"The aim of life is self-development. To realise one's nature perfectly - that is what each of us is here for."
Oscar Wilde (1854-1900) from The Picture of Dorian Gray
What Have We Done? What Will We Do? & What Can We Do?
Afternoon All,
We are halfway there and of that which remains there is nothing but project work in our future. As the heading suggests we now have three ways of looking at the coursework we have completed, what have we done, what can we do and what will we do? Three very important questions for some of us, for others less so as the plans are made and the BIP Bus is but a waypoint on the route to our destination. This is very important, we must at all times remember that the course, the BIP, is just a vehicle to help us get to where we want to go, at times it felt like a 'funky Ford Cortina' (old, but perfectly functional) and at other times it resembled more a 'hybrid Lexus' (lean, green and really sexy) but as with any journey it was made on Irish roads so at times inevitably it became very bumpy! But this is something to remember and if you take nothing but this next point from my somewhat untimely and irreverent ramblings its this;
It's always important to enjoy the journey, as the destination sometimes disappoints!
- The Blipping Student 2012
With me and I am sure with everyone that has lasted up to this week the first few weeks were a mixture of excitement, nerves and novelty. Everything was relatively new and we all wanted to impress and be impressed at the same time. Most of us have experience of college of some sort and everyone of us a wealth of business experience to call on and after a while some of us(me included) found it hard to be taught! Listening to someone else contradict or question the way we have done business or not listen to the points we raised made for a few very interesting 'Debates' into which at one time or another Dave Staunton, Frank Munnelly & Co and Geraldine Lavin got involved in! Even during Dr. Theo Lynns guest lecture we reached a point where I very much felt like I was back in second year and was caught talking down the back.But I put these down to 'Growing Pains' we all became teenagers of sorts, we knew everything and couldn't be told anything, there were cliques in the class (good and bad) and this gave us one great lesson as to how life works. Every work place, club, society or group is the same, get us together in numbers and sub groups will form, cliques and rumours, conversations etc etc etc, and its amazing as life goes on we get older and we can still see the same behaviour. The lesson is that we recognise this and learn how to use it to our advantage apply it to our life and work, which is all that matters. Recognise that sometimes there are things we can't change, learn how to play the game and play the game well or else expect to beaten from time to time ,we have the choice!
We have completed our projects, what a stress inducing nightmare! During my career post school I myself have worked on several large projects within companies etc, but when your back in school the competition and fight for marks is unbelievable, I now understand and remember what secondary education was actually like! During the semester we also had many workshops and guest lectures of which my top 2 were, the Dyson Experiment!
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| Missed a bit Anne Marie! |
Where we saw who the cleaner was for the first time! No wonder she was adamant the place be kept tidy!! The other guest lecture that really hit the spot was Theo Lynns - Techspectations presentation which opened I think all of our eyes to the importance of social media and the internet in business today.His Nazi style of presenting was refreshing if not a little bit disturbing.
I think overall I can safely say, with certainty of contradiction, that the most interesting yet least educational lectures through out the semester were that of Batman and the Boy Wonders! Frank and Jezmond! When I say least educational, I mean in a traditional sense, it was very much forward thinking and out of the box learning. It gave a very fluent look at the way we all new the product development or marketing department really work everyday, 'We'll make a cup of coffee and Ideate for a bit, then lunch and Brainstorm and then possibly another coffee break followed by drawing several mind maps or heck lets just write on the wall. Then get paid a zillion euro for an idea that some poor soul has to try and build/sell/execute!
As we came closer to the end of the semester the 'Stupid Question Squad' dissipated somewhat in to the background as more and more of us missed bits and pieces any question was nearly a welcome one! Then finally we came to the last lecture of the year with Darling Cocktails, thanks Frank! You know what good Chef's say about a meal, make sure the service & dessert blows them away as that's the most likely to be remembered I think that credo applies here, make sure we leave pissed and we are sure to think of it as a great experience. Overall I believe it was a great learning experience, if nothing else it opened my eyes on how to do business differently and think outside the box (I would love to see that box someday) a bit more.
What will we do with it, hey that's a whole other course guys! As is was said at the start, we will only get out of it what we put in! I think that's very true those that engaged and involved themselves have probably learned more than they know, presenting, working effectively (or not) in teams, politics,(although Andy could teach anyone a lesson there - amazing Class Rep campaign, followed by being assigned to SNAP for the project - there will be a tribunal!!) and so much more. It would be very easy for me to be a cynic and say it was a money generating exercise for the academy or a project in self justification, but I think it fulfilled a real need for most of the participants. I for one am glad I took part, I met some great people and enjoyed the learning experience I got from each and everyone who participated in the course.
From here What Can We Do? its a good question and it won't be on any exam, I believe we can do anything we want and set our minds to! We are a bunch of great, experienced people put together in one room, who can help each other and help ourselves achieve what we want! We have already achieved plenty in our lives and have plenty to be thankful for, after the BIP can only get better. So I ask the question again,
What can we do? YOU tell me? I say Anything!
Until Next Time
The Blipping Student
dcublip@gmail.com
