Table Of Contents - Academic Calendar: Fill & Download for Free

The “fresher vs work-ex” debate wrt to MBA is an old one. And frankly, there is no one correct answer. Both the set of choices have their inherent advantages and disadvantages.A. When “fresh”ness beats experienceAcademic predisposition: It’s easy for straight-out-of-grad-school candidates to get acclimatized to the academic rigor of B-schools since that is what their lives have been for the past 4–6 years. On the other hand, people who’d strayed away from academic for half a decade need more time to get into the groove of classes, quizzes, assignments, and examinations.Higher risk-taking ability: Experienced folks would tend to have a certain set of responsibilities. They are at that stage where they are either married or planning to, with kids or planning to, already applied for home loan or planning to, and so on. All of these commitments would mean that there is an extra constraint they need to keep in mind when making any career choices. They might have to forego job content and growth potential in favor of financial security.Unbiased-ness: Having not been indoctrinated into any particular way of thinking (yet), freshers usually are able to think about a problem statement from multiple viewpoints, adding something “out of the box” to the discussion, due to lack of any innate prejudices.Open-ness: While I was completing my MBA, I was more open to trying out different profiles. I did my intern as an investment banker. I would have been equally happy with a consulting or marketing stint. And I am currently in a product management and strategy role. During the 2nd year, when all subjects are optional (electives), I filled up my time-table with a wide range of courses, while the experienced ones usually stuck to a more homogeneous academic calendar.Wider range of options: Continuing from the point above, I had the advantage of applying to any profile without whereas the folks on the other side would usually be grilled if they plan to switch career paths.Soft-reset: On the topic of trying out a newer career path, experienced folks who do it usually get the short end of the stick, as their previous work-experience is not counted as relevant and they are usually offered the same role (in terms of seniority) as their younger counterparts. In some cases, you might be able to negotiate for a better starting point, but it will definitely not be worth their total experience.B. And the other way roundClarity of thought: People who have already worked for a few years prior to pursuing their business administration degree know what is expected from a working professional. They are also more sure of what they want to achieve from the program, more informed of the repercussions of their choices. The ones starting with a blank slate would be investing time in trying out new things, while their wiser counterparts, being crystal clear about their goals, would have already started on channelizing their efforts.The theory-practice linkage: Having experienced the other side, industry-experienced candidates can better link what is being taught in the classrooms to the kind of professional situations one can hope to encounter. There are a lot of things that can’t be taught with slides, a greenboard, and textbooks.Grounded in reality: The Ben Kenobis of the MBA batch usually have a less idealistic view of the world, both within and out of the campus gates. They have seen both the light and the dark side. The younger padawans, i.e. the Skywalkers, are oft prone to being over-excited, trying to classify everything as one or zero, good or evil, yes or no. The masters know that not every pursuit would be successful, and understand the value of patience and perseverance. While the are usually over-eager to master the force, trying to get everything done as soon as possible, without truly closing their eyes and delving deep.

It depends on the publication how soon the edition is published.Often, the publication is open for submissions to a given date. Then the editors decide what will be published, consolidate it in a publishable form, proof read it, put it online, or discuss with a printing press how many to produce, then work with a distributor or mail service to deliver to their subscribers or preorders, assuming they have the budget.In judging a contest with two other editors, it took us about two weeks to read through four hundred entries and select a set of winners.I worked with a print press on a project and it took about a week to get together two hundred copies, with a color cover and black and white content. The process is longer if the binding isn't just staples.I worked with an artist on a having an illustration made from a concept and that took over a month.Compiling a subject index takes a week, and a table of contents can take similar or longer for one person, much longer if debated.Building a loadable entry to Amazon can take a month, I don't know how long it takes to get a correct load, but then it takes several days for Amazon to process and release it.The ISBN # order has a delay, too.Every publication has there own publication calendar — some daily, some monthly, some quarterly, some twice yearly, etc. That is there way of estimating the time to release, promote and recover from publishing tasks.

Books contain brilliantly organized words and sentences that strategically portray the knowledge that has been accumulating in the author's brain for years, decades, and even an entire lifetime.This means you can essentially learn in a week, what it took this person a lifetime to learn. This concept is simply astonishing to me.Even more astonishing is the small number of people who read more than one book per year.Knowledge is power. Better yet, action on knowledge is power, so why wouldn't you read all the time!?Warren Buffet dedicates 80% of his day to it, and some might say he's fairly successful....If you read about 45 minutes per day you can finish roughly 50 books a year. Most people only finish 1 or 2. Could you imagine how your brain would work if after reading 50 books?!This is what separates the CEO's from the employees. This is what create millionaires and billionaires. It creates influential people who can cause positive change in the world.So how do we get passed the 'boring,' or 'hard' excuse and make it a real habit?1 | Pick the right books"But how will I know if it's the right book if I haven't read it...?"You won't. But, don't pick a romance novel if you are trying to learn about business. Stay in your wheelhouse.One strategy you may adopt is scanning the book before you purchase. Here is what I do:I will have a general topic I want to learn about.I'll walk into a bookstore and pick out 5-10 books that jump out at me that fall within that topic.I will take about an hour to scan each book in a nice, comfortable setting.I will read the front and back covers, the author bio, the summary, etc.Then, I'll read the table of contents.I then read the first and last page of every chapter as this is typically where they summarize the main points of each chapter.Typically, about halfway through this process, I will know whether or not I want to read that book.You can perform the same process when shopping online, but I recommend you go to a nearby bookstore so you aren’t distracted by other things on the internet. Reviews can also say a lot about a book, so do your research!2 | Schedule itAllot for reading time on your calendar. Whether it's 30 minutes before bed, first thing in the morning, or small increments of 10 minutes throughout the day.If it's on your schedule, you'll be far more likely to pick it up and read it.3 | Cue YourselfIn order to build a habit, you need to have a cue that starts the habit loop. For me, this is seeing the book on my bed when I get home (typically around 8 pm).Since reading is a part of my nightly routine, this cues me to read since I have to pick up the book to get into bed.4 | Create the right environmentEstablish your reading station. Such as your bed or a nice chair by the fireplace. Sometimes things, like lighting a candle or turning on your essential oils diffuser, may give you smells and feelings that get you in the mood for reading.This can also play a part as a cue to begin the habit loop. Try to be consistent.5 | Start with oneWe all have those long, stressful days where we come home and plop down on the couch or bed to engage in mindless activities. The last thing we want to do is exert any brain power towards reading.This can throw you off your routine and remove any momentum you might have with your reading habit.I challenge you to read one page no matter what. That’s it! I know this sounds silly, but just like going to the gym, if you get yourself there, typically the rest takes care of itself and you end up having a great workout or read.Very rarely will you stop after one page…6 | Mark it upEngaging in your reading by highlighting, underlining, circling and dog-earing, helps you retain the information and become excited about reading/learning more.This also makes it easy for referring back to down the road. Re-reading books is something we should all adopt as we only retain a small percentage of information from each book we read. This information tends to diminish over time as we forget to apply it or keep it in the forefront of our consciousness.Re-reading books or going through what you've highlighted can help jog your memory so you can apply this knowledge to your life.7 | Bring it with youIf you have downtime throughout the day, why not read?! Take your book with you and read it during lunch or when you are on the train/bus etc.Simple rule of thumb: Read 5 pages per day no matter what.Reading has an extremely high return on investment. Make it a priority.Thanks,Miles