The Stern Opportunity

Issue date: 11/7/06 Section: Editorial

Wow; top of the page…"Oppy knocks," huh? Yea, I suppose it does. I'm reminded of an old-school board game we used to play when I was growing up: Careers. In order to win, you had to meet or exceed your self-derived formula for success based on the three categories of fame, happiness, and money (if only I had known about time value back then…). Essentially, you went around the board, tried to get into "college" to obtain a "degree," and collected points in the three areas en route to, you know, "pursuing your dreams." Oh-and when you landed on "Opportunity Knocks," you could use the card immediately to enter a career (without the nonsense of networking), save it for a rainy day, or trade/sell it. Must be nice… If only it were that easy (but I suppose, for some, it is).

Frankly, however, I've heard a surprising percentage of the second-year population expressing sentiments such as, "So…I'm graduating in May and really have no freaking idea what I want to do." Then there's the "Well…okay, maybe what I was doing before school wasn't so bad; I could see myself doing XYZ again…" camp. In the world of Careers, at least your choices were limited to a handful of options. You could go into common things like politics, farming, and "big business." And then there were more obscure jobs such as "uranium prospecting" and "going to sea," for the truly adventurous. A quick search on "the Google" revealed to me that apparently a 1990 version of the game was released called "Careers for Girls." Now, if you buy your kid…I don't know…"Barbie's Totally Trivial Pursuit" or "The Pretty Pink Cosmetics Game," you understand that you are in some way perpetuating "girly" stereotypes; fine. But "Careers for Girls" sounds a little more substantive and educational. As it turns out, the career choices were restricted to paths such as "super mom," "fashion designer," etc. Definitely no banking gigs. And no mention of SWIB. Come on, Parker Brothers; get with the program.

Anyways, I fear that I don't have a point. The truth, however, is that we are all attending a world-class business program, and even if the job prospects might seem stressful at the moment, our degrees will open many doors. In the near-term, in the long-term, and all along the way. Opportunity will knock when and where we least expect it, and all those hours spent on Firms & Markets projects will somehow pay off in the grand scheme of things.

I must mention, however, that just because opportunity knocks, you shouldn't always open the door. In fact, sometimes you should run the other way. Case in point: "The Santa Clause 3" (cleverly and annoyingly subtitled "The Escape Clause"). Frankly, I had forgotten there was a "2," and "1" was, well, less than memorable. Really; can you think of a quality movie in which Tim Allen has starred? No; it's an impossible exercise. Okay, with the exception of "Toy Story," but the key there was that he didn't actually appear. Don't get me wrong; we used to enjoy a little "Home Improvement" at the Coe house, but…you put Tim the Toolman in a movie, and it's guaranteed to be terrible. In fact, I went on Imdb, and just guess the plotline of one of Allen's upcoming features. Yes, that's right: "A recently unemployed corporate exec coordinates with a group of door-to-door cosmetics saleswomen." Disaster. This is precisely the kind of stupid ridiculousness to which he gravitates. Who goes to these movies?! Okay, sorry; I'll leave this job to Armbruster, but please seize opportunities with caution.

A big welcome to my new partner-in-crime, Mehul Patel. Pretty sure he got the job because he correctly answered the question, "What do you think of the Florida State Seminoles?" Seriously, though, I am excited to welcome him to Team Oppy. Feel free to stop by and say hi (it would do you good to be on his good side…).

Congrats on surviving midterms, and I look forward to seeing everyone at Charity Ball!

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