Tonight I saw someone with a shirt that read:
Y_U AR_ AN ID_OT
Want to buy a vowel?
My only thought was: I'm guessing you want to buy a vowel, as you obviously don't understand the mechanics of revealing letters in Wheel of Fortune.
The website's custom error pages are now working and complete with at least a small level of snark! They used to work, but apparently my .htaccess file got overwritten a while back and I didn't notice. Grr. Anyhow, if you're curious:
Other than that, I'm up in Boston for the weekend. Planning to have dinner with friends, play some board games, and generally relax.
Email today:
On 11/10/2010 14:19, [Redacted] wrote:Hello, this is [Redacted]. Before I tell you what I want to accomplish in this e-mail, let me tell you exactly what I have been up to, and who I work for. I just graduated from Bucknell University with a degree in accounting, and I’ve been working with Mass Mutual. As you may/may not know, Mass Mutual provides products like life insurance, disability income insurance, long term care insurance, retirement/401k plan services and annuities. I was wondering if I could sit down with you and introduce myself, spend about 15-20 minutes with you, get to know you, and possibly get a quick idea of what your possible interests are both now and in the future in the insurance area, investment area, pension or whatever you are thinking about. Let me know if you are willing to meet. Any advice or referrals would be greatly appreciated.
Thank you,
[Redacted]
My Reply:
[Redacted],
My insurance and financial needs are well met. I would very much appreciate it if you do not contact me with offers as below.
I should preface this by saying that I do not mean to castigate, but rather hope to help you understand that despite any likely minimal short-term benefits to trolling an alumni list for potential clients it is likely to burn bridges, which will affect you in the long run. I, presumably like most of the other Bucknellians you emailed, am happy to hear from recent alums, to share my limited wisdom and experiences, and to help you in most any way that I can. This does not, however, extend to becoming a cold-call (well, email) client. I work in the city and am proselytized constantly both during my commute and at home. I do not give them the time of day, and our shared alma mater is the other thing saving you from the same fate. Alumni are there to help you with your career, not with your job. This is potentially problematic for you in that people tend to have a long memory, and are unlikely to respond well to future requests for networking from someone who once tried to displace their highly competent and well-paid financial adviser. (For instance, Larry Breakiron - who donated the Breakiron building - lives in Greenwich. I assure you, his adviser is well entrenched.)
That said, let me tell you a little about myself in the hopes that I can be of some use along the lines of what alumni lists are for - networking. I graduated from Bucknell in 2005 with a BS in Computer Science. I moved to MN and worked for a medical imaging company for two years before going to law school. I graduated in May, recently passed both the NY and MA bars, and am now working in the city as a lawyer practicing in patent litigation. I know how bad the market is right now - the firm I was planning to start at closed down suddenly in March and I had to scramble to find a job. I got my job through networking - they weren't even looking to hire at the time. I started at one a little over a month ago and many, many of my good friends are still looking. If there is anything I can do to help your career (not your job!), please do not hesitate to get in touch. If, for instance, you are considering law school I would be happy to grab a coffee and discuss it as an option.
Finally, I should note that some good may come of this mess. I presume that I am not the only person to receive your message below, and also that I am not the only one to (respectfully) respond. Each such response is an opportunity - don't squander it. Rather than spamming an apology to everyone on the original list, reply to anyone whose email looks like mine and see what they do and if you are interested in it. Who knows, you might land an analyst position out of a few easy conversations. If all else fails, you're out the cost of a few cups of coffee and have people who might be able to help your career down the line.
Wishing you the best,
Matt Berntsen '05
Continuing from the last post, new things:
- I passed both the MA and NY bars. I have posted a copy of my bar crib notes here.
- My website is back up. I had taken it down for a little while to retool some things. Notably, I've updated the photo gallery system to the current version, created a navbar across the top and done a few other cosmetic/backend tweaks.
Much has happened since I last posted. This is in part because things have moved very quickly and in part because I don't post with any frequency whatsoever. So, to summarize:
1. I have employ. I'm working at a small IP firm in NYC called Ward & Olivo and focusing on patent litigation. It's a very small office, and I enjoy both the work and my coworkers.
2. I passed the MA bar. NY comes out at some point in November.
3. I (perhaps obviously) moved to the NY suburbs, and will soon be making a move into the city. The commute is doable but brutal.
4. My website is currently down for repairs. I've actually been making progress recently - I just have one more thing to tweak and then it'll be back up. Woohoo!
The bar exam is over. Those five simple words can't really mean much unless one has observed the misery that is the bar.
Fortunately for me, it's done. And, hopefully, I never have to take it again. (I find out in November.)
Until then, back to being human once again.
I was driving home today on the motorcycle and had the 'pleasure' of finding out firsthand the you can actually do a reverse wheelie at 20MPH, and without too much effort.
I was heading toward a stoplight where traffic splits into two lanes. As the second lane started to open I pulled in and started slowing. Then a woman in a car in front of me cut right and rolled up to the stop light. I slammed on the brake and pulled in the clutch, and, everything being rather sudden, hopped the rear wheel. Twice. When I looked up, the woman was completely oblivious to me and still fiddling with her radio.
The moral of the story: USE YOUR MIRRORS.
A few things have happened in recent history. Bitsy finished her last qualifying exam today (keep fingers crossed; results in ~2 weeks), and I've gotten some bites on the job side. In fact, I'm waiting on a response after a full day of interviews earlier this week. I think it went well, and I'm quite hopeful. Time will tell.
Yesterday was my last class-related law school commitment. Ever. Graduation is in just over a week, and then it's a summer of BAR-BRI followed by bar exams at the end of July. Still working on what'll happen after the bar.
My law school classes are over forever, and I'm now in the middle of finals period. I have two papers to finish and a deposition to take. The latter will by far be the most time-consuming and involved.
I've been reflecting, though: the end of the semester is really the end of law school; graduation is just a formality. Further, graduation is really a false terminus, as we almost immediately start studying for the bar, and many of us are doing so on campus. I guess in this case it's just not a clean break from legal education to practice/work.