Talk about school pride...

A labmate wore this T-shirt with the following printed in front to the office.



The engineers in my group: "What the heck is mjT???"

Careers, Family and Relationships

I probably blogged about this (or something closely related) before, but I still think it is worth another entry for the record.

So on the way home earlier after watching the July 4th fireworks across town, my housemate (an American dude) asked me about my long term plans with the company.

I told him I have no idea. Nobody in this Globalization 3.0 age would talk about long term employment with a single company. But I am fairly certain I will be moving about in different cities/places, even if I am to remain in/with the same company.

For the most recent quarter of my life, I have moved from Singapore to live/work/study in 5 cities (US and Japan), ranging anywhere from 3 months to 4 years. I believe this is the main reason for my difficulty in getting hitched. I am unsettled. I am not even sure I will sink my roots down in one place. Short of getting a homemaker, it will be unfair for her to adjust her career to my operational needs. And I have yet to talk about (having) kids.

There is already a precedent in my family. The most successful (career wise) of my mum's siblings is also the one who had his first and only child in his 40s. While he was earning two Masters degrees simultaneously from MIT and Harvard, his wife was pursuing her MFA at UCL in London. Then followed by their separate job postings in the US, UK, Malaysia and China. Only decided to move back to Singapore when they were in their early 40s and finally settle down.

My aunt also served as the example to my granny's warnings about dating/marrying RGS girls. Too focused on their careers vs. familial needs. Heh.

I look at those peers of mine who are married. ~80% are civil servants. What does that tell you? Then again maybe they just so happened to tie the knot.

The 'M' Bomb...

I never thought it would be played out in front of me.

...in 2003 CBS's 60 Minutes interviewed 3 recent female graduates of the Harvard Business School about career women and infertility. They call it the H-bomb: “The H-bomb is basically, some guy turns to us and says, 'So what do you guys do?' And we're like, 'Oh, we're students.' Oh, great. Well, where?' 'Oh, we got to school in Boston.' 'Oh, great. Where in Boston?' 'Oh, in Cambridge.' 'Oh, where in Cambridge?' 'OK, Harvard Business School.' And as soon as you say Harvard Business School, or even Harvard, they turn around. I mean, that's the end of that conversation.”

It's the kiss of death. But Vartanian (one of the women) says that guys wouldn’t hide the fact that they go to Harvard Business School: “As soon as the guys say, 'Oh, I go to Harvard Business School,' all the girls start falling onto them.”

So I had lunch together with some of my new friends. And being the good friends they are, they also invited several others (all single pretty females, a rare sight in the company) to dine together with us.

Exchanging the usual pleasantries, we soon turned to our colleges. The girls were very vague about their alma maters - machiam like it is a stigma to be graduates from there.

Only later did I find out the school they attended. Stupid me - that's how they got to know one another well what!

One of them reminds me of an ex, along with the loads of unpleasant memories. Heh.

Of University Snobbishness: What class are you in?

There are good schools deemed inferior cos they are 'cheap on tuition'; and then there are the super elite ones which are supposedly head and shoulders above the rest.

Choice quote:

After all, whether you like it or not, a university is a brand name, and while a Lamborghini and a Lexus may both be great cars, the Lamborghini is the one that turns heads.

Reminds me of a joke circulating amongst students of a JC (in Singapore) in the mid 90s regarding MIT. Reproduced here thanks to google.

Letter from MIT

The following is an exact transcription of a letter John
Mongan received from MIT, and the reply that he sent them.
Unfortunately, they chose to discontinue their correspondence
at that point. I have heard, however, that their recruitment
letter has been revised and is far less snotty than it once
was.

April 18, 1994

Mr. John T. Mongan
123 Main Street
Smalltown, California 94123-4567

Dear John:

You've got the grades. You've certainly got the PSAT scores.
And now you've got a letter from MIT. Maybe you're surprised.
Most students would be.

But you're not most students. And that's exactly why I urge
you to consider carefully one of the most selective
universities in America.

The level of potential reflected in your performance is a
powerful indicator that you might well be an excellent
candidate for MIT. It certainly got my attention!

Engineering's not for you? No problem. It may surprise you
to learn we offer more than 40 major fields of study, from
architecture to brain and
cognitive sciences, from economics (perhaps the best program
in the country) to writing.

What? Of course, you don't want to be bored. Who does? Life
here is tough and demanding, but it's also fun. MIT students
are imaginative and creative - inside and outside the
classroom.

You're interested in athletics? Great! MIT has more varsity
teams - 39 - than almost any other university, and a
tremendous intramural program so
everybody can participate.

You think we're too expensive? Don't be too sure. We've got
surprises for you there, too.

Why not send the enclosed Information Request to find out
more about this unique institution? Why not do it right now?

Sincerely,

Michael C. Benhke
Director of Admissions

P.S. If you'd like a copy of a fun-filled, fact-filled
brochure, "Insight," just check the appropriate box on the
form.


May 5, 1994

Michael C. Behnke
MIT Director of Admissions
Office of Admissions, Room 3-108
Cambridge MA 02139-4307

Dear Michael:

You've got the reputation. You've certainly got the
pomposity. And now you've got a letter from John Mongan.
Maybe you're surprised. Most
universities would be.

But you're not most universities. And that's exactly why I
urge you to carefully consider one of the most selective
students in America, so
selective that he will choose only one of the thousands of
accredited universities in the country.

The level of pomposity and lack of tact reflected in your
letter is a powerful indicator that your august institution
might well be a possibility
for John Mongan's future education. It certainly got my
attention!

Don't want Bio-Chem students? No problem. It may surprise
you to learn that my interests cover over 400 fields of
study, from semantics to
limnology, from object-oriented programming (perhaps one of
the youngest professionals
in the country) to classical piano.

What? Of course you don't want egotistical jerks. Who does?
I am self indulgent and over confident, but I'm also amusing.
John Mongan is funny
and amusing - whether you're laughing with him or at him.

You're interested in athletes? Great! John Mongan has played
more sports - 47 - than almost any other student, including
oddball favorites such as
Orienteering.

You think I can pay for your school? Don't be too sure. I've
got surprises for you there, too.

Why not send a guaranteed admission and full scholarship to
increase your chance of being selected by John Mongan? Why
not do it right now?

Sincerely,

John Mongan

P.S. If you'd like a copy of a fun-filled, fact-filled
brochure, "John Mongan: What a Guy!" just ask.

John never got a reply.

"Getting an Education from MIT is like taking a drink from a Fire Hose." - Jerome Weisner, MIT President ('71-'80)

Edit (12 Oct): MIT's International Students' Undergraduate Admissions process, and the numbers for the class of 2009. The competition gets worse with each passing year.