Warning: potential useless advice ahead

[disclaimer: I had a chat with Anand the other night, and some stuff we talked about sparked the below. Sorry, Anand, I'm hijacking our chat for my blog!]

What do you want to be when you grow up? When I grew up people asked me that over and over again. I've reached the ripe old age of my late twenties and I still don't know. Not exactly that is. One of the things that an MBA forces you to think about is what you want to do with that precious knowledge and network the minute you graduate. If you're like me, and didn't have much of a clue, maybe this'll help.
Think of your dream job. The one job (or several if that's your thing) you'd like to do if there were no constraints. Zoo-owner? Partner at a big four consultancy firm? Investment banker? Set up and manage your own widget-making company? Astronaut? Bee-keeper? Remember: it can be anything. As long as it's YOUR dream, not someone elses. DO not think about the practical details when dreaming, just let your thoughts go. Scribble every thought down. Think back to your childhood, what did you want to do when you were growing up? What things do you like to do that make you forget everything around you? And remember that you've got plenty of time left, there might be more than one thing you'd like to do to make a living.

Secondly, determine how much you want this job. Investigate the job. What does it entail? If at all possible, talk to people who are doing it. Read about it. Do you like it enough to make a real effort? Enough for you to want to be doing it for free if you'd have to? If not, then it might be worthwile to look for a job you'd like that'll pay for the bills and keep your dream job as a hobby. Nothing wrong with that. In fact, some people make the mistake of wanting their dream to come true, only to find out that it's not for them. A bit of snooping around should help you figure it out.

Thirdly, if you've determined that your dream job is still your dream job, start making a plan. To make it more real, write it down. Start with where you are now, and where you want to be. What's the gap between the two? What skills do you need in order for you to be able to be good at your dream job? Read books, scour the web for information, talk to people you know in the field you want to enter into. What jobs or roles will give you the skills you need? Will an MBA help? What elective courses in an MBA will help you? Other courses you want to consider? Volunteering opportunities that you can get engaged in to gain some experience?

Lastly: get your ass in gear. This is the time to stop dreaming and start doing something about making your dreams come true. Take action. And remember to enjoy the ride!

If you've decided that an MBA is the way to go, then there's some really useful advice on Simba's blog and Flatpoint's blog.

On a completely different note, The Sunday Times ran a great article last weekend, called Nouveau Rude. The author makes a really good point, about the new rudeness that seems to be popping up left right and centre. She describes her annoyance at a woman blocking the street in her badly parked 4WD, then barging past me to grab her organic-food fix, bruising a display of tomatoes with her suitcase-sized handbag in the process. Hilarious and horrifying at the same time.

Last but not least, I just want to mention the chat transcript database at Accepted.com, which includes this recent chat with LBS adcom and students. They are one of the best resources on the net for finding out the nitty gritty about schools.

[edit number 1: Helpful as always, Dave has put up some really useful advice up on his blog, this time especially geared at those who are applying for MBA2008.]