It’s the home stretch. I can’t believe how quickly time flew by. 10 weeks just went “whoosh”, and I am finally ready to present my findings.
Well, almost. Every day involves meeting several people, presenting the findings to them, massaging the deck a little bit more. But it’s about ready. I will be presenting it at a director-level meeting either this Friday or the one after that. It’s all fairly fluid here at Dell.
My project involved a long period in which I essentially collected data that was previously unavailable; and then after I collected it I started to analyze it and construct my recommendations. Unfortunately, the data got to me only a week ago, and at first one of the only time slots they found for an executive presentation was a week from them. You can imagine that some sort of a panic set in; 12 hour workdays became the norm and I scurried to get everything ready in time. Fortunately, another timeslot was located a couple of weeks from then – but the scurrying had paid off , and most of the recommendations and presentation are ready for the original date (which was supposed to be tomorrow).
Who says that procrastination is bad, eh?
In news on the social front – it’s sad to see everyone I’ve become friendly with leave. The first wave of Dell interns is leaving at the end of this week and I’m sorry to see them go. Yesterday a whole bunch of us went on a boat again. Same boat as 4th of July. Same fun people. Same fun activities.
In two weeks, I will be back in Ann Arbor. To be honest, I had a blast in Austin – but I will be happy to leave and get back to my own apartment; back into life in Ann Arbor with my MBA friends and a lifestyle I had grown accustomed to and fond of. Farewell Austin, you’re an awesome city. I hope to be back soon!
Showing posts with label nir. Show all posts
Showing posts with label nir. Show all posts
Monday, August 2, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
4th Post: Dell's Culture!
In this post I’d like to quickly talk about corporate cultures; in particular: Dell’s culture.
Dell’s culture is – I believe – quite unique. People here keep stressing ambiguity – and I think it’s important to understand just how much this culture is about being in a state of constant flux. For instance, as I mentioned in a previous post – the instructions I got when I got to Dell were: “This is the name of the product you are focusing on. This is a list of names. Talk to them. Figure it out.”; when I had mentioned this to other employees in the company they mostly chuckled and said “Welcome to Dell.”
The culture here is essentially one of taking initiative and knowing which resources can help you get the job done. Essentially, it’s an entrepreneurial culture in which you don’t have your hands held by your bosses. They don’t teach you to swim, they kick you screaming into the deep end, fully expecting you to either learn to swim or sink down to the bottom. I love it.
People who like to take initiative and set their own agenda can really blaze their own trail here. They can create new business lines from scratch, they can take the ball and run with it and people will not get in their way too often. This is something that I think truly distinguishes the corporate culture here from others. All too often in large corporations there is a certain entrenched thinking that is seldom challenged. I find Dell’s culture to be very accepting to critique and fresh thinking.
The deeper into the internship I get, the more productive I become, which is fortunate, because the work keeps piling on and on. Workdays quickly now become 10 hour-11 hour workdays, and I’m sure that as the date of my final presentation looms I will be racking up the over time like it’s nobody’s business.
Dell’s culture is – I believe – quite unique. People here keep stressing ambiguity – and I think it’s important to understand just how much this culture is about being in a state of constant flux. For instance, as I mentioned in a previous post – the instructions I got when I got to Dell were: “This is the name of the product you are focusing on. This is a list of names. Talk to them. Figure it out.”; when I had mentioned this to other employees in the company they mostly chuckled and said “Welcome to Dell.”
The culture here is essentially one of taking initiative and knowing which resources can help you get the job done. Essentially, it’s an entrepreneurial culture in which you don’t have your hands held by your bosses. They don’t teach you to swim, they kick you screaming into the deep end, fully expecting you to either learn to swim or sink down to the bottom. I love it.
People who like to take initiative and set their own agenda can really blaze their own trail here. They can create new business lines from scratch, they can take the ball and run with it and people will not get in their way too often. This is something that I think truly distinguishes the corporate culture here from others. All too often in large corporations there is a certain entrenched thinking that is seldom challenged. I find Dell’s culture to be very accepting to critique and fresh thinking.
The deeper into the internship I get, the more productive I become, which is fortunate, because the work keeps piling on and on. Workdays quickly now become 10 hour-11 hour workdays, and I’m sure that as the date of my final presentation looms I will be racking up the over time like it’s nobody’s business.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Sun burnt
As an Israeli who has some roots in Iraq, I rarely – if ever, get sunburnt. Texas, however, has proven to be the Moriarty to my Sherlock Holmes of a skin. Or, if you will, the Darth Vader to my Obi-Wan Kenobi. I could go on. But I won’t.
For the past 4 weekends I have either been tubing, hiking, boating, or swimming. I’m as red as a lobster. I say this not to discuss my dermatological state – but rather to emphasize the social lifestyle that us interns have been living here. Every weekend is full of activity! This weekend for instance, I will probably go to the Texas Roller Derby; last weekend was a 4th of July excursion to Lake Travis, etc. etc.
I must also note that I am at the exact mid point of my internship.
So far what I’ve done is essentially talk to people, get the lay of the land, and scope out the project. We finally have a firm grip on the timeline, what we want to deliver, and how we want to deliver it. A lot of the past week has been spent on taking toll of what I’ve done so far and discussing the project with various parties and stakeholders.
I don’t think I can emphasize enough how long the process takes: Scoping out a project in a culture you are not familiar with and in a business line you never knew takes time. A lot of time is spent just understanding the acronyms. Dell has an overabundance of those. The rest of the time is about managing expectations, and getting the assistance, resources, and support you need to conclude the project successfully. I think the success of an internship project hinges more on the preparation than it does on the execution. We will see if I’m right soon enough.
A lot more of my time now is going towards analyzing data and work rather than learning the ropes. I feel that I have become significantly more productive in what is essentially an environment and culture I have never encountered until a few weeks ago. While the learning curve has been steep, I feel I have finally reached a plateau of productivity. I hope this keeps up.
For the past 4 weekends I have either been tubing, hiking, boating, or swimming. I’m as red as a lobster. I say this not to discuss my dermatological state – but rather to emphasize the social lifestyle that us interns have been living here. Every weekend is full of activity! This weekend for instance, I will probably go to the Texas Roller Derby; last weekend was a 4th of July excursion to Lake Travis, etc. etc.
I must also note that I am at the exact mid point of my internship.
So far what I’ve done is essentially talk to people, get the lay of the land, and scope out the project. We finally have a firm grip on the timeline, what we want to deliver, and how we want to deliver it. A lot of the past week has been spent on taking toll of what I’ve done so far and discussing the project with various parties and stakeholders.
I don’t think I can emphasize enough how long the process takes: Scoping out a project in a culture you are not familiar with and in a business line you never knew takes time. A lot of time is spent just understanding the acronyms. Dell has an overabundance of those. The rest of the time is about managing expectations, and getting the assistance, resources, and support you need to conclude the project successfully. I think the success of an internship project hinges more on the preparation than it does on the execution. We will see if I’m right soon enough.
A lot more of my time now is going towards analyzing data and work rather than learning the ropes. I feel that I have become significantly more productive in what is essentially an environment and culture I have never encountered until a few weeks ago. While the learning curve has been steep, I feel I have finally reached a plateau of productivity. I hope this keeps up.
Saturday, June 19, 2010
Dell - defining a project - and Austin - Blues central.
I'm 3 weeks into my internship. I was essentially given a list of names and was told : "go and talk to these people. Tell me what you think about the business."
The list had 25 names of people. These people had - possibly - 50 opinions. I wrote them all down. I brainstormed. I oohed. I ahhed. I wrote more stuff down. The 25 people suggested 25 more people I should talk to. Pretty soon I was living in other people's cubes.
I ran an IV line from Starbucks into my bloodstream.
At the end of the process - I think I have something that vaguely resembles a project proposal. I hope to finalize it in the beginning of next week and start working. I hope that my project's useful. A lot is riding on the recommendations. It seems like the project they assigned to me is actually going to be utilized as soon as possible - it gave me a sense of urgency I did not expect.
I do want to discuss two other things: One is Blues - Austin is known for it's very well developed blues music scene. I have decided to take advantage of that and use some of my spare time to relearn the guitar and harmonica. If you like music - seek employment with Dell.
The other is the experience of working in a large company that has so many MBA interns: It's pretty cool - a lot of likeminded people who are here in Austin as well - in a strange town. We end up socializing a lot and doing a lot of activities. For instance, today I went hiking in a park, and tomorrow I will go tubing. This despite the insane triple digit weather in the summers here.
If you have two opportunities for an internship - all other things being equal - pick the one where they have more interns. You'd have far more fun. So far we've gone out to concerts, boat trips, dinners, and more. An internship is more than the chance of getting a full time job; it's even more than the opportunity to learn new things you have not been exposed to before. And yet even more than a time to expand your professional network. It's a great time to make new friends.
The list had 25 names of people. These people had - possibly - 50 opinions. I wrote them all down. I brainstormed. I oohed. I ahhed. I wrote more stuff down. The 25 people suggested 25 more people I should talk to. Pretty soon I was living in other people's cubes.
I ran an IV line from Starbucks into my bloodstream.
At the end of the process - I think I have something that vaguely resembles a project proposal. I hope to finalize it in the beginning of next week and start working. I hope that my project's useful. A lot is riding on the recommendations. It seems like the project they assigned to me is actually going to be utilized as soon as possible - it gave me a sense of urgency I did not expect.
I do want to discuss two other things: One is Blues - Austin is known for it's very well developed blues music scene. I have decided to take advantage of that and use some of my spare time to relearn the guitar and harmonica. If you like music - seek employment with Dell.
The other is the experience of working in a large company that has so many MBA interns: It's pretty cool - a lot of likeminded people who are here in Austin as well - in a strange town. We end up socializing a lot and doing a lot of activities. For instance, today I went hiking in a park, and tomorrow I will go tubing. This despite the insane triple digit weather in the summers here.
If you have two opportunities for an internship - all other things being equal - pick the one where they have more interns. You'd have far more fun. So far we've gone out to concerts, boat trips, dinners, and more. An internship is more than the chance of getting a full time job; it's even more than the opportunity to learn new things you have not been exposed to before. And yet even more than a time to expand your professional network. It's a great time to make new friends.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
First few days at Dell!
Hi there readers!
Well, this has been a fun and adventurous ordeal. After a month of working for a local Ann Arbor startup as a first internship, I packed my bags and moved to Austin, Texas for my second internship with Dell. I also packed a cat. My cat was not happy about being packed, but it had no choice.
My first impression of Austin, Texas? It is hot. My second impression? Most fun city on the planet. It is chock full of bars, dance venues, and live music. It also features what must be the best people watching environment in Northern America.
So - having settled into my new apartment with my new roommate - I went to the first day of Dell: Orientation.
For those of you who have not been to a corporate orientation - here is what it looks like: About 50 new interns sitting in a room - watching inspirational videos about ethics and hearing talks about the corporate rulebook.
Corporations have big rule books.
After that we were given our badge, and were sent off to talk to our managers. I was given a laptop - a list of people to talk to, a pat on the shoulder, and a hearty "good luck". I am going to love it here.
The next day we had the first talk from the "executive" series : Dell's CMO gave us a presentation about the challenges the company faces, strategy, and more. It was really quite interesting, and despite the early morning hour I managed to stay up (Note to future students: School is easier than work. Trust me on this.); it was also a very humbling experience. It is the first time I have seen an executive of a billion dollar company discuss so frankly and candidly how the company was doing, what the management believes are its shortcomings and how they intend to fix them.
So - armed with a laptop in hand, a borrowed cubicle as my fortress, I set out to conquer my project. It seems like the first few weeks will mostly involve me setting appointments with a multitude of people and getting the lay of the land. Wish me luck.
Well, this has been a fun and adventurous ordeal. After a month of working for a local Ann Arbor startup as a first internship, I packed my bags and moved to Austin, Texas for my second internship with Dell. I also packed a cat. My cat was not happy about being packed, but it had no choice.
My first impression of Austin, Texas? It is hot. My second impression? Most fun city on the planet. It is chock full of bars, dance venues, and live music. It also features what must be the best people watching environment in Northern America.
So - having settled into my new apartment with my new roommate - I went to the first day of Dell: Orientation.
For those of you who have not been to a corporate orientation - here is what it looks like: About 50 new interns sitting in a room - watching inspirational videos about ethics and hearing talks about the corporate rulebook.
Corporations have big rule books.
After that we were given our badge, and were sent off to talk to our managers. I was given a laptop - a list of people to talk to, a pat on the shoulder, and a hearty "good luck". I am going to love it here.
The next day we had the first talk from the "executive" series : Dell's CMO gave us a presentation about the challenges the company faces, strategy, and more. It was really quite interesting, and despite the early morning hour I managed to stay up (Note to future students: School is easier than work. Trust me on this.); it was also a very humbling experience. It is the first time I have seen an executive of a billion dollar company discuss so frankly and candidly how the company was doing, what the management believes are its shortcomings and how they intend to fix them.
So - armed with a laptop in hand, a borrowed cubicle as my fortress, I set out to conquer my project. It seems like the first few weeks will mostly involve me setting appointments with a multitude of people and getting the lay of the land. Wish me luck.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
First post from me!
Hi there, readers - which are - I am certain - legion. My name is Nir - a first year MBA at Ross. I am originally from Jerusalem, Israel - and for more than a decade have been a software engineer and IT manager at an Israeli startup, a large educational institute, and the Israeli Defense Forces. This summer I will be interning at Dell, in Austin, Texas. I also hope to be interning with a local startup here in Ann Arbor.
It's going to be a long - and - especially considering the location of the Dell internship - stifling hot summer. Kind of like being shoved into an oven while being sprayed with water. Try that once. It ain't fun.
My role at Dell will a Project Management internship - it's still unclear what my projects will be - but they will likely involve a cross-account look into their services practice.
What do I hope to gain from my internship? Certainly, a way to defray my tuition costs would be nice - but mostly I am looking to apply what I've learned during the first year of the MBA in an actual business setting. I'm excited about the prospect of discovering how an American corporation makes decision, and I hope to learn as much as I can from my experiences this summer!
It's going to be a long - and - especially considering the location of the Dell internship - stifling hot summer. Kind of like being shoved into an oven while being sprayed with water. Try that once. It ain't fun.
My role at Dell will a Project Management internship - it's still unclear what my projects will be - but they will likely involve a cross-account look into their services practice.
What do I hope to gain from my internship? Certainly, a way to defray my tuition costs would be nice - but mostly I am looking to apply what I've learned during the first year of the MBA in an actual business setting. I'm excited about the prospect of discovering how an American corporation makes decision, and I hope to learn as much as I can from my experiences this summer!
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