This advice resonated in my mind for quite some time after I heard it mainly because of how much the organizations I am involved in have us do team building activities. It is rare for me to hear someone actually give a detailed explanation of why team building is useful for our future. It is something that not only helps you move up in the ranks in the corporate world, but it also supplies an individual with powerful experiences that are extremely useful during job interviews. This should be kept in mind by all businessmen and women as they enter a company, especially an accounting firm or organization that has him or her working in a team-based work environment.

I’ve only had the chance to read the first chapter of The Leadership Mystique so far, but I will be sure to include a review of it in my next post on leadership, once I at least reach the halfway poiint of the book. The first ironic thing I noticed about this book while reading the about the author pages was that the author is a prominent leader in today’s world himself (gasp!). It would take me forever to list the massive amount  of achievements that Kets de Vries has gained over the course of his career, but trust me, simply reading about him motivated me and helped me realize what kinds of opportunities are out there for people in the business field. This goes for all fields of study for that matter.

The companies we had the chance to meet with included Eaton Corporation, Atria Sales and Distribution, Eli Lily, and Dow Chemical and Shell. During the first full day of the retreat, each company had a chance to give a presentation on a particular topic. These topics included: “Goal-setting”, “Gaining the trust of your clients”, “Interviewing”, and a few others. We all had a great time listening to the representatives share information with us, as well as answer any questions we had for them. As a business student, this was a great experience for me that I have looked forward to for about a month now. Events like this will look great on a resume, especially if it is hosted by an organization with a great reputation amongst corporate recruiters. They let recruiters know that you are the type of person who actively seeks opportunity and knowledge, is used to working in diverse environments, and know how to carry yourself professionally. According to Dr. Betts, the Assistant Dean of the Eli Broad College of Business at Michigan State University, “Participating in events and organizations like this show companies that you posses a skill-set that many students don’t. For that reason, companies will be on their hands and knees to hire students like yourselves”.

Taking active roles in student organizations by attending various events can open so many doors to a student’s future success. That is the lesson I’ve learned from attending the leadership retreat. Can’t wait until next year!

This being my first time attending a career fair, I learned a lot from the experience. The main piece of advice I have for anyone who plans on attending is to HAVE CONFIDENCE! Confidence proved to be my strongest asset during the fair, as I browsed through the recruiter-invested walls of MSU’s basketball stadium.  Of course it is important to have your resume nice, wear clean clothes, and have a “30 second pitch” speech about yourself, but confidence stands out among these things.

The author of this article, Paul Danos, views the traditional two-yar MBA program as one of those places “where the scenery, culture and individuals change your life forever”.  He alsodescribes it as “two years of  immersion in new concepts taught by experts, living and studying with talented people with varied experiences from around the world”.  Based on Danos’ depiction of the two-year MBA program, it sounds great!  The main topic that he brings to this article, however, is the fact that quite a few variations of the traditional MBA program have been introduced over the past couple decades or so.  Today, there are several other models– “one year, part-time, executive, corporate and distance leaning amoung them.” (Danos, Financial Times).  The argument here is whether or not students are getting the same experience out of the “part-time” MBA programs as they would with the traditional full-time version (living on campus for the entire two-year program).  Although these differing programs teach the same material, depending on the university, many experts question if they offer the same experience.  Danos, for one, believes that “the classic two-year programme is the premier form of the MBA”.

This article made me think more about what type of program I may be looking for when deciding on a Master’s Degree program in the future. Will I want to spend an additional two years living on a college campus, and further postpone my career? Or would I rather gain work experience in the field, while handling my Master’s degree part-time? Only time will tell, but according to Danos, “A full-time MBA stretches the individual, persuading him or her to new heights of aspiration”.  This highly appeals to me since I am always happy to improve myself as a person, as any successful indivual should be.  Also, even though this two-year program will keep you in more confined environment, students have the opportunity to work in a different industry during their internship which falls between the two academic years.

The Teenage Investor: How to start early, invest often, and build wealth.

The most fascinating thing to me about this book is the fact that it was written by a thirteen year old boy named Timothy Olsen.  Thats right, and he bought his first shares of stock when he was in second grade (I repeat, 2nd grade).  His primary reason for writing this book is to explain to the world how we can follow his lead, building stock market wealth in your spare time.  At such a young age, he is considered a “Wall Street Verteran” who is well qualified to teach others about investing.  Timothy and his book are relevant to this blog for two reasons: 1. Investing is huge factor in the business world. These investments make up a part of a company’s assets known as owner’s equity, which is the amount of money cotributed to a company by investors. 2. Tim is a great example of  a young man who strives for greatness in the field he holds interest in.  He has even been featured in a number of media outlets which include CNBC, Mutual Fund Magazine, and Morningstar.com

Although I havent taken much action on what I read in Tim’s book, I learned lots o valuable information that increased my overall knowledge of how businesses operate.  As my writing professor would say, “literacy can come in many different forms”.  In this case, investing is a newly discovered literacy for me.  I’ve found that after reading this book, I find it much easier to understand certain financial articles and website that otherwise would look like another language to me (Msn Money, and The Financal Times, for example).  It really is a rewarding skill that I plan to use in the near future. Why not try investing some money and see what happens? I could only learn more i the process.

I highly recommend this book to people of all ages who have an interest in learning about investing.  Not only is the book useful to “teenage investors”, but it’s great for all newcomers to investing.

Picturing yourself as a future business professional can often times be a difficult task, since there are so many paths/fields of study that can get you there. Almost a year ago, I sat down and decided that I wished to major in Accounting & Information Systems once I attended college. This wasnt a decision I made overnight, however. Although I knew that I wished to earn a major in the business category, perhaps to own my own business one day, it took a bit of research to narrow down my decision. How many people wake up one day and say to themselves, “I want to be an accountant when I grow up.”? The chances of this are probably slim to none. In reality, I decided to study accounting for 3 reasons:

1.) I enjoyed the idea of becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA). This form of accountant has the opportunity for an accounting firm, become a “lawyer-like” accountant who does private accounting for individual people or businesses, and enjoy a higher salary than a person with a standard bachelor’s degree in accounting. 2.) Many CEOs and successful business owners around the world either majored in, or had a strong background education, in accounting. 3.) Accounting is considered ”The language of business” by many professionals. – After I complete the  criteria to become a CPA, I will probably spent a couple years working in the field before I pursue a higher degree such as an MBA. This degree will allow me to join the ranks of the some of the most prestigious business professionals the world has to offer.

Hopefully taking a brief look at my future goals can give YOU a burst of thought into what YOUR goals are for the future! It’s like drafting an outline for a research paper before you begin writing. Once your goals are organized in your mind as a “self-portrait” of the future, it makes it that much easier to make that dream become a reality.

Couldnt have said this any better..

Books, internet articles, magazines, networking, organizations/clubs, etc., are all examples of resources that can aid us as we begin to tune ourselves into the world around us.  Not only is this important for students/adults studying business, but it’s important for any individual who actively pursues success in his or her field of interest.  The future of this blog will discuss a variety of topics, ranging from: 1. relevant articles from well-known business resources, 2. Book reviews/overviews relating to business subjects and success tips, 3. Random Small Business Ideas (Entrepreneurship), 4. Tips for young men and women who are preparing to study in a business-oriented workplace, and many other interesting subjects.

For the purpose of getting to know me, I am  an “Aspiring Businessman” myself”.  I am a prospective student at Michigan State Universitiy’s Eli Broad College of business, and plan earn a degree in accounting over the next few years.  The glory of understanding how a business works, in my opinion, is like a key of opportunity to so many other venues in the world.  There are those who have talents in sports, music, and entertainment, who wish to turn these gifts into high-powered careers.  But the truly ambitious businessman is the one who, despite the doubts he or she may have, thinks to himself and asks, “How can I put myself into the right position to be the owner of one of these massive sports teams, film developers, or fortune 500 companies?”  That is a question I raised to myself a few years ago, along with many others in the past.  The success of any individual, businessman or not, begin their fortune with a dream.  By simply displaying interest in a business-related field, however, you are displaying your desire to connect yourself to (and lead) the world in the an innovative and effective fashion.