satisfaction.
i put one client deliverable to bed this week, and so, for the first time in many moons i have a well-deserved three-day weekend with no obligations. that is, no work looming over my head, no gmat studying to be done... i can actually enjoy and breathe friday through sunday. it's an exceptional feeling. tomorrow, i plan to walk the stretch of broadway, from the upper west side to century 21, downtown. ambitious, yes? but, well worth it if i can find a swimsuit on the way. called my parents today to confirm that we are, indeed, going to some sort of beach this vacation. i just can't believe how much time i will have to just be this weekend. i might finally go pick up paint chips for my apartment, and hang my tapestry, and go grocery shopping. finish reading my book. i will have to pack it all in, because this weekend may be the last free one for awhile.
***
now, usually, i wouldn't bore you with the sordid details of work, but my last assignment was actually pretty fun and the most substantive work i've had yet, albeit stressful because we were on deadline. one of our clients is a large foundation that has hired us to help them create an index of the s&p 500 and s&p 400 companies engaged in community investment and philanthropy. this is a large on-going project involving quarterly updates. my responsibilities this past week were to do the actual research, update the database, rate the companies for inclusion or exclusion in the index, and then summarize findings in a memo for the client. in short, i had a lot of ownership, but also a lot of late nights. the main challenge in our line of work is quantifying qualitative data like environmental initiatives, human resource practices, and commitment to local communities. because this project is still pretty nascent, and the methodology for the index has not been carved in stone, i really am helping establish how the index will be managed in the future, which is a pretty cool legacy to leave. the best part was hearing myself talk about the project with my supervisor, debbie, yesterday. as i went over the methodology i used and justified inclusion of specific companies due to "above-average performance relative to sector peers," it dawned on me that i might actually know something valuable. it's a great feeling, and gives me a lot more confidence at work, and hopefully, for my b-school applications. going forward, the next coming weeks looks like a lot more business development stuff, so i'm not going to see the community investment project until i get back in august.
***
now, usually, i wouldn't bore you with the sordid details of work, but my last assignment was actually pretty fun and the most substantive work i've had yet, albeit stressful because we were on deadline. one of our clients is a large foundation that has hired us to help them create an index of the s&p 500 and s&p 400 companies engaged in community investment and philanthropy. this is a large on-going project involving quarterly updates. my responsibilities this past week were to do the actual research, update the database, rate the companies for inclusion or exclusion in the index, and then summarize findings in a memo for the client. in short, i had a lot of ownership, but also a lot of late nights. the main challenge in our line of work is quantifying qualitative data like environmental initiatives, human resource practices, and commitment to local communities. because this project is still pretty nascent, and the methodology for the index has not been carved in stone, i really am helping establish how the index will be managed in the future, which is a pretty cool legacy to leave. the best part was hearing myself talk about the project with my supervisor, debbie, yesterday. as i went over the methodology i used and justified inclusion of specific companies due to "above-average performance relative to sector peers," it dawned on me that i might actually know something valuable. it's a great feeling, and gives me a lot more confidence at work, and hopefully, for my b-school applications. going forward, the next coming weeks looks like a lot more business development stuff, so i'm not going to see the community investment project until i get back in august.
posted by cheeky monkey at 11:55 PM
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