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Thursday, May 30, 2013

Best Advice for Recent (and Not-So-Recent) Graduates




Best Advice for Recent (and Not-So-Recent) Graduates


By Marisa Wong 


It’s that time of the year when “Pomp and Circumstance” fills the air and the excitement of new things to come makes us all a bit giddy. Whether you’re in the Class of 2013 or not, graduation season lets us reflect on life’s greatest lessons, ambitions and advice. What would you impart on those embarking on this new stage of life? LinkedIn’s Influencers have offered their words of wisdom for recent graduates. There’s no shortage of insight on SlideShare, too. Here are a few of our favorite guides for graduates. Be sure to share yours, as well!

Writer and designer Sarah Peck provides inspiration to overcome fears, persist in what you love and make that big plunge. Among her words of wisdom: “Abhor complacency, reject mediocre, deny regular.”

“The Start-up of You” author and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman delves into navigating three critical components of a successful career: competition, networks and risk.
From pursuing your passions to learning how to listen, Likeable Media CEO Dave Kerpen provides his 15 tips for a successful and fulfilling life.
What do the experts wish they had known when they were younger? SAP social strategist Todd Wilms shares his top 10 lessons learned. #1: Focus straight ahead.
Congratulations to the Class of 2013!
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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

The Tao: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavior Therapy 05-30


The Tao: Mindfulness-Based Cognitive-Behavior Therapy

By Jenny C. Yip, Psy.D.

All things in the world come from being. And being comes from non-being.
–Lao Tzu

Tao, Jenny Yip, Mindfulness, Cognitive-Based Therapy

This is the essence of what we have come to know today as mindfulness. Learning to let go and be without thought, without judgment, without mind.

How do you let go? 

By being in the present moment. For many of us, that is easier said than done. Instead, we waste our time either ruminating over past mistakes or worrying about future catastrophes. 

We can’t change the past. So why live in it? 

There are no guarantees for the future. So why jump to conclusions?

 Of course it is intelligent to plan for the future. It is also smart to learn from our past mistakes. 

However, it is irrational to worry about that over which we have no control – e.g., the past and the future.

Living in the “now” allows us to be present, mindful, and experience the passing of time. 

Whatever emotion or thought you are experiencing, whether positive or negative, over time, has to pass. The moment you read these words has just passed. 

Try to hold onto it… you can’t. The moment you read THESE words has passed again. And so on and so forth. This is what is meant by “This too shall pass.” 

Every moment is moving toward the next moment. Being present in THIS moment as it occurs leads to mindfulness.

In Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (CBT), this is coined the “process of habituation.” The passage of time allows our triggered fight-or-flight response to exhaust itself.

Remember that classic saber tooth example? How long do you think your motors can keep you running or fighting? Until exhaustion or, as we call it in CBT, habituation occurs. Or until you become the saber tooth’s lunch. Whichever comes first.

So, if you are feeling anxious with fearful thoughts, this will pass.

 Similarly, if you are feeling joy with happy thoughts, this too will pass.

 Whatever it is, it has to pass. No one thing can ever be static. Everything evolves and passes. And time cannot be recycled. How do you attain mindfulness? 

There is no definitive “achievement” of mindfulness, especially when the essence of it is to empty your mind. Mindfulness is just a state of being.

Unfortunately, when dealing with anxiety, the worry and fear along with all of the other uncertainties keep you either in the past or the future, and this has a domino effect. One negative thought typically triggers another and another and yet another. And more often than not, these negative thoughts consist of cognitive distortions in various forms. Before you realize it, your mind is spiraling into a tornado of irrational thoughts. 

Because mindfulness requires you to be in the present, it allows you the opportunity to quickly identify these negative thoughts.

Imagine having the ability to stop a distorted thought in its track before it spirals out of control. Being aware of these mental connections allows you to interrupt negative thought cycles. The goal is to identify the cognitive distortions and revalue them to represent reality accurately.

 So when you are feeling anxious, instead of getting caught up in those negative thoughts of the past or future, just stay with the present moment. Rather than giving more meaning to the distorted thought than what it’s worth or appraising the unnecessary emotion with more value than it has, focus on the now to let time pass and habituation occur.

In my practice, there are a number of mindfulness methods I’ve integrated with traditional CBT. In the essence of time, I will review a few of the most concrete ones here:

Being mindful of the 5 senses: First and foremost, in beginning mindfulness meditations, I instruct clients to imagine viewing themselves from a bird’s eye perspective. The emphasis is to be mindful of each of the 5 senses (visual, auditory, olfactory, taste, tactile) individually, until the client is able to incorporate all 5 senses together.

 Many clients beginning mindfulness practice falsely believe that mindfulness meditation is a relaxing technique where your mind is free to wander off to Never Never Land. Unlike this popular belief, it actually takes concerted effort to empty your mind, and allow your 5 senses to absorb your surroundings thereby keeping you in the present. 

Try to take 60 seconds for a super quick mindfulness meditation, and you’ll realize just how easily your mind enjoys wandering off to another world. To assist in this training, clients are also instructed to practice mindfulness eating and mindfulness walking. The goal is to engage slowly in only one activity at a time, while being mindful of all 5 senses in the process.

Narrative writing: Narrative writing is a very powerful mindfulness training that incorporates the process of exposures. This exercise requires clients to write about their most feared situations. Exposures via writing require the highest level of cognitive functioning. 

Unlike visual or auditory processing which comes and goes, when we write, we make a concerted effort to mindfully process our thoughts before externalizing them onto paper. This is infinitely more effective. 

Even if a client exposes to a feared situation in vivo, s/he can avoid or escape the anxiety-provoking situation mentally. However, it takes much more effort to avoid when you have to be cognitive and mindful as you are writing.

 To increase mindfulness, the rules of narrative writing include:

1) staying in the present moment by using present tense;

2) using active versus passive verbs;

3) being as descriptive and detailed as possible.

The client is instructed to continue the narrative writing exposure and stay in the moment with whatever emotions or thoughts arise until habituation occurs.

The “oh well” approach: Finally, the “oh well” method encourages us to let go of those situations that are outside of our control which, I must say, occur more often than not. Certainty and control give us a false sense of security. 

Not only do we not have control over people, objects, and situations outside of ourselves, the truth of the matter is that we do not even have direct control over our own emotions or what thoughts enter and exit our minds. We only have control over our behaviors, which include our actions and reactions to those thoughts and emotions.

 If we are mindful of this fact and accept it, then we will not have a need to control those areas outside of our behaviors, and we will be able to let go of situations outside of our control. So, the next time you are stuck in traffic, “oh well” it since there is really nothing you can do in that very moment. 

Rather than working up a frenzy of one negative thought after another, just breathe and empty your mind. Let’s face it, those negative thoughts aren’t doing your mind or body any good anyways.

Mindfulness as Nutrient 05-30

Mindfulness as Nutrient

Psychalive



By Diane Renz, L.P.C.
It seems that all we hear about lately relative to health and healing is, ‘Mindfulness this and Mindfulness-based that’

Along with this wave of ideas on Mindfulness come too many misperceptions. As if mindfulness were a product for purchase, that once we own, will make us better. 

I fear that the word itself, in its overuse, leads to the rolling of eyes, “oh no, not that again!”, or an over consumption of its superficial application. It takes a lot of courage to be mindful, not easy this seemingly simple awareness of right now, as it is difficult for us to set down our reflexive judgments that push away what we don’t want, or pull toward us what is known and brings confirmation. 

Mindfulness asks us to show up and fully experience what is occurring in the immediacy of this moment, with a simultaneous ability to observe with open curiosity. That means sensing it all, in mind, in heart, and in body. Ah, now we get to the gritty engagement of actually feeling. Otherwise mindfulness just becomes a great concept in search of a body.

Mindful eating is a great “practice” and eventual consistent capability, which helps teach us how to return to the present through this very sensory experience of consuming our food. Quite frankly, if we check ourselves, we might find that we are the one ingredient gone missing at the table!

 Have you ever had the experience during a meal of reaching for another bite but finding your plate empty and wondering who ate your food?

 How about feeling so speedy that you find the act of chewing to be irritating? 

There is no time for all this chewing, there are places to go and people to see!  Then there is the classic American style, “Big Gulp”, more is better, leading to our over consumption and an inability to know when we are satiated, and then on to the incessant over-eating/dieting loop.

So how can ‘Mindful Eating’ help? 

 Simply, it guides us back to a quality of awareness which reconnects us to our body and its real needs; we can know when we are hungry, what types of food we need, and when we have eaten enough.

 Direct sensory awareness brings us here, not dulled down in our conceptual knowing that says, ‘been there done that, I know this food because I have had it before’. No, you have never had this before, on this particular day, in this particular moment, and moreover, it will never be like this again. 

Now, this attitude can bring forward a new kind of aliveness, preventing our “sleep-eating”, which leads to unconscious consumption and disconnection creating dis-ease and lack of vitality. 

This is not the typical awareness of, “I know what I should be eating”, and all the external concepts of what is/is not healthy, or the internal attacks about weight and lack of will. Not the limited awareness of immediate pleasure at the cost of a larger value.

 It is a kind awareness, not harsh and attacking, but a gentle re-membering of what it feels like to be in a body, to sense its continual generative capacity, to create a relationship to it which gives an affectionate attention, appreciating and accepting it as it is and attuning to what it needs.

 Moreover, mindfulness is an awareness which attunes us to our heart, and what it needs, thereby freeing us to learn how to eat to live, rather than live to eat; eating relative to supplying vital nutrients to sustain good physiological functioning, not eating to soothe or disconnect from being here.

Mindfulness becomes the first necessary nutrient by creating a conducive environment for receiving what is good. Its like tilling the soil to soften and stimulate its richness which then offers the elements for full growth of the seeds planted. Health can’t be found in a particular diet or supplement.

 I have counseled many people caught in fear and rigidity about perfectly eating to create the perfect body or the perfect health. The quality of relationship to Self, to our emotions, to our body, determines our health. 

This relationship determines the connections made between our mind, brain, nervous system, and all the other interactive loops of our experience between emotion, thought, behavior, and sensation, to create wholeness and health, or stagnation and illness. 

The nutrients that make up our health begin with our mind’s quality of awareness. When we direct our attention to the sensory awareness of our body we create neural connections which inform our capacity for self-awareness and regulation of emotions, allowing us to respond rather than to react impulsively or mind-less-ly. Further, we help inform our body it can rest and digest now. 

The real physiological process of ingesting, digesting, metabolizing, can only be done efficiently and effectively with a body that is feeling safe and relaxed to allow these processes.

How do I practice Mindful Eating?

Practice is the operant word. We learn how by showing up, over and over, not knowing how, but learning through trying it on. In the case of mindfulness, it’s not ‘practice makes perfect’, but practice reveals already what is perfect, right in the middle of all our mistakes and messiness. 

First step to implementing a change in our relationship to eating is to prepare ourselves by seeding our motivation.Change occurs through our commitment to consistent focused attention on the very thing we wish to develop. 

Commitment arises from our intention. What is our good enough reason for practicing mindful eating?

 Our reason has to relate to some larger value or we will never stay motivated. Our intention is the engine of commitment. Commitment soon falls off when things lose a sense of novelty and excitement and only become a momentary trend without knowing what larger value is guiding the commitment. 

And commitment to practice becomes the fuel to keep our intention alive, they work in tandem, each supporting the other toward a steady consistency. This consistency then might allow a “good idea” to be a known as a direct experience that can become an eventual effortless pattern of our lives. Without intention and commitment, mindfulness becomes a fashionable short term idea rather than a long term lifestyle shift. To simplify, intention is the “why bother”, and commitment is the “no matter what”, two components needed prior practice.

With this clarity we can now engage with the two parts of being present to our eating: Experiencing and Observing. There is the content of the experience of eating: the food, our senses, images, thoughts, beliefs, perceptions, emotions, (who knew so much was happening with a hamburger!). Then there is the context in which all this experience takes place. 

The context is the essential element which determines if it is mindful or not. The context is the environment, the quality of our relationship, to all those things going in the content.

 If it helps, use the acronym C-NOTE to remember what best environment in which to practice mindful eating. C=curious, N=non-judging (or more aptly stated, judging and then noticing it), O=openness, T=turning toward, E=engaged. This is creating the attitude or the ambience for your meal. This environment allows and includes whatever you might be experiencing, (content of experience simple acronym is SITE, S=sensations, I-images, T=thoughts, E=emotions).

Mindfulness is an open, inclusive, relational quality of awareness to what we are directly experiencing.

Now that the table has been set with your intention and commitment and a warm quality of attention creating a conducive ambiance– let’s eat!
Read through the elements of the long form for formal practice of mindful eating. Here you will notice the break down, step by step, of an experience which normally moves very quickly, almost like a slow motion video so we can begin to see how much is really going on in such a seemingly simple act of eating. You can carve out some time and place where this practice might be possible and just take it step by step.

You can also utilize the short form to warm up to the idea, or to use in-between long form practice, and eventually, with the consistent practice, let it be on-the-spot awareness that is implemented whether on an airplane, rushing through breakfast on a way to a meeting, or luxuriating over a beautiful meal with those you love. In the end, mindfulness is not so much about slowness, but about the quality of awareness applied no matter our external/internal circumstance.

Mindful Eating Long form:

Previous to eating
  • Set your intention (why bother): why are you interested in mindful eating? What is the larger value which guides your effort?
  • Make a commitment (no matter what): for the next 21 days pick one meal per day to practice, (in order to know, you need consistent practice).
  • Remove distractions such as TV, phone, computer, reading material, etc.
  • Sit down to eat, pause to notice from head to toe the state of your body, feel sensation of bottom against your chair.
  • Notice sensation of breathing. Exhale out your mouth, dropping awareness down, like an elevator from head to neck to heart, belly, perineum, bottom, legs, and feet.
  • Notice attention of your mind: What are you “chewing” on right now?  Where are your thoughts, concerns, anticipations, regrets? Just notice and come back to sensation of feet, bottom, back, heart, neck, head, and breath.
Now attention to food
  • Note color, scent, texture, and even the sound of your food
  • Consider how it got to your plate: from earth to truck to table.
  • Offer some gratitude that you actually have food and for all the work that went into its arrival.
  • Notice anticipatory salivation.
  • Notice your desire to eat—don’t.
  • Now Eat—aware of your hand moving through space and its dexterity to bring food to mouth.
  • Chew, noticing chewing, its quality, how much, how hard, how soft, maybe count the number of chews, put down your fork.
  • Be aware of impetus to grab more before fully done with what is in your mouth.
  • Be aware of the discomfort that might arise in having no distraction. Maybe this full awareness brings feelings of uneasiness, (remember your C-NOTE).
  • This is not about being peaceful, not about liking, or disliking, but being aware.
  • Sense your inside your body: tongue, throat, stomach, and so on, aware of all it does to make eating happen.
  • When you get lost or speedy, just pause, re-member the sensation of your breathing, see your food, feel your feet, and then, gently, begin again.
  • When finished eating—pause.
  • Notice your body, new sensation of fullness/or not full enough in belly.
  • Notice your mind, desire for more, or anticipation of where you are going next.
  • Offer yourself some kindness and appreciation for showing up.
  • Offer thanks, to this moment, to receiving, to your ability to receive, to your health.
Mindful Eating Short Form:

1.      Pause to know you are breathing.

2.      Feel sensation of interior of your body.

3.      Sense the bottom of your feet.

4.      See, smell, touch, hear your food.

5.      Then eat—and taste.

6.      Chew and know you are chewing.

7.      Sense chewing, sense breath, sense body, not thinking, but direct sensation of each.

8.      Notice content of mind and return to sensation of eating, (Apply the C-NOTE).

9.      Pause when finished

10.  Offer kindness to yourself, to your body, to all those who made this food possible.



Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Happiness Tips: 5 Things You Need To Know About Your Pursuit Of Joy 05-29


Happiness Tips: 5 Things You Need To Know About Your Pursuit Of Joy

The Huffington Post  |  By Kate Bratskeir
According to Rolf Dobelli, the answer is ... nothing.
"We do not know what makes us happy or successful," the author of "The Art of Thinking Clearly," told The Huffington Post in an interview. "But we do know for sure what destroys success, what destroys happiness." So the key to happiness starts with de-cluttering: The removal of all the things that makes us feel more drained than delighted.
While many happiness gurus champion so-called positive thinking, Dobelli suggests that negative knowledge -- knowing what not to do -- can be much more powerful. This de-cluttering can be material, but it is often ideological: If we can change our thinking to reflect this mental de-clutter, Dobelli says we're more likely to be productive. Most of the time, the author says, adding gadgets and practices we think will bring more to our life only ends up weighing us down.
Want to learn more? Below are five of his philosophies for discovering happiness (or rather, ridding distress). Read on and then, tell us in the comments what you think about these principles.
1. Know That Human Beings Are Extremely Bad At Forecasting Happiness
When you are bursting to buy that shiny, new car, know that the happy high you're experiencing is a fleeting one. In fact, Dobelli says that jubilant sensation you get from a big, material purchase will only last for up to six months, so buy wisely. "Be very careful," Dobelli warns, "generally, things do not make us happy, experiences, tasks, challenges and projects do." In other words, try to rid the desire for instant gratification -- some things are worth the wait.
2. Remove The Notion That 'Life Is A Dance'
"If you live like there's no tomorrow, you'll be in jail five minutes later," Dobelli laughs. The author says it's important to plan -- doing the hard thing now will make life easier in the long run. "Forget that carpe diem thing," he suggests, and realize that life takes effort, planning and forethought to be excellent. Don't let this tip get you down, spontaneity lovers -- the chapter this ideology comes from is titled "Live Each Day as If It Were Your Last -- but Only on Sundays." There's room to let your plans fall by the wayside: Doing so may seem like an oxymoron, but you're best scheduling unplanned days for once a week.
3. Stop Following The Herd
We're hard-wired to copy our peers; it's a habit we developed thousands of years ago when, if you saw your fellow caveman running from a sabertooth-tiger, it was wise to play copycat. In modern times, however, Dobelli says we benefit from straying form the pack: The action forces us to be more confident in our own decision-making. "Following the herd is very dangerous," Dobelli says. "The more we observe other people displaying a behavior, the more we think that behavior is right -- and that's absurd." Trusting your gut, and removing the influence of other's from what you decide is right, will get easier over time -- you just have to keep at it.
4. Limit Your News Consumption
Dobelli is an advocate of unplugging: He says rather than keep an eye on a steadfast Twitter feed, it's more productive to read books and long-form articles that will educate you on the bigger picture. The specific details that come from breaking news, like how long a storm lasted, are "not relevant to your life," the author says. Instead, invest your time learning about definitive concepts and events. Think you'll be accused of living under a rock? "I've never missed a beat," says the author. You'll hear about the news from your peers, he assures, but will still be in control of curating the way you consume it. Removing yourself from the clutter of the details will leave room for what really matters -- and what's worth spending your brain power on.
5. Don't Get Overly Caught Up In The 'Present Moment'
"Be in the moment" has become a pervasive mantra of those who subscribe to healthy and mindful living. But being present encapsulates both what you can and cannot see, Dobelli explains, and the latter is the part most people forget about. "We tend to be overly enthralled by the things that are here, and we don't have a sensor for the stuff that is missing," he says. Don't pigeonhole your day; instead, be cognizant that while things are happening before your eyes, things are also happening beyond them. It's a vague philosophy, but reminding yourself to be less egocentric can help remove the wasteful thoughts that come with being too "now"-minded.

Which Behaviors Must Leaders Avoid? 05-29

Which Behaviors Must Leaders Avoid?

If you want to empower, engage, or motivate others, don't just focus on increasing your positive behaviors. Pay attention to what you need to stop doing as well. Why? Because people remember the bad more than the good. To quote from a previous HBR article, How to Play to Your Strengths, "Multiple studies have shown that people pay keen attention to negative information. For example, when asked to recall important emotional events; people remember four negative memories to every positive one." So, which behaviors do leaders most need to avoid? Drawing on thousands of 360 qualitative interviews, here are our top three:
Judgmental, non-verbal body language. No one, especially your successful colleagues, can tolerate perceived condescension. Research studies show that somewhere between 75 to 90 percent of our impact comes from our non-verbal communication, and tone is a key ingredient of this. Do you make comments to others in a way that sounds evaluative, harsh, or condescending? Often, this is not our intention but an in-the- moment reaction. Other non-verbal offenders include scowling, furrowed brows, quizzical looks (as if to say, 'are you stupid?'), rigidity, and sarcasm. While seemingly small, each of these subtle darts creates a considerable amount of relationship damage.
Interrupting and interrogating. There's been a lot of buzz recently around how to have "conversations that drive innovation" and how to "create safe environments for employees to bring their ideas forward."
 It's almost impossible for people to feel safe if the boss takes up most of the airtime, cuts people off, or interrogates half-baked ideas. Yes, employees have a responsibility to communicate with clarity, but if you expect every idea to be buttoned up, fully thought out, or structured before someone speaks, your colleagues will assume that you're not willing to invest the time to be a thought partner.
Being inconsistent. Peers and staff often comment on how discouraging it is to see a colleague act in two very different ways — absolutely charming with the executive team and external clients while being disrespectful to those they work with every day. This inconsistency makes these behaviors even more memorable and egregious. Others have shared a different impact — the feeling of walking on eggshells at work, wondering who is going to show up: "smiling, charming, funny person" or "judgmental, intense, snapping person." Over time, this drives passive aggressive responses from others in their attempt to avoid confrontation.
Ultimately, loyalty and followership are the two things we cannot demand or set as an expectation. What is perceived as fear-based motivation, belittlement, or power play can yield real short-term compliance from others. But negative behaviors ultimately diminish the legacy we leave. Consider what behaviors you might need to stop doing so that you can have a positive, lasting impact.

THE COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS NOBODY ASKED ME TO GIVE 05-29

THE COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS NOBODY ASKED ME TO GIVE


by James McQuivey

Welcome, graduates of the class of 2013, and congratulations. You are some of the finest students our system of education – no, our society – has ever produced. Rather than stand here and occupy your time with random inspirational thoughts, I would prefer to stand back and let you rush out there to disrupt the world into which you were born.
Unfortunately, you probably won’t. And that’s too bad because those of us who have gone before you really need you to disrupt things. Which is ironic to say because we are actually the reason you won’t live up to your potential.
Now that I have your attention (and perhaps have primed the urge for an antidepressant), let me tell you why your future is likely so bleak.
You are among the world’s first fully digital citizens. You were born after the Macintosh IIx, Windows 3.0, and the launch of AOL. We now have the iPad, Windows 8, and Google Fiber. When you entered Kindergarten, already 20 million US households were connected to the Internet, by the time you started high school, that number had quadrupled to approximately 80 million. Oh, and while in that year of high school, YouTube posted its first video and Facebook opened its social network to anyone with an email address; today YouTube shows 4 billion hours of videos each month and Facebook has more than a billion friends.
You lived through and accelerated all of this. And you are superhuman because of it. You have more potential knowledge than any generation before you. You have access to and are experts at navigating the tools, devices, networks, and systems that will define the economy of the future. And despite some popular perceptions of how you waste some of your time with those tools following drunk celebrities on Twitter or sexting each other, it is my experience that many of you are ready to assume a disruptive place in the world.
For example, earlier this year I judged a competition between student groups at a Boston-area university. These teams worked for three weeks to generate business plans that employ the sponsoring company’s technology. As a former professor who had students create business plans in the mid 1990s I can categorically say that all three of the business plans I judged were an order of magnitude better than what my students achieved nearly two decades ago. Digital tools gave the students of today a decided edge, in information gathering, idea generation, product testing, and prototyping. In fact, a few of the project plans were as good as a briefing I might get from a venture-backed startup in my role as a technology analyst.
As I sat through the pitches, there arose in me an irrational optimism for the future, given the capabilities of the students in whose care that future would be placed. Digitally equipped, they were ready to disrupt the world. They saw no boundaries between their ideas and the market. Then I remembered something: These bright, amazing, digital students would soon graduate and within very few months would have entry-level jobs in companies that would immediately begin the process of retraining them to think like analog people.
Analog people are those who have been subject to the forces of analog business long enough that they have never known or have forgotten how energizing it is to generate an idea, refine it through iterative conversation with bright peers, and then test it in the market as swiftly as you are ready to. And they certainly don’t see digital tools as the dramatic shortcut to all of those processes that you do. Most of us in the business world are analog people. And I collectively apologize to you on our behalf for the number of times you are going to hear the following analog excuses:
  • We tried that once.
  • We don’t have budget for that.
  • You can’t prove the ROI on that.
  • The executive team doesn’t like that idea.
  • Our shareholders won’t tolerate that kind of risk.
  • Sure, consumers love that, but where’s the revenue model?
  • Our tech project list is full.
  • We can’t risk our brand on that.
  • We can’t cannibalize that business, it’s what keeps the lights on around here.
The list of excuses analog people give goes on and on. I’ve heard them all, including one I heard this week where someone resisted being inspired by disruptive startups Uber and AirBnB because “what they’re doing is illegal.” We’re good at thinking like this and we’re going to do our best to invite you to the dark, analog side of business. It would be easier on us to stand between you and the disruption that you are so capable of rather than encourage you.
But you should ignore us. Because the digital disruption you are capable of is disruption that we want because we’re consumers, too – we want better stuff, more efficient services, and cool experiences. And it’s also disruption that we need to grow our economy, to stimulate new opportunities for the workforce, to make better use of the billions lying fallow in corporate accounts waiting to be put to use. And we need it to get your entire generation moving so you don’t end up living in our basements for the next two decades, failing to launch, failing to marry, failing to produce the next generation of kids who are going to be even more spectacularly equipped than you are. (Picture a generation of youth born after Google Glass.)
The more I stand here and give you the bleak overview of the future, the more angry I get about it. Hopefully, the more I say, the more rebellious you get. The more you want to rush out there and prove me wrong. The more motivated you are to insist that your digital acumen coupled with your naïve faith in each other can and should be put to use by whatever company you work for. So that on day one, when your employer tries to tell you how things are “done around here,” you can respond with conviction: “Let me tell you how things are done out there.” Then go do them.


Monday, May 27, 2013

Funding a U.S. education, For Indian students aspiring for studies in USA 05-27


Funding a U.S. education


  • Students at US education fair organised by United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF (file photo) Photo: G. Krishnaswamy
    THE HINDUStudents at US education fair organised by United States-India Educational Foundation (USIEF (file photo) Photo: G. Krishnaswamy

Hundreds of students and their friends logged onto Facebook on May 15, 2013, to learn more about studying in the United States, on how to fund their education, as well as to clarify their doubts on the U.S. Student visa process. Heera Kamboj (Information Officer and Press Attaché, U.S. Consulate General, Chennai), Dr. Srilakshmi Ramakrishnan (Senior Adviser, EducationUSA Advising Services), and Tom Montgomery (Vice Consul, U.S. Consulate General Chennai) answered questions from students all over India. Readers can find answers to additional questions at www.EducationUSA.info or seek one-on-one counseling directly from an EducationUSA Adviser. Here 's the first part of the chat transcript.
Can you please tell me how to continue education in dentistry in USA after BDS in India? Also about the details of scholarship, loans without a cosigner.
In order to pursue a DDS (Doctor of Dental Surgery) or DMD (Doctor of Dental Medicine), you will need to: 1) Complete Part I of the NBDE (National Board Dental Examination), 2) After completion, you will be eligible to apply for and enter a Dental school in Advanced Standing status for DDS, 3) For a list of dental schools offering Advanced Standing, please visit the American Dental Association’s website:www.ada.org, 4) For financial aid, preference is given to U.S. citizens and permanent residents, 5) Admission to a U.S. dental school is highly competitive. Although anyone is eligible to apply, international students rarely gain admission to a U.S. school of dentistry without having completed at least two years of college or university study at a U.S. institution.
I have got admission in some good universities without financial aid. Is it a wise decision to go ahead? What are the other sources of financial aid?
Your question is a popular one! You are ultimately the best judge of whether this would be good for you or not. Most students will not receive financial aid at the time of admission but they might become eligible after the first semester or the first year, depending on their academic performance. Scholarships and funding are very competitive and are dependent on the specific department and university that you apply to. Please visit this page for information about scholarship search engines that allow you to search for funding based on your discipline of study.
I am a software engineer working for one of the biggies. I wanted to pursue M.S. (In computer science) from USA. How safe is it to spend two years of my life and a big chunk of my savings on doing MS with a recession looming? Which is the best specialisation to pursue (There are already enough software engineers out there) and how do we get a good scholarship?
The choice of specialisation depends on your individual interests and passion in the field of Computer Science. Since everyone is different and has a unique situation, EducationUSA offers a self-assessment tool to help each student define his/her priorities. For additional information on picking the right school, visit this page. For identifying the schools that offer a Master’s degree specifically in Computer Science, check out: www.petersons.com
Please list out some good universities for an MIS programme in the U.S. which provide funding/scholarship for scores above 300-310 with two years of industrial experience and decent acadamics of 73 per cent.
We recommend that you follow the five Steps to US Study as explained in detail on the EducationUSA website: www.educationusa.info. For specific programmes and universities, you can take a look at www.petersons.com or www.gradschools.com where you can use the search box to pull up a list of universities offering degrees in your proposed field of study. Please note that financial aid is specific to each university and individual departments at those universities. Therefore, checking with the Financial Aid or Admissions Office at a given university is key. There are many types of funding that might be available to international students, such as scholarships, tuition waivers (partial or full), assistantships, or fellowships. To understand the differences between each of these types, please visit this page for more information.
International students are typically not eligible to apply for most U.S. graduate scholarships unless they are offered specifically for international students departments or universities in which they are enrolled. However, there are some other competitive scholarships that Indian students might be eligible for based on different criteria and for different purposes (example: travel grants for study abroad, funding for female international students). Here are a few options for you, although we do not endorse any of these specifically:
You can also check out a scholarship search engine to find one that might match your needs, here
What are the chances of getting F1 visa after six attempts (lack of guidance made me commit silly mistakes). Please let me know the changes that have to be made after an F1 visa rejection.
While we can’t give applicants advice about individual cases, we do appreciate the opportunity to explain the refusal process. Each interview is a new chance to get a visa, however, if you have been refused in the past the Consular Officer will likely want to see that you have made substantive changes in your individual circumstances to show progress. For example, if you didn’t have enough funds last time and that is why the Consular Officer refused you, then we encourage you to obtain a scholarship, a loan, or some other form of funding BEFORE coming for your next interview.
I have completed B.Tech in Chemical Engineering. I have an admit from University of Florida for M.S. in Chemical Engineering without any aid. My bank gives me a loan of only up to Rs. 20 lakh (beyond which it charges more interest), and my tuition fees plus expenses would turn up to 30 lakh. Will I be offered scholarship of some kind by the university or do I have any chance of getting government-funded grants?
First things first, get accepted into a school that you want to attend. You have already accomplished the first step. Congratulations! Scholarships at all universities are always very competitive, and may not always be available to foreign students at the time of admission. You might still be eligible to receive some funding from the department where you received admission possibly after the first semester or first year. You will not be eligible to apply for U.S. government-funded grants because those are for U.S. citizens or permanent residents. That being said, the financial aid office or the admissions office at each specific university would be best able to tell you what is available to you. For external funding opportunities, check out this page.
I am going for this FALL 2013 for M.S. in Computer Engineering in Syracuse University and before booking the VISA date, I’ve a few queries that i would like to get answered here. My I20 amount is 42k $ / year. So how much minimum amount should I be showing and what all are the documents that I can show during my visa interview. I have a loan amount of 20 lakh.
First of all, congratulations on your acceptance to a U.S. university! Student travellers are required to show proof of funds to cover the first year of studies. In your case, you must show that you have access to $42,000 to fund your first year, and your loan amount almost covers all of that. For your question about funding, check out some of our earlier responses on scholarships, and private funding.
I came to know that getting a visa to U.S. is not a simple task in these days? Is that right? What about for educational purposes?
We have some good news for you. The process is relatively straightforward and the majority of students are approved. First, get accepted at a U.S. university. Second, obtain Form I-20 from the university. Third, pay the SEVIS registration fee with the Department of Homeland Security. And fourth, schedule an interview at any of the U.S. consulates in India. There are 1 lakh Indian students in the United States studying right now!
Please provide resources for US Graduate Scholarships aimed primarily at Indian students.
International students are typically not eligible to apply for most U.S. Graduate scholarships unless offered specifically by the departments or universities in which they are enrolled. However, there are some other competitive scholarships that Indian students might be eligible for based on different criteria and for different purposes (e.g. travel grants for studies abroad, funding for women international students):