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<title>USC MBA?</title>
<link>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/2/12/822557c09bf99111b1769d4f0411701d.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[Currently, thinking of attending USC's MBA school.  Now, of course much of this depends on my GMAT scores and funding, but at this rate, I'm going to begin looking at their IT management sector and see if it fits my career goals.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 12 Feb 2004 13:56:03 -0700</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/2/12/822557c09bf99111b1769d4f0411701d.html</guid>
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<title>Miss College</title>
<link>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/5/17/8aca3960e11c55b321f5700f040042bd.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[I never realized just how rewarding an experience college was.  Perhaps, I was just too ignorant (in more ways than one).  In my haste to get out into the "real" world, I left feeling a bit bitter.  However, right after graduating, I grew into a deep depression and fell into a state of paralysis, where I just couldn't do anything.  Part of the problem was that  I didn't know what to do.

Part of the problem was that I couldn't control what I wanted to do.

I find myself no different than now.  However, I think I would just focus more on my intellectual aspects and writing if I were to return.  Having the time to fulfill my curiousity about the world seemed easier in college.  These days I hardly have time to think (which is why I adapted my blog).

Still I miss the safety of being in a university, isolated from the problems of the real world and concerned with just the importance of my own life.]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 17 May 2004 21:52:44 -0600</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/5/17/8aca3960e11c55b321f5700f040042bd.html</guid>
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<title>Watch Out for Dorm Food</title>
<link>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/5/30/23d991bfbe5e870f0972e788113f8d9e.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[About 10 years after starting my first year in college, I realized something: college food is deadly!  Not the fact that my university provided salads and whatnot.  The problem was that at UCI everything was a buffet (well for those of us who lived in the dorms for extended periods of time).  It's always amusing when I show my Japanese friends my drivers license where my portrait was taken just prior to entering.  10 years later, most response was like, "What happened to you?"

Now, age is obviously one thing.  And metabolism another.  But probably the killer issue was the 5 years of dorm food at Pippins.  I didn't hate it the way some do.  In fact, I kinda miss it still.  The fact that you could eat anything in mass quantities and have a fair variety really contributed to my 40+ post high school pounds.

These days I battle against my youthful indiscretion of whimsical eating.  Whenever I pass by the good ol' yakiniku buffet place, I have to grind my nails because I feel like I can easily load up over there.  Even regular meals like bentou are dreadful because they contain high quantities of rice, which is starch and builds up in my body easily.  Sigh.  Thanks college for the memories (and weight!)]]></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 30 May 2004 17:04:28 -0600</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/5/30/23d991bfbe5e870f0972e788113f8d9e.html</guid>
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<item>
<title>Philosophical Talks</title>
<link>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/6/6/1d575625de4005f232ffebc9b492fca2.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[Last night I met a girl who was average.  Yet the talk we had was profound and reminded me of the time I was in the Middle Earth dorms my first year in college.  Quite often my roommate or hall mates and I would gather around the sofa and just talk about this or that all night.  It was great!  It was some of the most intellectually stimulating moments of my life.  I think it's a tragedy that I am no longer in that mode.  The thing that made it special and bonding was our age similarities and background.  We were very similar in those aspects, which gave rise to these conversations.

I wish that I had kept transcripts of those conversations to compare how I thought back then to now.  It would also be a boon to see how my long, lost college mates have done for themselves.]]></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 06 Jun 2004 18:14:53 -0600</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/6/6/1d575625de4005f232ffebc9b492fca2.html</guid>
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<title>Drop in CS Majors?</title>
<link>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/8/12/e57d9acf4342b41bb2d5fc2dad4ebd21.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[Just read an article that shows a study of how the number of computer science students have been dropping in the states.  It's interesting to note this as a professional because it implies several things.  First, the competition is going to be a lot lower since less professionals are going to have degrees or the right experience for upcoming computer related jobs.  Despite all the fears of outsourcing overseas, most companies with an IT related infrastructure will not be doing this in the near future.  Only the wealthiest and largest have the capacities to outsource at this level.  There's just too large of a risk in outsourcing overseas so I think small to middle sized companies will continue to hire locally.

As part of that, with less competition on the market that also means that the level of demand will go down in terms of the qualifications that these companies seek.  So rather than being nitpicky as the down years in the post-dotcom bubble, more IT related companies will be forced to undergo compromises in salaries and qualifications from their employees.  But for someone like me that has a good 5 years of experience tucked under his belt, this might be a good thing since i'll fit in a certain demographic....not too inexperienced, not too old and outdated.  The key to this will be to charge in and take control before the next wave of competitors can hit.

With people just graduating and scrounging for work, they'll be at the lowest totem pole despite any degree they'd have simply because they have no real experience to demonstrate their skills.  I think those that have 1-2 years will still be scraping if not having already given up for a "normal" day job.

Quite possibly this could imply the return of the consulting company.  As long as it's not a razorfish type of group, then I think this idea is quite viable as a decent business.  People holding between 4-8 years of experience will do quite well in the next 3-5 years as the last of the tech jobs dry up and cement people's positions as key players.  A friend of mine remarked how in the 60s-70s or so, the chemical plant industry might've been the same.  You get these Chemical Engineering Majors graduating and eating up high paying contract jobs and later ceiling positions at companies like Fluor Daniels as mid to top level managers.  After that era, people entering can be placed in a mediocre zone by comparison. IT in the dot com boom must be working the same way, with the early birds like Jerry Yang and company sealing the pinnacle.  So I think I can at least hit the mid level and survive that way.

The other thing in the article was that it mentioned how there's a certain fear from these universities of how less Phds, etc. are being handed out.  The upper degree of Phd was probably the hardest issue for them.  But the truth, imo, is that getting to that level requires extraordinary dedication.  Only the creme should be in that group.  From my viewpoint, it seemed that these people going after Phds were probably going for money.  With the drop in salaries and job market, this probably heavily discourages this.

However, what you have to remember is that these institutions are not really supposed to prepare people for the "real world."  They're gearing people for higher education.  That's probably why many students are/were having problems finding work when the dot com bust occurred.  Most were more involved more in theory oriented situations rather than real world problem solving arenas.  I've often heard complaints from Berkeley and Caltech students saying their schools didn't emphasize the software engineering and programming aspects enough.  Instead, they were more bent on the "overall" picture, something most companies/businesses don't give a shit about.  People who are interested in practical solutions are better off at a technical school like ITT, imo.

One possible consequence out of all of this might be the lower of resistance in school cultures that build up in certain companies.  I've noticed companies like Overture, etc. who seem to harvest Caltech and MIT types.  The danger in that route is that you're essentially hiring like-minded people.  That can be a timebomb for a company whose corporate culture is more business oriented.  I can see a place for those types, but in business you gotta remember the bottom line.  I've worked with those Caltech, Stanford theory types in the past.  My thing is that they always wanted to handle things in the most academic way possible.  As Chef from South Park had mentioned, "There's a time and place for everything.....and it's called College."  No kidding.

In that sense, more business minded programmers like myself might become in higher demand.  I'm not saying this through my own optimism.  But the truth is that with less academic people on the market and less qualified people overall, there needs to be people who understand the technical aspects and the business demands and can merge the two together.  This is where the real money will be made.]]></description>
<pubDate>Thu, 12 Aug 2004 22:20:59 -0600</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/8/12/e57d9acf4342b41bb2d5fc2dad4ebd21.html</guid>
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<title>MBA?  CS MS?  MFA?  GIT?</title>
<link>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/8/15/9b8be148c9c3ff109cd03e86fef4ffb6.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[Which one should I go for?  When I first started working out in Tokyo, I considered that I was going to grab an MBA after being in Japan for about 9 years (when my visa would expire and hopefully after a few promotions).  Obviously, that's not going to happen anymore.  So I'm beginning to look at more short term education plans since I'm returning to the states.

The big question though is: which one?  Although money is an issue, I think investing in education is critical.  I could go for a Cal State Master's degree in CS or an MBA as those programs are not expensive and generally seem decent.  The CS MS at some schools are not demanding so having one would be a formal way of saying that I have the experience AND the paper for the money I ought to be making.  However, I don't know if I want to go the pure CS route.  For intellectual satisfaction, a pure CS MS would be tremendous, but it's also costly and not something I would want to waste my money and time on.

Then there's MBAs.  At first, I wanted to attend USC's business school.  However, I saw the tuition and it's just insane.  If I had been able to live in Tokyo for 9 years, I'm certain that I would've made enough money AND probably got the company to pay for the education.  If I go back though, that price is just over my head, especially considering that I intend to fix my parents' home up.  So I looked at some Cal State programs for MBAs.  Some include specializations in IS (information systems) management.  That sounds quite appealing since I'll get the best of both worlds (the MBA and computers).  The cost isn't great but I'm would have to start preparing for the GMAT.

Of course, that deletes 2-3 more years off my normal life, even though many degrees offer courses for professionals.  But that really is the point since I'd be splitting my time between my career and education.  In those cases, I really prefer just being able to concentrate on one thing, so I would probably sacrifice the job.

So what about my dreams of an MFA?  My school of choice is Columbia University since they have a program that probably matches my mindset.  UCI has a reputable school, but the professors are into a different vision.  Iowa seems the same.  But Columbia has an interesting distinction not only academically, but also of its location.  Since I'm into urban sociology, being in a place like NY City would help inspire my writing just the way SF and Tokyo have.  

However, the MFA is really a LONG term thing which is more dependent on my pure scholastic satisfaction than anything else.  Then there's GIT.  Or I should say MIT.  Not the one in Boston.  The one in Hollywood.  Why there?  Well, I'm a guitar lover and one of the things I've always wanted to do was learn guitar.  But not just learn it, kill at it.  If I pick up a guitar, I should be able to play my insanity back and forth on the thing in the same manner as I write these blogs.  Although I have a certain understanding of my playing and the guitar, I'm never happy.  I don't know if GIT/MIT would satiate such a vacuous craving but it's one of those things that you never can let down.

So should I go back to school?  My whole driving force of being a professional was to reach Japan.  I've done that and am burnt out (although not all my goals are yet complete there).  But I've come to realize that work isn't nearly as satisfying as school.  Maybe it's my bad experiences.  However, I feel the lack of creative output as well as my growth as a person stigmify my life.  

Still though it'll be hard returning to a situation of scrounging rather than feeling confident that one's job handles most of my practical needs and wants.  So should I do it?]]></description>
<pubDate>Sun, 15 Aug 2004 23:03:14 -0600</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/8/15/9b8be148c9c3ff109cd03e86fef4ffb6.html</guid>
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<title>GMAT</title>
<link>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/8/30/8dd176384343143d25fb16e8a5180daf.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[Took a sample GMAT online the other day.  Man, I gotta brush up on my math.  I took a look at the essay portion and I'm pretty sure I can blow that out of the water without thinking.  However, the quantitative analysis portion killed me within a few seconds.  It's not even hardcore abstract math.  It's probably not more than first semester algebra 2 and geometry.  But I was pretty shocked at the type of questions that they asked or rather that I forgot so much.  Guess I better grab a few prep books before I dive into that one!]]></description>
<pubDate>Mon, 30 Aug 2004 03:19:04 -0600</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2004/8/30/8dd176384343143d25fb16e8a5180daf.html</guid>
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<item>
<title>Is College the answer?</title>
<link>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2005/1/25/a50a33a5639122a591e270f7da74cab0.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[For my life.  I prefer the academic scene to the work scene as there seems to be less politics at play.  Not to mention I find learning to be far more rewarding than being a slave (although you are in essence a slave to debt as universities has a penchant for ripping your life away from you).  Nonetheless, if I do return to academia someday, the big question is what.

I have a few options.  One is to return in two years and see if i can complete an infomatics degree at UCI.  Another is to take a similar route and get an MBA with an emphasis on information systems.  Or maybe just focus on a general MBA in case I decide that finance is the best route.  Then there's the other spectrum with the humanities/liberal arts path.  I mentioned MFAs, music and perhaps even considered something like critical theory or cultural analysis.

However, perhaps what I'm looking for is not the exact academic setting but the access to the same level of information and people.  Kind of an enhanced version of the classroom, post-university.  Having a professor guide you is nice, but truthfully their vision is clouded by their specialty field.  What I think might be more interesting is an arena of free flowing ideas that will allow us to trade concepts to produce or advance our knowledge.

I'm a little suspicious of academics because people are locked away from the real world in books.  But if you can combine that setting with pragmaticism and real life experience, then there's a better basis without falling into the trap of trying to prove yourself and the whole formalism associated with academia.]]></description>
<pubDate>Tue, 25 Jan 2005 11:03:25 -0700</pubDate>
<guid>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2005/1/25/a50a33a5639122a591e270f7da74cab0.html</guid>
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<title>interesting article on the decreasing rate of engineers</title>
<link>http://www.keithwatanabe.net/blogs/2005/9/28/d313ac5274dccfc0e4cc9586cb5e3a75.html</link>
<description><![CDATA[there's an interesting <a href="http://www.techcentralstation.com/092105B.html">article</a> on the decreasing number of engineers in the states.  this article, while personal, does point out a huge problem in academia especially with regards to engineering: the elitist mentality.  

the interesting part is that this person claims to have been quite competent at math and science so entering into this field was shocking as he couldn't cope.  the problem was communication and environment.  but let me put things into blunter terms: engineers/scientists are assholes.  

okay not all of course.  but on average, to have the ability to enter in this field, you have to have a penchant for indescribable weirdness and lacking something that makes one more human (look at Dana Sculley from the X-files).  i work in IT and i find the average person to suck.  they're missing a human element; it generally is communication.  but that same missing element also makes them more competitive.  more selfish. the googles and M$ arise in this world from these types who are willing to sacrifice normality for some other belief system.

now to turn the tables how does someone like myself fit into this picture?  well, honestly, i don't really compare.  my motivation in IT has been that i enjoy building things.  it happens that i'm just good enough as a programmer where i can do the same thing for my profession.  honestly though i dislike many of the personalities involved in this profession because they end up being very difficult.  given a choice between having nothing but smart people for my team who are jerks and some average joes that are nice, guess which one i'd pick?]]></description>
<pubDate>Wed, 28 Sep 2005 00:37:43 -0600</pubDate>
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