Goodbye P4

I'm forced to say goodbye to P4, I wouldn't if it were only possible to hold on. I'm such a nostalgic. Singapore was good fun in P4...I can only guess the atmosphere was less stressed than back in Fonty where the hardcore job seekers went. For all future students...make sure to take advantage of both campuses, I can't imagine missing this opportunity.

For those curious about the job market, I can share the following observations:
- tons of opportunities in Dubai
- high growth asain markets are more difficult, mostly closed to outsiders
- forget about finance for the moment
- an MBA doesn't guarantee a dream job, it takes hard work...and don't blame career services

My career aspirations received serious reaffirmation in the closing weeks of P4. While I started wondering if my desired path would pan out days before...a series of events played out which confirmed I was heading in the right direction. I had been gladly ignoring every single element of recruiting (except for an amazing dinner by McK :) but some (masochistic) part of me wanted to share in on all of the practice case interviews, 1st round madness, and anxiety waiting for call backs. I know it sounds stupid, I feel stupid even writing it out. It's true though, it is so easy to get caught up in the heard mentality...

Anyway, I'm more sure than ever that doing something entrepreneurial is the only path to happiness for me. While I'm sure happiness is the first priority of most...I wonder how this reconciles with begging for a job to sit over powerpoint and be a slide production machine...I guess the money is good and maybe this is happiness for some. Luckily (because my risk aversion is probably a bit too high), I'm finally confident that I'm on to a great idea, let's see if potential funders come through in p5...initial signs are positive.

So I'm moments away from hopping on a plane and seeing my loving partner. I have to admit that INSEAD (and probably all MBAs) have a reputation for being tough on relationships. I now see why. It has not been easy these past months. Distance is a killer. Intense personal growth can make the distance seem farther yet. Things happen for a reason, true happiness cannot come without short term pain. I'm confident the future is brighter as a result.