strategy consulting
I just read the dismal story on fortune on the bad state of affairs in consulting world. I however think it was just a matter of time that it would happen. Working myself in engineering consulting, i have seen some clients spend insane amounts of money on consultants to tell them something they want to hear or something they already know (or should have known).

The main difference is in my line of work, we use basic engineering principles and science, so our "results" are rarely fuzzy and not open to wide interpretation. However, this may not be true in strategy consulting since the variables being dealt with are very much indeterministic.

Sorry.. i was out of touch with blogging for a week now. I was busy at work.. was doing a couple of projects based in Phoenix..went there for a day (was extremely hot about 95 degrees). I also have been increasing my professional development by taking classes/seminars. I am making more marketing efforts to increase my billable work within my company. in all, i have been busy...

Another earthquake and 1100 (and counting) killed in algeria.... It is amazing how natural disasters kill so many people in underdeveloped countries and it is strange that the major research efforts for mitigation take place in developed countries. There should be more technology transfer...but then, how would the edge on high-end manufacturing be maintained by the former?

For all you unfortunate hungry people out there (including my un-married friends).. here is the food my wife cooked for me today:
1. Appetizers at 7.00p.m: chinese pot stickers with hot mustard

beer break

gym break

2. dinner: gobi parathas: hot bread with cauliflower and onion stuffing
3. desert: custard with mango, bananas and grapes and peaches

eat ur heart out people!!
I think she loved my chicken biryani which i cooked for her on saturday...and it was her way of saying 'Whos the better cook now mister??"

Lazing on a sunday afternoon -Queen
My wife and I just went to spend a realaxing afternoon at fisherman's wharf..it was great. We will top it off by watching the new X-men movie (X-2).

Watched the X-men movie.. wasnt as good as the 1st one..It was really long too. I think Matrix reloaded would be more exciting!

My wife loves to cook. Yes i know, I am a lucky guy. She actually works in the food and retail industry and makes the best food possible... indian, italian, chinese. She loves watching food network channel. As long as i get to sample all those mouth watering stuff, hey who am i to complain..?? (although i do wanna swtich back to the NBA game...)

what is big M?
I have heard this term bounced quite a bit nowdays. Here is a definition i picked up from somewhere:
Big M refers to manufacturing issues that go beyond the factory floor and extend throughout the enterprise -- along the supply chain, into information technology, finance, marketing and human resources, then out to customers, suppliers and the community at large.

About West-coast and other issues

One of my close relatives in the bay area just got laid off. He was supposed to be married in a month. He didnt even see it coming although he was given some signs a week before. Things continue to be grim in the tech world and bay area in general.. whihc brings me to the eternal question asked by people who land up in the bay area: whats up with the housing?? 50 year old musty houses selling for half a million. This is a grim situation.. i myself have been wrestling with the idea of buying a house, but all i can afford here is some dingy condo. I think southern california has some up coming areas in this respect. Can we safely say that northern california is MUCHO overrated??

nano-tech bite!!

I just read a few days ago about bio-sensors for automatic drug delivery. The basic idea is to have a integrated bio-chip implanted in a diabetic patient. This chip can monitor the sugar levels continously and whenever the levels are below the threshold, it would dispense required doses. This to me seems to be an amazing technology which has far reaching potential and benefits. These drug delivery nano-particles and integrated bio-sensors are going to define the new cutting edge of medicine in the 21st century. Lets watch out for more information in this area.

Is business school paying off recently?
recently a lot of people are discussing whether B-school is worth it. After all at most schools, you end up spending 100,000 in tuition/living expenses and lose over 2 years of pay.. then how could one recover this investment?

Well the truth is that each one of us have to take a risk. After all the biggest risk in life is not to take one. As cliche as this may sound, one need to really plan his/her career as best they can given their present condition. Just because your best buddy has done B-school and he is working at a glamorous boutique hedge fund firm is not really a reason. I truly believe that there are personality types which compliment specific careers. I for one, have discovered that my strengths lie in analytical and quantitative thinking. I love mathematics, simulation and modeling. I also like classical engineering concepts of design and testing. This is very typical of most engineers. Ah, but i am digressing. The truth is one should carefully chalk out their industry type vis-a-vis personality/aptitude and approach the B-school question. As one does that, the doubts melt away and one is left with a clear YES or a NO.

On another note, I just finished talking to a friend who lost his job and was contemplating B-school. I didnt agree with him on that. Laid off (as bad as it may be) is NOT a reason to go back to school.

I read Tad holbie's site today... pretty cool. Its weird that a lot of losers were fighting over his blogger on busnessweek forums... Do people have no lives... hey wait a minute i am reading all this crap too... hmmm!!

I created this website after seeing similar websites created by other individuals interested in MBA programs from top universities. I am an engineer with a graduate degree in applied mechanics. I work for a engineering consulting firm. I do all types of cool analysis stuff ranging from risk analysis, finite element modeling, product testing and so on. My work has been very challenging so far. I have, however, also had days when I was completely frustrated with some mundane task assigned to me which I ws doing only to keep up my utilization rate.

Two things happened very recently which made me realize that my education was far from complete. I always knew that my graduate work was lacking in teaching me about the business side of things: both operationally and financially. I had hoped that I would pick these up while working for a company. I was however, slightly dissapointed that in my consulting work, I was adding value to a client's minor headache(s) and screw-up(s) while not understanding the bigger picture at stake. I started to realize that in order to understand the way the total enterprise works..I needed to go back to school and get one of those MBA degrees!!

Ah.. but there was one more thing. Contrary to many engineers who go for MBA to switch careers, I am very interested in pursuing new product development and entrepreurship under the flagship of technology and basic engineering. Please do not asscoiate "high-tech" with software development and databases. I get amused when people perceive software companies as high-tech companies. Writing code could be someone's hobby but hardly a career (please no flames on this one!!) I refer to high-tech firms as those which are engaged in ground-breaking research: in materials, new products, artificial intelligence, embedded systems, and the like. I for one, have been bitten by the "nano"-bug. I started reading about this exciting technology on the web and some other introductory texts. I will write more about this aspect later. In short, I am interested in an MBA which gives me access to cutting-edge reserach as well as a world class business education.

My introductory statements make it obvious where i want to eventually apply: MIT SLOAN!! This webpage, which I have started a year and half before i actually apply is going to serve as a bouncing board for my own ideas and views on the whole application process. Oh one more thing, I am extremely interested in the leaders for manufacturing program at MIT Sloan as this seems to fit my career aspirations like a glove.

I just re-figured this whole blogg-ing thingy. I am bummed that i didnt do it sooner. I promise myself to write more....