Some not so well deserved R&R

After a long and winding internship road, I'm back in Chicago and just about ready to leave again tomorrow morning.

Why? Lots of busy traveling plans, but let's back up and end the suspense right away.

I did get an offer for full-time employment from my internship, so that's the good news.

It also made for a very interesting last day of work.

With no client deliverables due (thanks to a presentation to the CEO on that Monday) I really didn't have any functional work to busy myself with. That would've been fine, except that my meeting for my 'final appraisal' wasn't going to happen until 3:30 in the afternoon.

That's a lot of time to ponder, and as demonstrated by my last post, giving me more time to think is never a good idea.

So I sat and waited....and waited....and waited. Meanwhile, the other summer associates went in for their sessions one by one, and each emerged with good news (which wasn't really a surprise considering what All-Stars they were)

Finally, one of the senior members of my project team came and escorted me to a partner's office (had it been a security guard, I would've gotten a different impression, although when he yelled 'Dead man walking!!!' it was a tiny bit disconcerting)

So I sat down in the office, and with another 3 people dialed in via teleconference, the partner held up a large manila envelope and joked that it might not be thick enough to be good news.

But it obviously was, which made the rest of the conversation much much easier.

After the meeting, it was time for a last fun night in NYC with the other summer associates, and then a quick exit the next afternoon to Philadelphia to see the family before heading back to school.

Now that I've been back in Chicago for a couple days, I'm already packed to head back out tomorrow morning for a 9ish flight out of O'Hare. And this is only the beginning, below is the summary of my vacation travel schedule (which I feel I deserve after enduring 9 whole weeks of real-world work):

Aug 23rd - Aug 31st: Ecuador, "leading" a group of incoming MBA students deep into the heart of the jungle. Miles and miles from the nearest hospital, rumors of civil unrest and Colombian rebels...what could possibly go wrong?!?

Sept 4th - Sept 7th: Vegas...I really need to win some tuition money...

Sept 9th - Sept 18th: Greece...because why stop at just one continent for vacation

Then I get back to Chicago and have a good couple days before admissions training, I'm assuming all of that time will be spent asleep

I am Abe Vigoda!

at least I might be, if my paranoia is in any way accurate.

I've finished up the majority of my summer internship here in NYC. Things have been going well. The project has been very interesting and has gotten be great experience doing things professional consultants do (e.g., using things like e.g.)

All good things, and the feedback I've received coming into my last week of work has been positive.

And yet....I'm a little concerned as we get closer and closer to this Friday, when full-time offer decisions at the firm will be revealed.

Earlier this week, I was scheduled to go with the senior members of the project team out to our client's headquarters to help present our initial findings to the company's CEO and other senior executives. Sounded good to me, as I haven't left NYC all summer and have never physically met anyone from our client (I like to think of it as like a consultant ninja....slipping in and leaving strategic recommendations without ever being seen)

But I booked this flight out to be there this Monday, booked a hotel, was getting all excited to go.

Then late this week I got a call from the boss.

"Sorry, we ended up needing to bring in another senior guy to present this operational issue, so I'm afraid you won't be able to join us"

But, that messes up all my arrangements....I thought


Which is when I had my Abe Vigoda moment, you know, when he realizes that his plot to kill Al Pacino has been discovered and they're going to kill him

Am I being bumped because they want to kill (read: not offer) me?!? Or am I just being crazy?

We'll know in less than a week.

But other than that sense of impending doom, things are good. The internship has absolutely flown by, and while it's been nice getting a steady paycheck, I'm really much more interested in getting back to Chicago and all the fun vacation stuff I've got planned.

The way I see it, I should be able to spend all the money I made this summer before school even starts again in late September. With trips to Ecuador, Vegas, and Greece on tap, that should be easy right?