Jay-Walking through the mayhem

Its been a ridiculously long time since I have posted a message, partly due to my laziness, and partly being overwhelmed with being back in school. Life here has been intense to say the least. Recruiting is like being led into war, you begin by feeling like a prize fighter, only to realize you stand on the front line and are probably being hired to take a bullet.

Ok well maybe I am exaggerating things a little, school has been such an educational experienc, and not only because of the classes or the recruiting events, but because of the lessons learnt through self introspection. It has been 3 months of turmoil and uncertainty which have led me to realize that all I need to do is hang back and do things the way I know best. There is an overwhelming urge to rely on the opinions of few, but the best strategy is certainly to collect as many biases as you can and then taking the time to form your own (something one of the recruiters told me)

It is amazing to see what uncertainty can do to a person. However, at the risk of sounding arrogant, it has been amazing to see how far you can leverage yourself by just being comfortable with who you are. Some of the simplest things in life are taken for granted by so many… we may be mere wrinkles on the tides of time and while, but invariably the simplest of answers are the most genuine and noticeable.

I have always endorsed applying to business school early and a quarter of school later, i feel even more convinced. When I first began this quarter, I was, admittedly quite overwhelmed by the calibre of the people I was surrounded by, not out of jealousy but more out of an uncertainty of whether I truly deserved to be here. But through the course of these post few months one thing I have realized is that I am at an institution that recognizes strengths and helps you build on potential (I cannot say all schools are like this with certainty but hope most strive to be as such). There have been numerous instances, through school and recruiting I have found myself up against a wall. What has to me stood out the most has been my own resilience to want to fight back. I have met people (more than what I had expected to), with whom I can connect with and who have provided me their candid and frank advice from time to time. Having people critique you with sincerity is essential, in recognizing where you need to grow. It has truly been invaluable, so much so that I feel there is so much more to learn and do.

As our First Quarter ended and recruiting for investment banking enters the final stages, i feel like it has all gone by in the blink of an eye. As the second quarter begins I have a certain anxiousness as to whether, I have actually learnt anything, which leads me to question whether I have it in me to achieve all that I have set out for or am I setting myself up for my eventual downfall. I guess I don’t really have the answers but I feel I need to put back the side blinders back on and look straight ahead till I reach some semblance of a finish line, before I speculate on the rights and wrongs.
I wish everyone the best through recruiting.