The New Name

I started another post, got sidetracked and decided to finish it later. It became so much more complicated than what I had originally intended. I'm waiting for my sudo Monte Carlo analysis to run, which means that I can't touch Excel for the 2-5 minutes or however long the program decides it needs to finish my 1100 iterations. In that short break, I popped open my email and as I scanned the Gmail headers of to and from, I noticed something that made me laugh - the new last name.

Most people immediately change their name on FB when they get married. I have definitely had a couple of double takes, thinking WHO IS ....? Oh yeah. That's their new name. Needless to say, I didn't. There was no real reason why I should or shouldn't and it just seemed like a lot of work after planning a wedding.

I received my new social security card recently and subsequently all the questions started flowing. What should the signature look like? Am I going to remember to respond when people call me using my new last name? Is work going to be able to do a clean sweep when they change over my name? (My current email and login are associated with my old last name!) I have had the same name for 30 years and now I have to remember a new name. That said, I never had a middle name and subsequently, I've just moved around some things so that now I have the longest name ever! While I do think there's something said for not going through the name change process. I also think there's an element of traditionalism that I like about the change. I know that addressing invites to people with different last names was an interesting.

I suppose I should get used to seeing the new name! DMV on Nov 1 to change my license. Then it's onto everything else.

Honesty?

This post was written many months ago:

You are a second year and the harsh reality is that for one reason or another, you did not land your initial dream job during the general on-grounds recruiting process. The search is not over and while there are still jobs being posted internally, it does not feel the same as having companies interview in campus. All of a sudden your world shifts, so you are investigating companies you almost didn't know existed two months ago. Per the usual dog and pony, you reach out to alums, looking for vision, insight, and most importantly, an inside track.

As an alum, this is where I'm put into a predicament. My company recruited for most-MBA positions and has already completed offers. The harsh reality is that what's left are general company positions, looking for some sort of specific experience. If you have it, great. If you don't, I'm not sure what to tell you. Is it my place to tell you not to waste your time? Is this something that I would have wanted to hear as a candidate? Or do I offer to help the best that I can because I do believe in my alma mater and the alumni or future alumni? It's hard because you don't want to kill the dreams of those looking for a future. However, I know how much I desprise writing cover letters and I have to imagine others feel the same.

The fact that you didn't initially receive an offer does not concern me. I have plenty of talented classmates who for one reason or another were still loooking for positions after graduation. Some people don't interview well. Some are simply found on the short end of the stick. Whatever the reason, I just wonder what my place is.