No, I don't have a job yet.

Families worry a lot, and to some extent mine is no exception. I recently got into an argument with my aunt Janis about what I was going to do after graduation. Tempers rose a bit, and to annoy her I told in her in a very serious manner that for a job I was going to "carry heavy things." To this she replied (yelled, actually) in that quintessential New York accent that only Jewish aunts in Queens have, "But where's that going? What are you going to do with that?" Maybe next time I should tell her I'll be a "freelance windshield analyst" based on a Chicago street corner.

The challenge I'm facing is this: A lot of business development jobs have become harder to get, particularly in IT-related fields. As salaries in the engineering and product development side have dropped due to productivity improvements and outsourcing to lower-paid developers in places like India, a lot of displaced programmers and engineers have moved into more sales-related roles, where they often seek to maintain their previous incomes. This dramatically increases competition for a lot of these responsibilities.

So I have this resume that is rather out of the box, so to speak, and therefore not easily placed by Tippie Career Services, headhunters, or HR departments. More importantly, there are a lot of high-quality people out there that are immediately available that looking for business development jobs, and it will be another two weeks before I can compete with that. That I'll find something to do isn't at issue. What, where, and when is. But sometimes I think I sound like that Beck song Loser, where he goes "I'm not a loser, I'm a winner. Things are gonna change, I can feel it."

I'm graduating on May 14th. Originally, I was dead set on reaching a decision by the time I graduated. But I've come to realize that's not necessary, for any reason. But my lease is up on August 1st, and that is, in fact, a hard deadline. If I haven't settled on where I'm going by then, it's back to New York City, probably in Aunt Janis's basement (see above).

I had occasion to return to New York a couple times recently, and was reminded of why I liked the city so much in the first place. I had actually been cool to the idea of going back, but lately a lot of the pluses of living in New York have become more important to me. I like that the city stays open all the time, and that I have friends and family there. From a career standpoint, there are numerous benefits to having so many companies in such close proximity. Plus, I wouldn't have to get a car, and could return to the apartment that I left when I came out to Iowa.

I get asked about post-grad plans in stereo – family, friends, acquaintances, anyone and everyone. The people who ask me, and then hear that I don't know yet, fall into two groups. On one hand are those that are now far more sure than I am that I'll go on to find something great, and those that recoil with fear and horror upon hearing that I don't know yet. I find both reactions equally unnerving. Sometimes, with enough booze in me, I give creative answers: "It all depends on how the trial turns out"; "I'm opening a summer camp for overweight teens"; "I'll be returning to my home planet."

Speaking of "out-of-the-box," I am looking at some unusual options. The Georgetown School of Foreign Service has an 18-month Security Studies Program, which I've been interested in for quite some time. Approximately 30% of the graduates continue on to the private sector, which is most likely where I would head. I'm talking to people who are familiar with the program to get a better handle on whether its right for me. This MBA may not be my last degree.

The Georgetown program interests me because it would permit something that might otherwise be impossible, which is to merge my personal and professional areas of experience. The state of international security is now the most important variable in the calculations of many trans-national corporations, investors, and governments. Being able to advise or accurately prognosticate how the events of the day will affect an investor or a company's bottom line, or an industry sector, a government, or the general business climate is something I would be very interested in. I spent five years doing something not dissimilar when I explained to British investors how domestic and international developments would affect their holdings here in the U.S. Actually, I would have applied to the Georgetown program already, but the deadline for the 2005 spring semester isn't until November.

I thought twice about doing this, but I would like to touch on the most recent release of the U.S. News & World Report rankings. Before I came to Tippie, the Iowa MBA program was ranked 34th. Last year, we were ranked 29th. This year, we were ranked 47th. If you're reading this, you probably do a lot of research on business schools, and already know the rankings history. The metric that hurt us this year was placement. The problem is that with about 85 students per class, if just four or five more or less get placed each year, it has a dramatic effect on how we rank. This year, placement has been stronger, and I would expect a much better showing in the U.S. News ranking next year.

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