Smartest Fools In the Room

I just finished watching the Enron documentary, "The Smartest Guys in the Room" last night in my business law class. All throughout my business career here at UCONN, my classes have just touched upon the Enron scandal, usually in order to connect it to the implementation of Sarbanes Oxley in the business world. However, the movie really brought to light just how diabolical and devastating the actions of a few top executives were. And frankly, I was disgusted. I was disgusted by Jeff Skilling's public speeches in which he wrongfully portrayed Enron as having substantial profits that just weren't there in order to boost its stock price. I was disgusted by his shady attempts to defend his position during the scandal. And I was disgusted by Kenneth Lay's public attempts to seem completely unaware of what was going on, even though he was the owner of the company! This video makes me wonder about how much fraud is going on in the business world, and although efforts have been put in place to stop it, I'm sure it still exists. After realizing all the damage Enron's executives had done to its workers and investors, I know that wherever I end up in the workplace, I know that I will make every decisions with ethics and this movie in the back of my mind.

I Know It's Not This

I Know It's Not This

"I don't know what I want to do. But I know it's not this." Julie Jansen's message (which is also the title of her famous book) hit home with me last week. Her motivational speech made a bigger impact on me than I expected it would during last week's management class. Yes, it's true. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the rest of my life. But her point is clear; realize what you DON'T want to do with the rest of your life. And I'm quite sure I don't want to work in business. I know, I know. Why did I choose to be a finance major then? Good question. Of course, it provided a career path that was reliable and potentially lucrative. But it all just doesn't feel right to me: the classes, the job interviews, the companies. I need to choose a career that gives me satisfaction; one that is rewarding. And thanks to Julie, "I know it's not this."

Making a Change

I stood and watched by the fourth-floor UCONN library window as hundreds of students rioted in celebration of Barack Obama's presidential victory. Their dances and cheers were expressions of their expectations for change; a change that they believe Barack Obama will make for our country. They believe that his presidency will have a significant positive impact on their lives. And so, watching the riot helped me verify my desire to choose a career path in which I also have a positive impact on the lives of other people. Do I need people jumping up and down in the streets over me? It would be nice. But just having a job in which people depend on me in order to live their lives the way they would like would be enough. I want to feel useful. These are some of the reasons why I have chosen to enter the medical field. Whether I make it to medical school or decide to become a physician's assistant, I believe that I will achieve the amount of job satisfaction that I am looking for in the workplace.