans and 2 tops for travel days
Toothbrush, toothpaste, facial lotion, lip balm
1 pair hoop earrings
1 paperback or three comic books
1 iPhone, wallet, planner
Laptop and charger
I would normally consider just wearing the suit to both days of meetings but it’s going to be hot and muggy there, and I’m only willing to make concessions to business formality the first day. Also, I’m bringing an actual suitcase, albeit small, because I don’t want to stuff my newly dry-cleaned suit in a duffel bag. Bad form, that. Lastly, I’m actually hoping to bring only one pair of shoes for the entire trip, that and a pair of flipflops for getting around my hotel.
I think I’m set for that trip!
Now for the Comic-Con packing ……
For the past few weeks I’ve been up and at it every single day: working (tons), talking to a select few about possible future plans, exploring options, doing a lot of contemplation and consideration. Planning planning planning for Comic-Con and my business trip. Putting some major time into blogging, logging friend time. Basically, I’ve been a busy beaver at effecting some real change in my life. After all, if you’re unhappy, right? More on that later.
It’s taken its toll, though. Last night I turned on my laptop after getting home, started to work on a couple things and found myself lying on the floor talking to BF on the phone like I was a kid home from school with no homework.
That’d be a sign that I’ve been too intense for too long. I’m giving myself a small break tonight: I don’t have to do anything on the career front, the selling the truck front, or the alternate income front. I am formally giving myself permission to enjoy Friday night. Just hang out with some old friends and catch up. If networking happens as part of it, fine, if it doesn’t, fine. I can get back on the horse on Saturday.
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend and fun plans!
