Hello readers! If you read the previous entry, you know that in mid September I attended the NBMBAA conference in Houston, Texas, at the conclusion of which I had to cancel my return trip to St. Louis and instead head back home to a funeral.
Returning to school and "getting into the swing of things" was easier said than done. I was not only behind in my school work, but also had a difficult time moving on. The "reality" back home again reminded me of how fleeting life is and how we are all on borrowed time. It also reminded me that life outside the school hallways continues that, as much as you are shielded from it for two years, there are certain events that put things into perspective. One day you are consumed by thoughts of school work and job hunting, the next you're dealing with loss and trying to regain normalcy.
That aside, I must say that regaining the motivation to catch up was made a lot easier because of the understanding of fellow classmates, specifically my two groups. As soon as they found out about the news from home, they supported me and told me to focus on my family and forget about school work and assignments due.
So I did put everything aside. Upon returning, as much as I always say to myself "the show must go on", it was tough to start over if your will. But, little by little, I regained some normalcy and was able to labor through school work until eventually I felt 100% again.
A couple of weeks into October (or month two of my second year), I was taking finals for two of my mini-courses the same week I was scheduled to attend conference two of the year: NSHMBA (National Society of Hispanic MBAs) in Ft. Worth, Texas. After finishing a three-hour exam, I headed back to my apartment, packed and left for the airport with a fellow classmate.
I was back for round two of the conference circuit, so that Friday I headed to the Ft. Worth convention center for another "battle" of talking to companies on my list. I must say that going into the conference I knew of at least three companies I wanted to talk to were not in hiring mode due to a decrease in consumption of branded consumer goods. However, since no one knows what can happen a few months from now when graduation time comes around, it is still important to talk to these companies. Perhaps in a couple of months or so their outlook has changed and they are able to offer some employment opportunities.
Anyway, while I didn't interview with any companies on site, I did get three solid leads that I acted on as soon as I returned to St. Louis. As I write, I am waiting to hear from the Latin America division of a consumer products company and am about to send my reference list and resume to another company for a potential interview in a marketing communications role.
After the conference, I began three other mini-courses: Services Marketing, Corporate Strategy and Finance II, which reminds me that I need to return to my school work. By the way, by the end of this week or the beginning of next week, I should be hearing from another multinational consumer products company that I interviewed with a month and a half ago. I will be keeping my fingers crossed! Positive news mean a trip to Florida in early December for second-round interviews.
Until my next entry.