अपॉरच्युनीटी कॉस्ट

रात्रीचे तीन-सव्वा तीन वाजलेले.

स्टडी ग्रुपचे पार्टनर्स आजची केस स्टडी सोडवून नुकतेच आपापल्या रुमवर परतलेले.याच्या डोक्यात मात्र अजूनही "अपॉरच्युनीटी कॉस्ट", आजच्या केस स्टडीचा विषय, याचेच विचार घोळत होते.

एक्सिक्युटीव्ह एम्.बी.ए. च्या पहिल्या सेमिस्टरच्या पुस्तकांच्या मधे कुठेतरी अ‍ॅश ट्रे सापडला.तुडूंब भरलेला.पर्यायच नव्हता. तो उठला आणि अ‍ॅश ट्रे रिकामा करुन आला.

गोल्ड फ्लेक शिलगावली.

"अपॉरच्युनीटी कॉस्ट", दोन पर्यायांपैकी एक निवडल्यावर, दुसरा पर्याय न निवडल्याने गमावलेला फायदा, ही निवडलेल्या पर्यायाची "अपॉरच्युनीटी कॉस्ट".

आजतोवर स्वीकारलेले आणि नाकारलेले पर्याय आणि त्यांच्या परिणामांच्या बेरजा-वजाबाक्या त्याच्या डोळयांसमोर येऊ लागल्या.

सहावी, सातवी, आणि आठवीत चित्रकलेत खूप बक्षिसे मिळवली.मी कोण होणार? तर चित्रकार, हेच डोक्यात.

पण डोके होते. बोर्डात नंबर. तो पण दोन्हिवेळेस. यू.डी.सी.टी. केमिकल इंजिनीअरींगला सहज प्रवेश. एफ.ई. चे ग्राफिक्स आणि एका वर्षीच्या कॉलेज मॅग्झिनचे कव्हर डिझाईन इथेच त्याच्या चित्रकलेच्या चित्तरकथेला पूर्णविराम मिळाला. एक पर्याय संपला.

कॅम्पसला पहिल्या दिवशी आय्.टी. कंपनी होती. हा विनासायास सिलेक्टेड. दुसर्‍या दिवशी प्रॉक्टर अ‍ॅन्ड गॅम्बल, प्रत्येक केमिकल इंजिनीअरची ड्रीम कंपनी. हातात ऑफर लेटररुपी पर्याय असताना प्रॉक्टर अ‍ॅन्ड गॅम्बलला अ‍ॅप्पीअर होण्याचा फारसा मूड असा नव्ह्ताच. एक पर्याय असा संपवला गेला.

पुढे मेनफ्रेममधे पोजेक्ट मिळाला. शिक्षण आणि काम यांचा अर्थाअर्थी संबंध कमीच पण "अर्थ" चांगले होते. बरेचदा रात्री १० ते सकाळी ७ अशी शिफ्ट. पहिली गोल्डफ्लेक अशीच एका रात्री प्रॉडक्शन सपॉर्टचे टेन्शन फुंकून कसे टाकायचे ते शिकवून गेली. कामात हा हुषार. दोन वर्षांनी यु.के. ला ऑनसाईट मिळाले.तिथे तीन वर्षे "बॅटींग" केली. क्लायंट साईटवर मॅकीन्झिचे बरेच टिप्-टॉप कन्स्लटंट्स दिसायचे. हा मनात तुलना करायचा.

पाच वर्षात सेव्हिंग झाले होते. लग्न-घरदार यात पडणे आता शक्य होते. किंवा ??? पर्याय संपले असे वाटत होते पण...एका वर्षाच्या एक्सिक्युटीव्ह एम्.बी.ए. ला अ‍ॅडमिशन घेतली. सेव्हिंग अकाऊंट निल झाले. पर्यायाने लग्न-घरदार हे आता पाच एक वर्षेतरी लांबणीवर पडले.

"चित्रकारच झालो असतो तर.. क्रिएटीव्ह लोकांसाठी खूप स्कोप आहेच की."

"प्रॉक्टर अ‍ॅन्ड गॅम्बल मधे गेलो असतो तर.. छान वर वर गेलो असतो एव्हाना."

"यु.के.त सेटल झालो असतो तर ..आधी प्रोजेक्ट मॅनेजर आणि मग अकाऊंट मॅनेजर झालोच असतो की."

"फॅमिलीमॅन झालो असतो तर बरोबरीच्या मित्रांच्या लग्नांचे इनव्हिटेशंस पाहून बोअर झालो नसतो."
"तसा धरसोड नाहीये मी. लाथ मारेन तिथे पाणी काढतो मी. पण प्रोब्लेम हा आहे की मी लाथा फार मारल्या. एकच सणसणीत लाथ मारली असती तर बरे झाले असते."
"सकॄतदर्शनी मी लाथ कुठे मारायची हे ठरवताना अजूनही चाचपडतोय. पण लौकीक अर्थाने..."
बीप्..बीप्..बीप..

मोबाईलचा साडे पाचचा अलार्म वाजला. ऊठून जरा योगा करावा म्हणून लावलेला अलार्म.

झोपायचा पत्ता नाही अजून. ऊठायाचा अलार्म काय कामाचा!

पुन्हा दोन पर्याय.. झोप की योगा?

"अशा पर्यायांची अपॉरच्युनीटी कॉस्ट काढणे सोप्पे असते!" डोक्यावर चादर घेताना तो हसत म्हणाला.

Ahead of Curve by Philip D. Broughton

In 2004, Philip Delves Broughton, 31-year-old journalist happily married and blessed with a kid, decided to put an end to boredom of daily journalism. Pondering over the option of change in careers, he applied to business schools and, to his surprise, was accepted at none other than Harvard Business School.

Broughton tells what happened next in Ahead of the Curve, a handy book for anyone considering a similar path, or just curious as to how Harvard churns out M.B.A. grads. This book assumes the reader, like Broughton, knows precisely nil about the corporate world.

The book doesn't work especially well as a conventional narrative. Ahead of the Curve offers a good sense of Harvard Business School's day-to-day workings, everything from what the other students are like to the merits of each lecturer to impressions of business titans such as Warren Buffett and Stephen Schwarzman, who revolve through the doors offering pointers on how to get filthy rich.

Broughton candidly shares his delightfully clueless days at Harvard. His math skills are crude, and he can't operate Microsoft Excel. When the other students flock off to Wall Street for summer jobs, he can't get one and is forced to spend three hot months in a Harvard library writing a novel. In fact, from the outset, he is entirely ambivalent about entering Corporate America. He doesn't really want to work that hard, he admits. He wants to spend time with his family.

As his two years draw to a close, Broughton wrestles with his next move. His classmates are all taking new jobs at McKinsey and Bain and Yahoo, but despite myriad interviews, he has yet to field an offer. Part of the problem is what he wants, as he writes in a "Help Wanted Ad I Sought But Never Found" : "Absurdly profitable company seeks journalist with ten years' experience and a Harvard MBA for extremely highly paid, low-stress job in which he can wear nice suits and loaf around in air-conditioned splendor making the very occasional executive decision. Requirements: acute discomfort in the presence of spreadsheets, inability to play golf, poorly concealed loathing of corporate life, knowledge of ancient Greek."

Broughton eventually draws interest from Google, but after 14 (yes FOURTEEN!!!) separate interviews, including an eight-hour marathon in a tiny conference room, he backs out, unable to reconcile his ambitions with life in a Dilbert cubicle.

Just out of my curiosity, I Googled a lot to know about Philip's post B-School life but nothing much came up.

Recently read non-fiction books

Just finished these two non-fiction books -

1. My Secret Life on the Mcjob: Lessons from Behind the Counter Guaranteed to Supersize Any Management Style

By Jerry Newman.

Jerry is a Management Professor & Consultant who took a 14 month long sabbatical to go undercover and work as a 'Burger guy' behind the counter. He shares his findings with readers.


2. Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival

By Anderson Cooper.

Anderson Cooper -- the name needs no introduction. In his book he looks back on his experience as a on-site journalist, reporter, and host of show 'Anderson Cooper 360 Degrees' on CNN. He also draws a parallel between sadistic part of his personal life and the events he reports on.

Recently read books

Just finished reading these three books ...each on a different topic altogether

1. Unsafe at any altitude

By Susan B. Trento and Joseph J. Trento

Unsafe at Any Altitude made me think on the flight security, 9/11, and terrorism.

2. Damnation Street

By Andrew Klavan

I read this author for the first time. I must say his style makes you feel you are watching a Hollywood flick!


3. The Innocent Man

By John Grisham

Perhaps the only work on non-fiction from John Grisham. It is about a small town guy Ron Williamson who gets trapped in the mess created by justice system.

Summer Weekend # 4 - American Museum of Natural History and Central Park

A visit to Museum of Natural History (http://amnh.org ) was overdue so I planned a visit this weekend. I did shoot some of the exhibits in this museum using my Canon ZR 200. A link to my recording will be posted soon!

In the evening Mandar and I just could not resist our temptation to visit Central Park which was just across the street. When I saw the snaps taken by Mandar, I could not resist my temptation to make some graffiti :)

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चाकोरीमधे सुदधा सुंदर आयुष्य जगता येते.

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ओल्या पालवीची मी वाट पाहते!


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झाडावर प्रेम करा , झाडाखाली नको!

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फोटो काढायचा म्हटले की मी एका पायावर तयार!

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Summer Weekend # 3 - Cycling in Central Park

In Central Park one can rent cycels and have some fun. Rental cycles are available near Boathouse. I got off at 81ST West subway stop, entered the Park, and headed for Boathouse. The rent is $9 for first Hr and then $5 for each subsequent half hours.
The bikeway circles entire Park. Important point to note is that bikeway is oneway so literally there can be no looking back! The ride was real fun. After I long long time I had a chance to ride a cycle.

Summer 2007 Weekend #2 - Hershey's Park

One is only happy in proportion as he makes others feel happy
-Milton Hershey

Hershey's Chocolates used to make me happy long before I came onsite. The mails with subject line " Chocolates at my desk" were harbinger of hopes that one fine day I would also get a chance to go onsite.

I spent my last weekend in the Hershey's park.
The amusement park was good; enjoyed almost all the rides and water sports. The fireworks were really spectacular.


Pune Vs America :)- I often get Fwd mails with "Puneri patya" .Now look at this "American paty" which I saw near the 'Kissing Tower''in this park.