Random Monday musings.

These past few days have had me thinking about jobs, careers and the usual crap about graduation. It's sort of an indication that eventually, all of us are going to grow old and have responsibilities and not be able to sleep in when you feel like it (insert your own variation of bumming/stoning/sloth here).

Just a number of thoughts, and since they don't have so many links, a lil' numbering.

1. I attended a presentation by [Unnamed Global Financial Institution] in UVa. To put it quite mildly, I was mightily unimpressed. Yes, they brought down the artillery in terms of the seniority of people presenting - there were the usual HR people, the ex-UVa MD and of course the folks from the Investment Banking Department, which everyone is oh-so-keen on. Yet, it was unimpressive. There was no formal presentation on the opportunities, the departments that were recruiting, what distinguishes the firm from others. They put on a Vice-President that was with the firm for 8 years, and yet I could have done a better job presenting. In Singlish. The idea that America is really a wonderful place full of the most talented people across all levels is perhaps an idea we should all look at again and rethink.

2. That being overseas at this point in time is perhaps likely to result in a number of missed opportunities - a big risk, perhaps. Based on the recruiting calendar, financial institutions are having a field day at SMU. Ranging from Citigroup, Deutsche Bank, HSBC, GE, Barclays Capital to Goldman Sachs, it's refreshing to see that graduands of the university back home are in demand. It would, of course, be nice to be among that group, though. But this sorta leads me to point 3.

3. Surprisingly, being away from Singapore and being exposed to more cultures than I'm traditionally used to, it's been a really pleasant experience having the opportunities to gain insight, either via reading, talking or just watching movies about other people. Sometimes I think that it might be nice to pursue a life of academia, sit still and travel the world for a reasonable pay. It kinda beats waitering (especially with that mountain of debt awaiting me after this exchange trip) but having the right amount of intelligence to do internships and the right amount of intelligence to pursue a life of academia are 2 very different things. It's interesting how as time progresses, I get less and less assured of what I want out of life. Hmmm.