5 Quarters Down - 1 to Go

Last quarter ended very quietly. Traditionally, end of quarter is a killer time for MBAs. All those weeks of procrastination, come to bear with numerous projects and exams due all during the same week. For some reason, most of my work was bunched in the middle of the quarter leaving me a light final week. This has given me time to catch up on blogging, job search, and relaxing.
It is hard to believe that I have one quarter to go. It feels like only last week that we arrived in Irvine, completely overwhelmed by its vast size, winding roads, and crazy highways. Now, I am on my final quarter and we feel like acclimatized Californians (We freeze when the temp drops to 10 Celsius).
Classes were a mixed bag this quarter. Internet marketing really missed a great opportunity to be the most interesting class in school. I tried to make the most of the class with the final project. I had to build a internet marketing plan. I used the opportunity to consider how internet marketing fits within the entire firm strategy and how best to set up a plan. So I have a template to use in the future. Macro was nothing that I didn't already learn in my undergrad, but the teacher was excellent. Strategic innovation raised some interesting ideas about how to look at traditional business in new ways - challenging the status quo to drive higher growth. It was the first year for the class, so there's room for this class to grow. Lastly, Business Dynamics taught how to strategically evaluate business challenges and, more importantly, how to execute change (or the strategy). The course was taught by a great teacher who really knows how to teach business case studies.
This quarter will have fewer classes than normal. It is time to focus on the job search. As my focus is on the technology industry, most job opportunities need someone to start yesterday. So up to now, my best opportunities got roadblocked on availability. Timing is everything and I hope the tech industry remains immune from the recession until I lock up something.
As an international, my best chances are through networking. I will be attending another Web2.0 conference in April.