No More Pencils, No More Books

I took my last final this morning.

Holy crap. Can you believe that the first year of school is over? I remember very vividly when I decided to go back for an MBA (I blogged about it on this very website), and it really doesn't seem all that long ago. And then school started, and I blogged about it on this very website. And now the first year is over. Holy freakin' camoley.

That said, it's not like school has really passed quickly overall. If you think about it, I just turned thirty, which means that I started school TWENTY FIVE YEARS AGO. And I'm still here. Granted, there was a two year break for my mission, and there was about four years between my my undergrad degree and my masters. But still, that means I'm in the nineteenth grade. Remember kids: stay in school! Forever!

Grad school has really been awesome, though. I've learned a lot, and I've met a lot of great people, and I've worked harder and slept less than I ever imagined.

I've also been able to work on some really interesting consulting projects. For example, if you've been browsing the news today, you might have seen a study about national happiness. That press release (and a follow-up release tomorrow) is the culmination of a national study done by me and three of my fellow students. We've been all over the internet today (such as here, here and here). The second press release, which is more interesting, is expected to be picked up by Reuters and the Washington Post. So, kinda neat.

I also made a marketing proposal to Hogi Yogi when they launched their new tart yogurt a few months ago (following the Red Mango trend). Unfortunately, my idea didn't get selected, even though it was awesome. (They went with Yoasis. And the yogurt is surprisingly tasty. And I get it for free.)

And I did a really fascinating study of brand perceptions for Calle, a fast-growing street soccer company. We used a relatively new market research technique, which is based on the idea that people think not in words but in images and deep-rooted metaphors. It was very cool.

And, in case I haven't ever mentioned it here before, this summer I'll be working in scenic Minneapolis, Minnesota, as a brand management intern for ConAgra Foods. I'll be in their snack food division, which includes awesome things like Orville Redenbacher popcorn, Crunch n' Munch and Slim Jims. I hope to share a cubicle with Macho Man Randy Savage.

Anyway, the good news is that I don't have to report to ConAgra until June 2nd, which gives me a good month of full-time writing. I'm hoping to pound out the second half of my half-finished book. We'll see if I can muster up the motivation to work during my vacation. With any luck, I'll actually be a legitimate author again, rather than just some guy who used to write books.