Top 5 things to consider while planning to study in Ireland - Guest post by Rebecca Heins

View of Liffey River on O’Connell Street

It is good to be back home in Namma Ooru Bengaluru, but the last 2 years in Ireland, especially Dublin will always be special in my life.

“A place is only as good as the people you know in it. It's the people that make the place.” ― Pittacus Lore

The above saying holds true to Ireland. This was perhaps the top most deciding factor for me when I decided to leave a thriving career with HP and move to a place where I did not know a soul.   Studying in an international environment is something that I will recommend to everyone; not just for the experience and exposure it offers, but also for the development of your overall personality. 

Though I was initially looking at Europe and was offered admission in couple of Universities in UK, I finally chose Ireland after talking to a friend who had been working in UK for really long time.  While discussing with her about studying in EU, it was the friendlier nature of Irish is what caught my attention and that was the deciding factor for me finally ending up in Dublin.  Though I have traveled before, but I’ve never lived in another place other than Bangalore.  It was quite challenging for me to transition from a sheltered Indian family setting to an unknown place I had to stumble and figure my way out.    That is when I decided that I will try and put all those information together more from an international student perspective, so other students might be better prepared and have an easier time than me.  So here are all the information I have put together a page for potential students interested to Study in Ireland and facebook group to answer queries.  My time in Dublin of course was not a cake walk like any other part of life, but I believe those experiences is what makes it special.

Based on my experience here are the Top 5 things you need to keep in mind while planning to study in Ireland:

My University UCD Michael Smurfit College

Research Research!

Think long term before you decide on any Masters or specialization after their undergrad.  I get asked the same kind of questions from students on Quora all the time about studying & career.  It is important to think through your long term goals before you invest in any area of specialization.  Speak to career counselors, analyse your personality, Volunteer/intern to gain additional skills,  work in the area that interests you, gain couple of years' experience before you embark on any Masters course.  One of the top most reasons for many students to study abroad is to gain working experience in that region. If that is your top most reason, research on the job market - do you find enough opportunities for internationals in that area? Connect with University alumni or student groups.  This is an investment that you are making that will set you up in a specific career path, therefore it is important to spend time talking to former students and also professionals in that area. 

Being part of HR, one thing that I would like to stress on is that, if you can afford it study in highly ranked and accredited Universities, Do it! It is worth the investment personally and professionally as it will be well recognized by global companies wherever you go.

Prepare to weather the Irish weather:

Ireland has the awesome summers! Winters are the hardest when it is grey and it becomes dark by 3PM. Someone coming from India where you take the sun for granted, you will end up craving for some Vitamin D in that season. Until Ireland, I had never heard about 'cold beaches', the view of the sea is wonderful, but just don't dare step in it other than summers! Your legs  will freeze! It can also get quite windy there! You will find out the true meaning of resistance walking or resistance biking in the windy season.  The heavens may also open up and pour on you anytime of the year! You need to be constantly prepared with a jacket that can protect you from wind, cold and rain (Oh if you are lucky light snow too)! I gave up on buying new umbrellas as any of the strong one does not seem to hold against the strong winds.  With all that, I can say one thing! Ireland is beautiful!  Over a period, rain will not stop you from looking forward to taking those walks around town to explore and start clicking photos of the lovely landscape.

Get your living arrangements sorted early:

Getting accommodation during the University starting season can be really challenging. Campus accommodation is limited and expensive, so only a few can manage to get them.  Arrive early or make connections who can help you with the finding an accommodation.  Connect with your other students who are perhaps in the same batch or from the same University to tentatively get a place together as housemates or roommates; It is easier to decide on a 2 or 3 BHK's sharing when you know how many are going to be sharing with you.  Never book long term accommodation without arriving and actually looking at the house as there number of scam that happens at that time. It is recommended to arrive in Ireland before the semester starts to find a place off campus.  The places get filled pretty quickly during the viewings set up by the landlords. So it is best to decide and book as soon as you find an appropriate place.  The intensity of the race to find rented places perhaps is a little lesser in smaller towns than in Dublin.

Gain skills outside your academic life:

Unlike in India preference is not just given to topping academics alone, but an overall personality development in Universities abroad.  So while you are thinking of studying in Ireland, acquire some skills through volunteering, sports, arts, leading programs alongside your academics or through some internships.  Not only will these things add value when you apply for the courses and for scholarships/bursaries, but continuing to participate in the various societies arts or sports during your Education in Ireland will help you stand apart; with your job applications to employers in Ireland.  Being an active participant in-class and outside leading programs during your course here will help you teach many dynamics of working in a team, leading an initiative and giving you confidence while you begin your career.

The Irish Pub

Get out of your comfort zone:

Here is an opportunity for you to live in a different country & experience their culture, so don’t waste it. Ireland is part of the EU, so you will find a number of mainland Europeans visiting or studying in Ireland. Get out from your comfort group mingle with other international students. It is easier to get tied to familiar nationalities due to the comfort of knowing them. While you tend to be fonder of your own nationalities particularly away from home, don’t lose the opportunity to learn about other nationalities.  You can learn a lot about each other’s cultures, values and enjoy diverse opinions. I have made some really close friends from France to New Zealand during my time in Ireland. Irish are friendly people; you will find them returning your smiles or chatting up randomly on the bus. There are a number of times I have got lost and have had someone walk with me half way as I did not know which direction I was heading.  Good and evil acts exists everywhere, one warning to students visiting Dublin city centre – Mobile/bicycle thefts are rampant; do not wave around your phone to click your picture while you are in the city.

Wicklow, Ireland – The county famous for movie PS, I love you.

When you have an opportunity of living and studying in a beautiful scenic country, make the most of it.  Walk or Bike and explore places around Ireland whenever you can, you will learn a lot of its ancient history.  Share the enthusiasm of the locals and it will be returned.  Irish are friendlier :) when they are especially high on life, beer and Gaelic football.  You might still never get used to some of the accents from other counties, but before long I am sure you will not mind the ‘Shite’ or  perhaps join in on their ‘Craic’ slangs!

  

The famous Temple Bar Area

If you have any questions about Studying in Ireland, connect with me on this fb group and me or the former students will try and answer them.

About the author: Rebecca is a good friend and she just got back from Ireland where she graduated in International business. I caught her to get this post. Hope it helps you if you are looking do study in one of the most beautiful landscapes of the world. Born among the hills of Coorg, a true Bangalorean by heart, Rebecca loves all things Arts and likes to keep up with the pulse of Business & Brands. After spending more than a decade of working in corporates in the field of Marcom and Branding, she decided to take a sabbatical to pursue a Masters in Dublin, Ireland. Her love for writing finally took shape during this break through  www.bizlifebytes.com. 

Being alone in a different country and trying to figure things out can be quite difficult as she found out. So to help students, she has put together information to help students who are looking forward to study in Ireland.  

Slow poisoning of India

I will recommend is to see an excellent documentary ‘The Slow Poisoning of India’ , a 26-minute documentary film directed by eminent Ramesh Menon and produced by the New Delhi-based The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI). It deals with the dangers of excessive use of pesticide in conventional agriculture in India which is so rampant that people are eating a ‘cocktail’ of pesticides. India is one of the largest users of pesticide in Asia and also one of the largest manufactures.

The toxins have entered into the food chain and into our breakfast, lunch and dinner. The film showcases startling case studies from Kerala where villagers in Kasaragod district are paying a heavy price as it has been exposed to pesticide spraying for many years. It talks of the health impacts in other parts of India and also on how the magic of the green revolution in Punjab is fading as land and water bodies have been poisoned.

Teach more

I for one believe that a kid should learn at his own pace and learn well. Beyond the books, beyond the constrained syllabus.

Aducation or education

Saw this on a school bus in btm, Bangalore.

Interesting to see so many spelling mistakes and yet being reused this year.

In the name of discipline!

What is discipline anyway? Is it related to what you ask me to abide by or is it something that is good to do? Now how do you determine what is good to do? Is it because the majority is doing it? I am seriously looking for an answer.

 If discipline is what the majority has chosen or made to do then there is no need for everyone to follow it. You are defeating the principle of the creativity. Thinking out of the box is encouraged in all the modern day workplaces where you are supposed to be one step ahead of everyone else and be resourceful where in you are needed to fill in to other departments when required. If you do not teach the kids to be proactive, creative and responsive where is the chance for them to learn about being creative?

If you are wounding up children to a strict stupid rule, like wearing an uniform like it is the military, then where is the notion of creativity. How does one decide what a child should grow up to when you could decide your next meal without a consent/consultation from several members of your social fabric?\

Today's Bangalore Mirror cover page spoke of a child being sent home for not wearing the school-issued-footwear. Though the article was about the way the child was sent home during working hours and was dropped outside her gated community and the issues related to safety which I completely agree, the issue is about adherence of some stupid rules which clearly points out to what kind of education would be taught in a school headed by a headstrong principal who felt it was wise to penalize the child  for a mismatch of the school uniform.

While I agree that enforcing uniform to a certain extent encourages discipline, it shouldn't be the primary focus. Schools should focus on mentoring talent, encourage kids to think beyond the cover to cover syllabus and learn more by exploration, research.

Would you send your child to conform to the rhetoric, a mundane, military like system run by a dull methodical system thereby killing/curbing the child's creativity? Or would you like your child to think out of the box, be creative, spontaneous and lively where you would have a living human being and not a zombie?

School of life!

Sometimes life teaches us better things than all the bookish education can do. 

Life teaches us to be simple, to be real, to be down to earth and to be ever optimistic.

All pics displayed here can be downloaded and used for free. Just give a link here. You can find more pics here: t3i photography. 

Changing education

Tell me its done

A post from November 30, 2008. God I miss being a student.

Being a student is never easy.

Especially when you play cricket every single night, watch movies, blog, Orkut, check mails, eat, do assignments, exams, fights, pranks, birthday parties, watch TV, have serious enlightening debates about life, terrorists, rain, try to read on the bed (sorry all other stuff like mags, novels are at the table) and then sleep when all the civilized world is waking up around 4 AM. So its not a big deal when you don't sleep, I mean in the night.

Its OK until you go to class and try to concentrate your sleep deprived brain, stressing on what the faculty is trying to say, read the alphabets on your book, scribble something on the paper. And after what seems to be at least 4 hours of non-stop logic, you want to see if the prof has exceeded the class time and try to give a quick look at the watch.. Its then that its hits you. Its hardly 15 mts since the class started. So what you do is pull up your chair stop leaning back on the featherlite chair and look at the prof as if you have some magical laser in your eye that would drill a hole in the prof or may be make him catch fire or disappear in to thin air with a whiff of smoke and you are left alone to doze off happily. By this your eyes are strained so much from the last nights movie that you cant hold your eyelids up any more and they act like they are made of wax and exposed to fire. They come slowly down, like a rain a blessing.

Ah! the feeling can't be expressed or explained. You need to FEEL it. Its so relieving, so soothing and beautiful that you seem to have reached such heights that you forget everything. All the world around you comes to a standstill and it becomes so silent and don't want to disturb you. Some rude push/punch/thud/elbow jerk wakes you up. Some people even pinch and you can't even yell. You are back to square one.

This time you try something different. You try to look at the prof who looks at you directly. No he looks through you and you don't know what is being discussed. You could be pulled up and questioned as to what was being discussed. The prof gives you the Do-you-want-me-to-pull-you-up-and-mess-your-life look and you give the look of a puppy that just spilt the coffee on your new blazer on the day of your interview. But the problem is that there is no where to run or hide. May be you could just disappear. Wow, isn't it a great idea. Disappearing. Puff and you are gone. Gone without a trace or may be you could leave a small smoke behind just to show you are gone or may be a dazzling flash of light. Light would be brilliant. It would be surprising and no one would know what happened. It would be sudden and fast like what Batman does in the movie. Hmm.. I remember the scene. Katie Holmes was looking too good in the movie. The dark background, her dove like eyes and what was the color of the dress? Need to re-watch the part when I get back to my room. Did you see Phonebooth? Oh! How I wish I was in my room, on the soft bed, hidden under the warm blanket where no one could disturb me, with my lappie, my iPod headphones plugged into my ears, going through the ppts, google and sleeping without realizing it. After all you need to be updated and stay ahead of the competition. Some one reduce the speed of the fan please. PINCH. Oh! did I sleep? No I didn't. I was just thinking as to what color would the smoke be when I disappear!

NO nonsense this time. Its hardly 30 mts since the class started and look at me! I need to concentrate and listen. I have a feeling that all the profs in common have something magical in them, some technologically advanced version of time-stopping-device or technique that makes 10 minutes like eternity and forget the full class of 105 mts! Its scientifically prove that the human concentration span is just 20-40 mts but still no one cares. So now how many more minutes before I leave this room That's 105-30, sorry 105-32 mts. Some 73 mts. Or is it 71? Who cares my mind has stopped working and demands rest right now and can wait no longer and the slides on the screen are Purple, Dark Purple. Hmm.. sounds like Bond, James Bond. How come they didn't use this phrase in the new bond movie Quantum of Solace? Is it a strategic decision or just a gimmic to attract attention? What a movie that was? The print I saw was bad but it was not exciting. What stupid story? Did I blog about this? I think I did. Ouch! Somebody pushed me! I swear I wasn't sleeping. "Not sleeping? You were snoring", comes the reply.

Oh! So I am think-sleeping (reached the advanced stages of insomnia like Al Pacino!) now. I should blog about this and should do some nice blogging and concentrate on management topics like Prof. Ray and Prof. Mark J Perry. Hey did we do the assignment that we were supposed to submit today? Who was doing it? Let me ask my team mates. Where are they? I give a quick glance at the prof who is explaining some concept to the class (Oops! Even I am a part of this...) What is he talking about? His hands are drawing something in thin air! Its a four-dimensional figure and I have missed the starting so I cannot understand the rest. Ok lets find the team.

Sitting in the first bench has its own advantages. You can sleep off, dream and with one turn look at the whole class. The disadvantage is that the whole class stares back at you as if you are some exhibition item which fell and broke off. There they are, the team, sitting in 7 separate locations like shattered glass and we are all united in not doing the assignment. I signal about the ppt and the report and they don't get a word. By this time half the class is looking at you and the prof, who gave you up, invariably looks at you and you nod your head in assertion as if you are agreeing with whatever he has just said and try to scribble in the paper. Oh! Where is the paper? And the pen? the paper is missing, the pen fell off long ago when you were dreaming about Katie's eyes and you try to pick it up. Look back at the prof and then the watch. Hmm.. 45 mts! Yes only 60 more to go. I know only doesn't make it any more easier. The thought alone sickens you. By the way it took just 1/100th of a second for you to calculate the remaining time.

I think I should SMS them and find out. There is no network. No one follows you here. Where is the pug? and Rahman? Lets see about the assignment later. There is a pause the lecture. Some one raised a point or may be its an objection and it is being discussed. May be I would understand if I start listening from here so that I can get the conclusion of the concept. 38 seconds later I get the feeling that the lecture is boring. Will I stick to the concepts and framework in the book or will I write creatively? You are expected to tread the text book, reference books, and gather all the information you could to have an in depth knowledge.

This is the time you are should learn and fill yourself with concepts, knowledge, information that would be useful to face the harsh world. Make good use of it.

Education is fun... if you want it to be

Thomas Suarez & funding local schools

Found this via MJ and it is worth a watch. I like his spirit and motives. Making a change isn't easy. But the first step is the will to do.

Me and MY kids

(I write this on the recommendation of Vamshi Krishna and am indebted to him. It didn't occur to me that I should simply pen my feelings regarding this but when I did, it felt very nice)

"Didiiiii, Didiiiiiii.......hum aa jayein?" [Sister, sister....can we come?]

Every Saturday and Sunday, the doorbell of my home starts ringing since 4:00 PM. The time when I teach these kids is 5, but they are always so high on energy and excitement that it doesn't really matter what the needles in the clock say. Probably coz they feel, if they get that extra time with me, I can show them some videos on my laptop or talk to them about their careers.

Before I start, let me introduce these kids to you. They are (starting from the eldest) Pooja, Soni, Anshu, Komal, Shikha, Nisha, Anu, Amit, Shivam, Mukesh and Bitto. The 7 sisters (pooja to anu) belong to the same family (yeah, we all know why). Their father is a tailor and mother works as a maidservant. while Shivam to Bitto belong to another family. Their father is the Chowkidar (colony security guard). Amit belongs to a different family. I don't know what his father does because his occupation keeps changing. Amit works at a shop from 10 in the morning to 4 in the evening (7 days a week). And yes, Amit is mere 9 year old. So basically, I teach 3 families.

So how did I meet these kids?

There is a huge tree outside our home on which these kids had put a Jhoola (swing). They used to play on it when I used to come back, they would smile at me and I used to smile back. One day, while I was returning, I randomly asked one kid..."Padhai karoge? Agar main padhaaon to?" (will you study, if I teach you?) And in 10 mins there were 8 kids at my door.

So, did I have to convince my parents?

A big YES. The sentences I got to hear were" You can't teach", "they will get attached to you", "Don't act too benevolent, you anyway have no time for home", you leave at 7:30 in the morning and come back at 9:30..when will you teach?"...followed by a big NO. My mother was still soft but papa and dadi were very clear. Do you know what melted their hearts? The smile of these kids.

As I went back to the gate to shoo them away, my father and grandmother saw them from our balcony. The kids looked up and said "unclejee, namaste...hum padhne aayein hain". And the job was done (btw, my father is like a coconut...harsh on the outside and too soft inside)

So, how do I feel?

I don't feel anything....but I just looooove spending time with them. As I teach them on the blackboard, they randomly get up to write something on it. Not because they want to show their knowledge but they want to hold the chalk and write on the blackboard. Komal is always standing next to the blackboard. When I scold her to get back to her seat she says..."Didi..pleeeeeez. Mujhe yahaan acha samajh aata hai" :D:D

My class is dominated by girls, and Oh! they DO dominate the boys big way. There are some stories (which are too odd/painful to narrate here) I have heard from their innocent mouths which make me shiver. But all in all, my class has recitation and currently we are studying division. It's a hard task to teach them multiplication tables but they oh-so-love watching animated nursery rhymes on my laptop. They once showed me the dance on desh rangeela. The song describes India with its various colors and watching them dance on that song made me feel nice (when was the last time you danced on a patriotic song? :D:D )

Every weekend, when they come and go, they enthuse me with such energy that my mother tells me calm down. I am jumping around with them, laughing like them and telling mom what all the kids taught me today. (like having "OM" sign tattooed on your hand saves you from evil spirits) :P:P

So, why exactly am I doing this?

Frankly speaking, I got tired. Tired of so much of artificiality, competition, comparison. I wanted to be happy... just happy. Not the happy where my neighbours think I am happy or my mother thinks I am happy. Not the happy who shops for branded clothes and then grins at the mirror (though on second thoughts I wont mind that). And not the happy which you get sitting in a big car thinking about the job you've bagged. Tomorrow, if everything is taken from me.... My job, my branded stuff, my status.... I will still remain. My beliefs, ideals, thoughts, experiences will still remain. Me and my kids love each other. There are so many times when Nisha or Shikha have held my hand and said "Didi....aap humein bahut ache lagte ho" (Didi, we really like you). Trust me, when a 7 year old tells you this, your day gets made. And I am lucky to hear this every weekend. I have given them books, pencils, erasers and sharpeners. My boyfriend (and soon to be fiance) encourages me a lot and has also provided financial help and I respect him for this.

I don't know what will happen when I leave from here. Who will teach them and whether they will become a doctor or pilot like they want to become. They had once asked me, when will I get married...and when I get married, will I keep coming on weekends to teach them. I had no answer. All I could say was, keep your spirits high and don't let anyone tell you that you're inferior. If you work very hard and study hard, you can become anything you want to. All I hope is, they do achieve their dreams. Amen.

Know-ember!

I love November or Know-ember! You are almost at the end of the year and lots of celebration for Christmas and new year. This know-ember at Consumer Psyche, we look at learning a lot of things, at least 30 things which are new and can help you and me to be better human beings. The first is a post by Niyati which speaks about the joy sharing your knowledge can bring to your life. I love the concept of blackboard and how simple it is to transform someone's life just by showing some care , compassion, love and extra-time. These kids might not grow and become a pilot or a doctor as they aspire but definitely they can be better than destined because of Niyati. YOU can make a change in someone's life too and guess what it will make you better and happier.

If you think you know something that would fit in here, feel free to mail or add. Keep reading, watching, learning or stay stale!

Book Review: Revolution 2020

Did you read the book? I finished reading it on 8th October, 2011 as I had pre-ordered it on Flipkart.com and got it delivered on 7th. A bit bulky from his other books and longer than usual, Chetan packs this one with a girl stuck between two boys who happen to be best friends and this is right from cover to cover. Written in a true bollywood style, I felt the story looks like a screenplay, fit more to the screen and a bit less oriented to a reader who is holding the book. Call it arrogance or the price of setting of high expectations after his Two States, I believe any book should be more oriented in engaging the reader rather than what happens next. I wouldn't give out much here as I think you should enjoy the book when you read it.

Now let's talk about the story.
Two friends from a small town engage in childhood as miscreants and end up becoming a good friend, obviously, a girl from a rich well to do family and as they grow fall for her and she falls for the boys too. Yes, for both of them. One of the boys, Raghav has a zeal to change the world and Gopal is pushed to the gutter due to his lesser IQ and poor financial condition which he simply blames on his parents genes. Fastforward a few years and Raghav is good at academics and Gopal is still in  gutter, only deeper. By a stroke of luck, Gopal gets a first hand taste at corruption and moves quickly high to set out something he never would have chosen otherwise and becomes successful while Gopal and the girl choose to stick to their dreams. How it all changes is when Gopal and Raghav have a face off with each other due to their ideals, principles and choices and how society responds to each of them. Yes, there are a couple of times where the 15-line-Chetan-Bhagat-style-love-scene come and go.

Themes: I liked this book for the treatment of its themes.

• Chetan looks at Love in a tangled way between emotions and corruption and how it cannot be bought or rather how it evolves over a period of time and how it can mean a lot even to people in their best or worst phases of life. R2020 seems to believe that how one manages a relationship is more inclined to what he believes in and how important his ideals are and I agree partially to that. Unfortunately many people do not believe in emotions when they have a choice and chose to misuse the word love and unfortunately 'moving on' seems to be the trend today. Chetan scores in this aspect.
• Corruption is something Chetan pitches in as casually as possible. There are hard core corrupt politicians, normal people who do everything or either pushed to, from breaking bones to kidnapping, land extortion, threatening to doing good. There is a government official who uses his official car for all personal reasons and still thinks he is honest. I think this is the pulse of the resent state! As long as I don't take a bribe and I don't bother about others taking I am not to be touched and as the book puts it, it is smart.
• Chetan has also done quite an amount of research on what happens in education system, politics, corruptions, cheating, misleading of both students and children and their hard earned money and how one can earn a lot by looking at a stake in education. Once considered sacred, education is the cash cow now, repeatedly milked and ill-treated and R2020 does justice when looking at this. The state of education, right from coaching centres to get into colleges, coaching to get in to coaching centres, exams, fees, choices, unfair, unrealistic expectations of the parents, confused students... Chetan gets brilliant here.

Would I recommend the book? Of course, yes! Why would you want to miss a good story written in simple English and is fun to read? Why would you not want to read the best selling author of Indian English literature till now? Get a nice mug of hot chocolate, cozy up in your favorite place, tune in to your i-pod and let Chetan take you away in his own style for a boat ride down the misty waves of Ganga. If you feel the stench which comes from the burnt bodies, it is only for a small stretch, you might get lost in the smokey dope or hear a lovely voice carried by the waves too.

Though I think the book could have been cut by 20-25 pages and it doesn't match the brilliance of Two States, R2020 would be a quantity seller than a quality seller.

Rating: 2.5/5.

Mastering marketing

Marketing takes a day to learn. Unfortunately, it takes a lifetime to master.

--- Kotler(?)

Jump in

You can never learn to swim if you sit on the bank of the river and read a book about swimming. You might gather all the knowledge you want in the world about swimming but never would that theoretical knowledge help you in assessing what is out there and how it feels to kick for life. How easy it is to stay out of the water and keep preaching? Trust me there is nothing like learning it on the go.

Over the last few days I am working on a project as a part of my doctoral research and I see that my view about many things is quite different from what it was before when I was a fresh grad. I would try and share some of these learnings or musings as you might call them with you all here. While the material I am reading as a part of my literature review is similar and from the same time, the interpretation is varied, with a zillion possibilities. This just makes it more interesting.

Heraclitus is famous for his doctrine of change being central to the universe, as stated in his famous saying, "You can not step twice into the same river."

Plato(?) takes it to another level. You never enter the same river, even once!

Because by the time you decide to enter and you actually enter, the river has already changed. So if you want to learn and change from what you are to better, jump in.

Know Magic?

We are back in November, I like to call Know-ember! So start exploring, learning, understanding things around you. Personally I have learnt so much from this blog as I had to read a lot and then post thing that you would love to read and take home some. While I keep doing that you can help me by reading, commenting, referring to your friends, colleagues about this blog.





Here is a video of some amazing tricks with football. The search for perfection is a never ending one. You never stop getting better. Just keep at it and when you have surpassed all your competitors, you compete yourself. Good luck and happy Know-ember.

Its growing!

Here is the latest stat on how deep Indian Internet usage is and how it has changed over the last 10 years.

Year	Population	Users	% penetration
1998	1,094,870,677	1,400,000	0.10%
1999	1,094,870,677	2,800,000	0.30%
2000	1,094,870,677	5,500,000	0.50%
2001	1,094,870,677	7,000,000	0.70%
2002	1,094,870,677	16,500,000	1.60%
2003	1,094,870,677	22,500,000	2.10%
2004	1,094,870,677	39,200,000	3.60%
2005	1,112,225,812	50,600,000	4.50%
2006	1,112,225,812	40,000,000	3.60%
2007	1,129,667,528	42,000,000	3.70%
2008	1,147,995,898	81,000,000	7.10%
Table1. Internet Penetration in India http://www.internetworldstats.com

The growth in the last year is almost double which is a good sign. This means more people will go online, content will be rated better, searched better and hence the quality will be rewarded. Online presence is going to be a must.

All I learnt...

After all these years of reading, learning and enthusiasm some thing has not changed. The more you know the more you know that you don't know! 

All one could do is keep adding to his kitty and hope to swim the ocean of knowledge. Same applies to marketing and research. At the end of the best researches professors and practitioners agree unanimously that what they have learnt is just the tip of the ice berg.

Consumer entitlement

Talking about the sense of entitlement, Prof Ray explains why and how brands should function. Relating the equation to student life the reason why most students pester faculty for better grades is also explained.

'Meet it or better it and you have a satisfied customer' is absolutely right. And the key is to keep on meeting and bettering it as expectations rise with each experience. About the marks I think the student and the professors have a completely different set of expectations. Many times the student thinks that the effort is the maximum possible from his end but the professor knows what the student can do. So before setting his own expectation the student must understand what he should do and then try to meet it. I think it needs a lot of neat commuication and passion to meet the expectation of the customer and have an open, receptive mind.

Happy days...

Happy days are almost over...

Most of you must be knowing that I am pursing my Post Graduate Program in Management (Marketing) from Alliance Business School. Today was our last class based instructional day. What remains are exams, dissertation and placement. Some of my friends are placed and some, like me, are waiting. But suddenly it dawns on you that you would be missing the classes, exams, assignments, faculty, campus, etc. Na... I didnt forget friends. I think the best thing any institution gives you is experience, ambience and friends for life. I have got plenty of them here. We all have. Two more months to go before we embark on the glorious and hard journey called life. 

Wish me and my friends good luck :)