the air

I know it has been quite some time since I last posted, but I wanted to step away from blogging for a while. Unlike many of the professional bloggers, I find it very difficult to balance an intensive college life with a responsibility to blogging. In addition, I make absolutely zero money from my blog, which is fine by me. I have never been a strong supporter of advertising, but to each its own.

No more ecomagination

Earlier last month, I decided to reject my GE offer letter. I had initially accepted it, but my own personal and financial circumstances changed; and I had decided that it was no longer in my personal interests to pursue an internship with GE. The staff at GE have been very understanding and have encouraged me to pursue the course of action that I feel is best. Although they are undoubtedly disappointed in my decision, they do feel that it is perhaps best for me.

Run with the best

A few weeks after I had accepted GE’s offer, I received notice for an interview for a position at John Deere, the worldwide leader in agriculture equipment. After three rounds of interviews, I was offered a manufacturing engineering position at the Waterloo Works facility in Waterloo, IA. John Deere’s offer was actually much better than I had expected and was simply too true to pass up. After talking to my parents, I felt that it would be better for me to simply forgo my master’s at this time and pursue a full-time opportunity with John Deere. So now it is time for me to run with the best!

German Engineering!

Since I accepted my offer at John Deere, my parents and I felt it was only appropriate for me to have a meaningful present. In a way, I have struggled quite a bit, and have much more ahead of me in which I will surely struggle through. After many years of hard work and persistent challenges, I am finally drawing my undergraduate career to a close. Therefore, my parents felt that I should go ahead and get the car I have been wanting for two years.

Just a couple weeks ago, I purchased - in my name - the 2008 Volkswagen GLI. This car is pretty loaded and here’s a quick rundown of what it has:

• 6-speed manual
• Black exterior with black leather interior
• GPS Navigation
• Heated leather seating
• Sunroof
• 18″ all season tires
• and the list goes on

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GE, Imagination at work

One of the biggest challenges I have been facing for several months is trying to secure an internship without going through my school’s career fairs. NIU’s career fair is, in my opinion, quite abysmal since it attracts small-time companies from the Rockford area. Almost all of these companies’ internship opportunities relate directly to manufacturing and nothing else. Personally, I’m not very fond of an internship in manufacturing. I’d rather do something with six sigma, inventory control, forecasting, process analysis. The manufacturing jobs typically have me doing line balancing or actually “working” on the line which is a waste of my talent. It should be noted that it is important to be on the line to understand and improve a process, but it should not be your primary task.

After flexing some networking skills, I finally pulled off an internship with General Electric’s Healthcare Division. Since my search, I basically wanted to work for a Fortune 500 company such as Boeing or GE. At this time, I am about 99% ready to accept GE’s terms of employment. The 1% is simply holding back because I’m unsure, now, of whether I want a full-time job or a part-time job. Here’s the deal: if I get an offer for $60,000 or more and tuition reimbursement, I’ll gladly postpone my graduate studies. That is my 1% hesitation.

Stay tuned for some post(s) that will outline my effective interviewing and speaking tips. They work for me and have the potential of working for you.

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Photo courtesy of Anji Bee

I know it has been some time since I last wrote, but ever since the shootings at NIU, I have been busy with numerous campus activities. In addition, last two weeks I had been busy preparing for the 2008 IIE North Central Regional Conference in Chicago, IL in which UIC and NIU were the hosts. However, this post is not really about the conference, but about one of my favorite podcasters, Anji Bee.

A few days after the shooting at NIU, I turned to music to help me sleep at night and “forget” the pain that everyone was feeling. Anji’s podcast, “The Chillcast with Anji Bee,” is an exquisite blend of ambient beats with uplifting lyrics. My friends and I listened to the different songs and it really helped us heal. To my surprise, Anji wrote back and was really touched by my letter and went ahead mentioned my email on another podcast she did with Ryan. I was surprised because I figured that Anji would have hardly any time to even acknowledge my email, let alone mention it in a podcast.

Just last week, while I was at the IIE conference, Anji emailed me and gave me the heads up on a collabocast she was working on with several podcasters from around the country and the world. Fittingly, she labeled it as a “NIU Tribute Collabocast.” I cannot believe that artists from all over were willing to pitch in and extend their warmest wishes to the NIU community. I am practically speechless and I’m not even sure what to say. I really want to thank Anji, her collaborators, and the entire group of listeners for their warmest wishes.

If you have not subscribed to Anji’s podcast, do so. The best part is that you can subscribe to it right from iTunes, the premier multimedia store. On behalf of the entire NIU community, I want to thank everyone for their support and encouraging words in this time of chaos. Being so close to such a tragic event, I feel vulnerable but yet stronger as we move forward, together.

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courtesy of ZDNET blogs

I find it amusing when media outlets and “gurus” suggest that Mac owners/fans are progressive liberals who:

• Mac users more likely to use teeth-whitening products
• Mac users bought on average five new pairs of sneakers in the last year
• More likely to buy organic food
• More likely to frequent Starbucks
• More likely to own a hybrid car
• Mac users are perfectionists
• More likely to use notebooks
• Prefer to drive station wagons
• More likely to pay more for green products
• More likely to pay for downloaded music

Allow me to address these points individually.

• I’ve only used teeth whitening products once. And that was four years before I even bought a Mac.
• I’ve only bought 2 pairs of sneakers in the last year. The most I’ve ever bought was four pairs and two of them were dress shoes
• Sorry, I’ve never bought organic food. I can’t justify the higher price tag
• Although I like Starbucks, I get my coffee anywhere that is close to my current location (e.g. McD’s, Caribou, etc.)
• I’m against hybrid cars
• Yes, I like to be a perfectionist. However, I do know when to quit and I often quit before things are perfect
• I prefer notebooks because of their increased mobility. I thought Windows-based notebooks were outselling Windows-based desktops
• Station wagons? You must mean crossovers. But, I drive a 1995 Toyota Camry.
• Green products? Not my thing!
• Pay for downloaded music

I have no idea where these people draw their conclusions from, but I assure you, Mac fans are not necessarily liberals. Just take a look at O’Reilly! The dude loves his Mac. The fact is this. Mac users are just like many PC users from around the world. The only difference is that we use cooler looking machines that are far more secure than your Windows.

via Insanely Great Mac

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I want to thank all of you for your thoughts and prayers. I want to assure all of you that I am fine and was no where near the shooting. When the shooting occurred, I was actually in my car on my way home to my apartment. My usual route does not go anywhere near Cole Hall, the sight of the shootings. My thoughts and prayers are with the affected students and their families. Regardless of what others might say, NIU and all the respective law enforcement agencies did respond in a very effective manner.

You may visit the NIU homepage for additional information. At the time of this writing, there is a live press release in progress. Again, thank you for your thoughts and prayers. Have a good day.

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