Timing the market?

So, whats up with me? Nothing much really. I am actually helping out a friend setup his venture. That is, in terms of brainstorming of ideas and sharing whatever industry perspectives I have gained over last 4 years of work. Its actually a lot of fun and the process has a good deal of excitement. In this economic environment, it is going to be a big ask but we have belief in the fundamental value of his ideas and I am sure he will do well.

I have been wondering what exactly is the right time to launch one's business, given that he is ready with a plan? Should it be when the market is green and credit is free-flowing or when the chips are down and investors are selling out. Till very recently, I was convinced that getting 'in' in a good market was absolutely essential to compete with the deep-pocket giants. Its also relatively easy to get noticed in a healthy economic scenario.

But, to my surprise, a relatively large number of firms (especially tech ones) have been founded in times of extreme economic distress. What explains that? I have no clear answer but it appears that several of them hit on some ideas which were generated because of competitive economic climate. They had strong value propositions. The founders worked under the radar for a few years, establishing the network and bringing the idea to market. As soon as the situation got better they were ready to capitalize on it. I am not sure how much of that is the case, but it sure is a thing I look forward to research more on.

On school front, there is no news. The process to me looks a little too slow, especially for the early admits who don't seem to have anything to do for 6-7 months. I am itching to get my hands on that pre-MBA material ;)

My room-mate got admitted to Queens last week and got a little scholarship too. He has received bundles and bundles of materials from the university. His course-work starts in May and he is neck-deep in the visa and loan process. Looking at his exciting and extremely fast-paced stage of the process, kinda feel jealous :P

Hopefully, some news will come from CBS this week! Till then, cheers!

Housing & Other News

Well, there is not much news actually. Things have been very furious at work and its getting tiring. I have been handed over with some long-term assignments that I am sure I will need to handover very soon to somebody else. That would mean more work. I don't mind doing that as long as I get some break before school.

Speaking of which, CBS front has been relatively quiet. I put in my housing application the very first day the application opened and opted for an apartment share. This option seems to be the most popular one. Although, right till the end I was torn between an apartment shares and studios. Now, need to wait till May for further activity.

Next month promises to be more exciting. I intend to inform my manager about my plans to do an MBA in fall. He has been very nice to me and I hope he would understand. Kroll will follow and so will the loan and visa processing.

Meanwhile, the scene in the US is getting scarier every week and is giving me and my parents a lot of worries in taking that big a loan to fund my MBA. Hopefully, things will fall in place. During this time, I hope that I get some sort of scholarship which can lessen my burden and my parents' worries.

Edit: Just read Tieny's account of the Open House and it looks like so much fun. And yes, I too am impressed by the crowd of people who are going to be my classmates for the next 2 years. Pretty exciting times coming up!

Vacations & Housing

First post of the new year!

and I have already had two mini-vacations. The first one was an extension of my year-end vacation and I had a quite time at Ranchi, where my parents have lived for almost two decades. It was good to be away from work and everything else. Small cities can give you that freshness which is difficult to find in Bangalore life. Fast forward to the republic day and I made a short trip to Ahmedabad to meet some friends. And I had a pretty cool time. Although, Ahmedabad is in the only "dry" state of India.

I have hastened my search for an internship for the summer but looks like its a big ask, given the financial turmoil all around us. I read an article written by Swaminathan Aiyer today about how this recession can be the Hykenian kind instead of the Keynesian one and how both kinds need very different treatments. The more dreadful thought of the article was the fact that it may take more than a couple of years to settle this one up. That's not good news. With a scholarship always unlikely, its going to be a $150k loan on my head when I graduate and I better have some good opportunities at that time. Coming to back to India immediately after MBA is also an option.

There is constant talk in the country about whether India will be hit by the recession. I think it will be. For whatever may be the reasons, India has seen a lot of export-led growth over the last few years. Now as the west sees a much stronger urge to save and consumer spending dries up, India will be hit sooner or later and probably to the same extent as the US. The Indian stock market is already hit rock bottom and its unlikely that its going up anytime soon. Plenty of problems to think about.

There is nothing really happening on CBS front. I received a mail from Linda welcoming me to the class of 2011 after she tried calling me up several times. Although, its been nearly 4 months since I got the admit, it still feels good to be congratulated ;) Housing applications start sometime in February and thats one area where I need to do more research. Have been trying to figure out what would suit me the best.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

I am leaving for my hometown in another 10 hours. Before I leave, to spend a couple of weeks with my family, I would like to wish all the blog-o-sphere Merry Christmas and A VERY HAPPY NEW YEAR!

May the year 2009 bring happiness to all of us!

Updates

Its been a long time since I posted on my blog and makes me wonder what is going to happen once I do reach b-school. All hell has broken loose at my workplace. Layoffs have meant that there is more work pressure on the teams that survive and its been pretty busy few weeks.

On CBS front, I am trying to get in touch with some alums in India to try and figure out some concrete plans for my future. Almost everybody I could manage to talk to has been very supportive of my plans.

As I probably already mentioned here, I plan to work till some time in June to collect all the cash I can. I have received my CFA Level 2 course material. So that is going to take up significant portion of my free time in the coming months. I also plan to travel - when and where is completely undecided. There are a couple of options - exploring south India or south-east Asia. Both of them look pretty neat at the moment.

I am little worried about how to get the Kroll scheduled. I don't want my company to know of my impending departure till around Mar/April. However, as far as I understand Kroll actually talks to the company HR or managers. On the other hand, I do not want to delay the verification that long, which may cause hassles in loand and visa applications. I have no recommenders from my current company though. Need to figure this out.

Lately, CBS has been issuing invites in bulk and I have been trying to be of help to all the prospectives. I seriously hope that a lot of them make it to CBS and am sure I will have a great time with them at the school in NY.

I have been doing a pretty bad job of keeping my blog updated. Infact, tieny has been doing a great job! Given that the work pressure is not going to subside anytime soon, I am not sure if I can improve. Lately, I have been contemplating about writing a series of posts about the application process and my perspectives on the same. There are several in the blogosphere already. I am not sure if any more are needed ;)

Thats pretty much all the updates I had. All the very best to Soni for his C-Booth interview and all other who are waiting for their final results!

Admit Packet

I received my admit packet by FedEx today.


And it has my official letter of admission signed by Linda. It also has a copy of the Hermes magazine and some other pamphalets containing information which is all over the website. Hermes is interesting and has a lot of information about students and alumni. The Class Notes section is particularly fascinating. Reading through it. The packet also has a note which says that the school, as of date, does not have a no-cosignor loan for international students.

On to other things, my Columbia ID activation hasn't happened yet. That means I cannot browse through CBS' amazing online resources for another weekend. I am using my time to read. Currently reading Kafka'a short stories. One of my friends, who shares the apartment with me is leaving for London tomorrow morning. He will be there for atleast a couple of years. So, its going to be a last night celebration tonight. That leaves only 3 people in our large mansion. :(

Matriculating!

My wire transfer of deposit reached Columbia yesterday and I am now officially enrolled in the school roasters. As soon as that happened, my status changed to "Deposit Received" and the to-do list expanded from a 17 point list to a 30 point list. And this is supposed to be the beginning. Phew!

The new to-do list however, also gives me access to the Columbia University ID and the email account. Thats exciting! Besides, there is a admitted student's reception on Dec 3. I don't think I can be there even if I really want to do that so much.

I am envious of Tieny who seems to have figured out his plan for the next 10 months. I will be in all probability be working till the end of June. I have my CFA Level 2 to study for and then prepare for school. Three important to-do things amongst the millions I can see right now are - Kroll verification, loan confirmation and F1 visa. None of them begins before January.

Time to relax, I guess!


PS: All the best for HappyBunny for her final result @Columbia!