On the day before I turned 30, I jumped out of an airplane. This was long before Marshall. But ever since Prof. Cheeseman used skydiving as an example in law last week, I can't shake the memory. And why would I want to? It's a decidedly happy one. For 60 seconds I was in freefall. Nothing mattered but the rushing air. Before and after, it was exhilarating! But in the moment, it was peaceful in its simplicity.

Tomorrow marks my last six weeks before graduation. They will be a mad rush filled with project deadlines, quizzes, exams, interviews, planning, packing and goodbyes. Tomorrow is the jump. I know it will be intense. But jam-packed schedules require pure focus. And pure focus makes things simple. Somehow everything will get done.

Thinking back to the start of this semester, I remember struggling over which classes to take. There were 12 courses I couldn't live without. I needed to cut that down to five. I asked everyone I thought would have an opinion. I emailed students. I met with professors. It seemed like an awesome responsibility to select the last five experiences to add to my MBA.

I had just two opportunities to select courses: first semester and second semester in year two. (For the incoming class this will change. The curriculum for Marshall's Class of 2006 incorporates electives in the first year.) I chose my first semester classes somewhat idealistically, with disregard for my schedule and the number of team projects. I just picked subjects I felt strongly about. In second semester, since I had too many to choose from, I reduced my list using both of those criteria. In addition, I relied heavily on feedback about professors.

Knowing I can call on my classmates in the years ahead to provide expert advice in various areas also helps. Renee Bianco, a friend of mine from the PM program, pointed this out to me when she saw me struggling with registration. She said, "You don't need to take that real estate class. I took it. You can always ask me when you have questions." Sometimes we like to laugh about the Trojan Family cliché. But there is truth in it.

After all that deliberating I managed to come up with a slate of classes I'm pretty happy with. I'm taking business law from the funniest professor at Marshall – and certainly one of my all-time favorites (Prof. Henry Cheeseman). I'm learning more from my intermediate accounting class than I retained from earlier courses (Prof. Ruben Davila). And project management, with Prof. Cyndi Snyder, is forcing me to digest a bunch of practical information I would never study on my own. And then there're my two favorite subjects.

And then there are my two favorite subjects. Knowledge management is just a natural fit. It's about intellectual assets (content) and learning and networks and communication – many subjects I'm interested in. I expect to apply my learning directly to my consulting work. The only downside is the Thursday night timeslot. But Prof. Ann Majchrzak's enthusiastic personality does a lot to ease that burden. I'm looking forward to our upcoming Tool Fair and to presenting our recommendations for our client project to Los Angeles Community College District CIO Tony Tortorice.

Finally, the class I enjoy most is Prof. William Crookston's social entrepreneurship course. There are four teams of students in this informal class working on ambitious projects for local non-profit organizations. Jill Wells and Monika Okker and I are working with local entrepreneur Avery Clayton on a feasibility study for a new African American library and cultural arts center in downtown LA. So far, it's been a tremendous learning experience, and I've met several interesting people through it. I'll update you on this project in my final journal.

I must have a better handle on my second year than my first, because I'm also juggling about 30 hours/week working for Prof. Allen Weiss' MarketingProfs.com. My friends know I'm fairly obsessed with this project, because it's just so much fun. I helped launch Know-How Exchange (MP's new online forum), a new online forum in January, and have been working hard to build momentum around the concept. So far, it's going great. In fact, if you have a marketing question you want help with, you should check it out!

Spring break was in March. I spent it focused intensely on "life after business school". I drove up to San Jose to spend a few days with my sister. We toured the Bay Area, so I could get familiar with the towns up there. I intend to relocate to San Jose at the end of summer. I'm planning to lease a small office from an executive suites center with several entrepreneurs on site. I see this as a quick way to build a network in my new location. So far, this seems doable. With the dot-com bust, there appear to be many offices and apartments available.

But before I do that, I have another milestone to hit. I'm moving for a few months to Temecula, California to live near French Valley Airport so I can fly as much as possible and finish up my pilot's license. I'm determined to do this before life distracts me again. Fortunately, Temecula is an inexpensive place to live. So it's also ideal for my business-development stage budget.

So far, I have one client for post-graduation (MarketingProfs), and I have two or three leads that look good. I'm hoping to form agreements with a few of them before I finish flying. Then I will be ready for the next phase of my life: self-employment in the Silicon Valley. And with my pilot's license in hand, I'm looking forward to making monthly trips down to Southern California to visit clients and friends and family.

I am excited about all these plans. So much so, in fact, that I haven't really dealt with the reality that many of my good friends will soon be too far away for happy hours and afternoon coffee breaks. But there will be plenty of time to think about that later... after the freefall.

Until next time, FIGHT ON!
-Val




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