Series Review: Suits

I was still in high school in 2011 when I started watching Suits. The pilot series was just launched and I randomly found the show online. I decided to try it out & I was lured in so badly. Mike Ross, one of the protagonists in the show had a photographic memory, memorized the US laws & regulations and passed the bar exam for someone else. I was mesmerized by the smart lines & conversations between the characters. Harvey Specter the character that has filled all social media with his quotes empowered me to believe I can conquer anything. What a series! “People like this, I LIKE THIS” and that was Harvey’s unorthodox hand gesture implying that most people have a very low bar, and he raises / sets the bar.

The story rotates around Harvey Specter a lawyer in New York who graduated from Harvard and him hiring Mike Ross, his side kick in all of his suited up adventures.  Everyone accepted to the law firm he works in has to be a Harvard graduate. The problem is that most people don’t impress Harvey, a successful character that works alone. But Jessica (the managing director & his boss) forces him to pick someone. The only person that impresses him with a smart line is a photographic memory protégé who has no law degree. The series has several characters that appease the taste of whomever watches the series. It has a law / corporate environment for those who aspire to be in corporate jobs later on.

I find shows the like of Suits quite impressive, appeasing and ridiculously entertaining. I would recommend watching it if you ever feel demotivated or if you feel your work is taking you no-where. It can actually make you feel that the excel sheet you are currently working on can change the world. Each season from the show is cut to two parts (summer and winter). Every time the series launches again a surge of excitement runs through my blood. Enjoy the series and if you started watching it after this review give us your feedback!

Movie Review: The Inside Job

 

 

Finance is not limited to those who study it. It is a phenomenon rather than a major or profession. Today most people in our Arab world do not understand the financial crisis of 2008 & its implications. They have no clue what CDOs mean & they do not understand how IB (Investment Banking) came to exist. That is simply because financiers made sure that they complicate financial terminologies, which in return made it easier to scam normal individuals like you and I. To have a better understanding of the financial crisis, I recommend watching the “Inside Job”, an Oscar winning documentary that stars Matt Damon as the voice behind the scenes. I found it very luring as it does not take the pace of traditional documentaries. It also tries to eliminate any boring scenery that could make it tenuous & painful to watch.

Being a finance major, I understood the financial crisis very well, as most of my banking and risk courses were based on this particular “Black Swan” & how to regulate the financial markets. Yet, I found it very hard to explain it to people outside of my major. Inside Job simplifies it & makes it interesting to watch. I think it is very important to have the whole world aware of the mess caused by a few irresponsible individuals. I think it’s as important to make people aware that most of the individuals responsible for this mess went off the hook with almost no penalizing what so ever. Most of the unethical habits have been savored & nothing has changed. Big bonuses are still checked in by high level executives and their pay is still incomprehensible by logic.

 

I won’t be ruining the movie for you, but I truly think It is a movie worth the watch. Tune into Inside Job on Netflix!

A new perspective on procrastination!

Time management is the subject everyone has started hearing about at a very early stage, probably right after preschool. Its importance cannot be emphasized enough, and yet we only notice that maybe a little bit too late. Even though the saying goes by it’s never too late, it’s safe to say that realizing the importance of a subject while people around you are still willing to give some advice and assistance is very much more helpful than realizing its importance when you have to learn about it all by yourself.

It may not come as a surprise that the day is divided into 24 hours. This only becomes a problem when the things you need to get done require much more than 24 hours; hence sleep becomes a problem and procrastination a crisis. Now of course, every problem comes with a solution, and we’re going to be talking about the latter first. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, procrastination is: putting off intentionally the doing of something that should be done. The two main keywords in the definition are ‘intentionally’ and ‘should be done’. Being time efficient begins by identifying what has to be done and wasting no time doing it. The first step into time efficiency is in knowing what should be done. Not working according to a schedule and according to a set number of tasks, even if it’s not written down, is not working at all. How can you possibly reach a destination without pinning it down first? The process of knowing what should be done is not merely as important as doing it. There’s a famous Arabic saying that goes by: don’t postpone today’s work on tomorrow, for tomorrow brings with it its own work. The same goes for the hour; don’t postpone this hours work on the next… you get the point.

The most important aspect of time management in my opinion is sleep management. It cannot be emphasized enough how big of an impact a sleep schedule might have on your effectiveness at work. Regardless of which schedule goes well with your body and brain synchronization, it is advised to stay away from the “your body needs eight hours of sleep every night” vision. Though sleep is essential for brain development and the learning process, great accomplishments never happened in a bedroom.

 

 

Previous Review: The Founder

 

McDonalds, McDonalds, McDonalds, what a success! Well, all credits go to a man named Ray Kroc.

 

In the mid 1950’s, after numerous attempts to sell milkshakes to restaurants, Ray Kroc suddenly got introduced to a well performing California Hamburger Stall that was getting a lot of attraction from customers. He later was able to convince its owners to franchise it and was able to turn it into the Godzilla of fast food brands. Throughout the movie, Ray Kroc stumbles upon many challenges and debates with the owners but always manages to overcome them given his supreme persistence behavior. As the franchise grows bigger, he gets greedier yet more persistent and clever. Eventually, he went on to becoming the founder of the biggest fast food restaurant in the world.

 

This movie/documentary offers amazing insights into the world of franchising and the challenges that come with it in terms of competition, sales and creativity. One of the concepts showcased in the movie and emphasized upon is the importance of evolving and changing in business. Ray Croc who started as a partner and franchisee of the Mcdonald’s brand was always an enthusiast of adding new ideas, products, innovations and services. Whereas, the McDonald’s brothers (The Founders) were satisfied with the status quo and against any idea proposed to enhance the business and innovate on the products and service. We all know that businesses that fail to change and innovate die one way or another for change is the only constant.

Another concept of importance was the value of customer service and satisfaction, Mcdonald’s was one of the innovators in terms of Total Quality Management. This was mainly through the way the kitchen was designed, the division of labor inside the kitchen and the speedy service to the customers who by the way got their food by waitresses to their cars.

This bright, absorbing biopic – in a very real sense, a monster movie – sets out how he did it. It’s eye-opening, well-acted, and darkly entertaining.

 

 

 

Patience, persistence and perspiration make an unbeatable combination for success.   “Napoleon Hill”

5 Things To Consider Before Doing Your Masters

 

Taking the decision of going abroad is never an easy one, it usually requires some planning and some decision making to make sure it’s the best fit. When choosing to do masters program abroad you should consider the following:

 

The Program:

Choosing a suitable masters program is one of the toughest decisions I had to make. It’s the kind of decision with the point of no return ( especially if you paid your tuition at the beginning).

When considering a business program apart from the general MBA which requires some years of experience, you have 3 options.

1. Choose a continuation program of your major. For example: If you have a bachelors in finance you can continue a masters degree in finance, get more knowledge in the field and do your research accordingly.
2. Choose a program under the umbrella of your bachelors program. For example: Mastering in corporate finance if you have a bachelors in finance or international marketing if you studied international business or marketing.
3. Doing something completely different! For example: If you have a a bachelors in management but with a twist for an entrepreneurial spirit, doing a masters in entrepreneurship is always a great option

 

The School:

When looking for a good business school, you will be drowning in options. The choices are many, but the ones who attain certain qualities of education are a different story.

It is recommended to take a good look at the accreditations a business school has. The definition of accreditiations is:

Accreditation is a process of validation in which colleges, universities and other institutions of higher learning are evaluated. The standards for accreditation are set by a peer review board whose members include faculty from various accredited colleges and universities.

Make sure the school has at least 1 accreditation and a good reputation. This will definitely influence your job opportunities later on

 

The Courses:

Once you settle on a program, take a quick look at the courses offered for your program. The difference between what you have in mind and reality might come as a shock and influence your performance if you have no clue what to expect.

The Country:

 

Do your research on the country you plan on living in for it will be a year minimum. Check the visa requirements if you need one, the cost of living there (including food, rent and transportation). Take a quick look on the culture, things to do and student life. You are not going to be working 24/7!

Countries like France for example offer students help in rent expenses and is a great place to have fun and check the area and culture (Also, the wine is amazing)

 

The tuition:

When looking for a suitable business school, you will be surprised that many schools offer almost the same programs while having relatively the same reputations and accreditations. The only difference would be a sizable sum of tuition especially if you are interested in going to Europe. Choose wisely!

 

Stay tuned for more articles on how to choose the best business program for you!

 

 

 

 

Our trip to Paradise: The ecstasy of imagination

As kids of the 1993 generation, I remember when we used to play “kitchen”, “firefighters”, “cow boys”, “husband-wife & kids” and all these games that were spurred by our imagination. I remember when we had no access to technology, and when watching a movie meant we were going to be the characters for the next couple of months. I was Ash from Pokemon, the father in the patriot; I discovered that my Nintendo could actually make me part of the Digimon world. It was all so beautiful. That stayed the case till 9^th grade. Then the games just leveled up. I won an Oscar, a Grammy and noble prize all in the walls of my room in front of my mirror and it was announced by my deodorant pack. That beautiful one million deodorant pack was always my companion when I imagined myself singing and reading my poetry aloud. Some-how and even though I was bombarded with all this new technology, I managed to keep my dreams till I graduated university. Once I started my career, social media (what I like to call imagination inhibitors) kicked in.

 

Last month, one of my partners in Mindfortinc (Ahmad) took us to see his house in a village in Lebanon called “Jeb Jeneen”. It was all greenery and farms. We walked around picking fruits from trees (apples) and isolating ourselves from social media. It was a great experience being able to connect with nature. Somehow I felt like every breeze of air was giving me back my soul again. I felt like young Yahya was back. Lucky for me we spent a night there eating the best food and breathing the real essence of oxygen. Days later, I had the chance to roommate with my roommate when I was back in University (also one of the partners at Mindfortinc “Hamed”). The conversations we had sounded like our old selves. We were dreaming again, we re-set our goals and somehow our vision of our future clarified. It dawned on me here that maybe social media has enough toxicity to overweigh its pros. Maybe we all need to take a step back from social media and isolate ourselves every now and then just to be in-touch with our 5 year old selves so we can remember the taste of imagination.

 

This brings me to a bigger concern. If our generation is starting to forget what imagination felt like, what about the generation that hasn’t tasted it in the first place? A generation that learned to play with ipads & iphones before they even learned talking. I think it is worthwhile to take a minute and think of how this impacts the future of business & the world. Would Thomas Edison have created the light bulb if there were no imagination? Would Steve jobs create the iphone
? Or Henry Ford create the car?

 

 

4 things to Consider Before Choosing Your Business Major!

Choosing a major when considering to enter a  business school is one hell of a decision. Although most business schools give basic courses that are common to all business majors, what really counts are the 3-5 concentration courses that really make the difference on your career, perspective and mentality.

First, know what are you getting yourself into

Is it something I would handle studying for 3-4 years? It would be a terrible experience to go into accounting or finance major if you hate numbers, Or into economics if you hate charts and graphs!

 

Do your research about the market needs…

What are the future career opportunities? Sure, you can study finance and work in marketing later on, but is it worth all the effort?

Does it align with your passion?

Many people have a knack for investing even before going to business school while others might have an eye for campaigns and generally enjoy psychology related topics. Its obvious!

Finally,

What are the potential post graduate programs you would care to pursue?

While many business majors have multiple postgraduate masters programs, others have less options that would strictly bind you to one career. A Masters in digital marketing would be wonderful, but would not be helpful if you want to work as a banker!

Eventually, make sure you really think well about your options and decisions! you never know where life will take you!