What a week

It gives me an immense pleasure to share with readers of this blog, that yours truly Arpit Gupta has completed an exciting year long journey leading to Masters of Engineering and Management degree on May 18, 2008. Looking back at the year, I have enjoyed every bit of this journey comprising of long working hours, team projects, meetings, documentation and presentations. Beyond doubt I feel greatly excited upon reaching at the other end, but I am surely going to miss everything related to this program. I would like to give special thanks to all faculties in M.E.M. program and TiME staff for organizing this unique program successfully year after year.

This past week I enjoyed attending couple of meetings back to back. One of which was “The Leading EDGE Awards program” organized by Entrepreneurs EDGE to honor the 95 Northeast Ohio value creating companies. Second event was organized by ‘The founder’s café’, a, organization to connect entrepreneurs across North East Ohio and help them out in their various ventures. In the span of two days I met partners, VP’s, CEO’s, Investment bankers, Entrepreneurs (my favorite of course), professors and lot many friends.

These meetings have helped me identify the broad range of organizations that are working to drive value in North East Ohio. I consider myself extremely lucky to have got the chance of working with Entrepreneurs Edge, one such organization in a 2 month internship called as CEO for NEO (Creating Entrepreneurial Organizations for Northeast Ohio). It might sound strange to work on internship after graduation, but for me it’s a one of its kind opportunity to get hands on experience in Entrepreneurship, new product development, and working with various executives and key people of North East Ohio.

Future does looks exciting ahead and will keep all readers updated about my journey.

Mobile Discovery, blog and Web 2.0: Sharing and Collaboration is the key

Case hosted a daylong symposium on Web 2.0 and its impact on May 8, 2008. I lost my detailed notes that I took during the whole event. But, it was really encouraging to see that everyone talked about utilizing different Web 2.0 tools to create an impact on society, employees and company. During a break out session Mobile Discovery, elaborated on the results and impact of 2Dcode trial. Participants of event applauded the trial and took keen interest in exploring Mobile Discovery museum of codes. I still don’t have pictures of gallery, but it comprised of various use cases of 2d codes in trial and mockups of how this technology could be used by advertisers. Click to see an example of one such mock up

Whole MEM team and CASE community would like to thank Mobile Discovery for conducting first of its kind 2d code trial at CASE.

Response to NY Times article on Mobile Discovery

Following reaction is in response to article posted on New York Times.

As a student member of team working with Mobile Discovery for past eight months, it baffles me as how easily a journalist from elite media publishing firm can ridicule our collective efforts and results. The one sided attack on this trial connotes a narrow understanding of the vision for this trial in campus. Objective of trials is not to sell any technology or increase the cellular bills of students, but to develop the standards of this technology so that its potential could be extended to larger audience. Author of this article mention that bar code technology isn’t widely used in North America, but dint realized that the sole purpose of this trial is to find out more about the technology and do a gap audit on what’s needed for it to be useful.

A new technology had always been ridiculed by general public. But, with no real hand data available on trial, it makes me wonder how a technical columnist can be so critical of the trial that’s generating so much of nationwide interest. Trial has already been termed as success as it gives a first hand analysis as to how this technology needs to be incorporated in wider wireless and cellular infrastructure to be successful. Potential of bar code technology could still be debated, but it would add definitive value to dying print media. I would go on and term it as Marketing 2.0 - new age marketing solutions not because I am part of this team but I realize the true benefits that could be accrued by successful integration of this technology in cellular space.

It upsets me that author choose to neglect the positive outcomes out of this trial and solely focused on classroom dialogue throughout the article. We as Mobile Discovery team are proud of being associated with this trial and would continue to work hard to realize the potential of this technology.

Watch out for updates on museum showcasing the evolution of new age marketing capabilities with bar code technology.

Mobile Discovery

For past eight months me along with my MEM friends are working with Mobile Discovery, a revolutionary startup organization which would redefine the future marketing solutions for advertisers (Call it Marketing 2.0, if you wish). Our role is to carry out a Beta test in CWRU which would help them glean how Mobile Discovery would be accepted by consumers and more essentially to prove their technology to wireless carriers. A quick and simple way to define this technology is “Hyperlink for mobile phones”. A 2d code is just a pattern of black and white colors in a rectangle, but in it is embedded the information about content. You need to download a software on your mobile phone (300 KB-1 MB, depending on the cell phone) called Scan life which turns your “mobile phone into scanner” (Powerful caption to get attention). So, all you have to do is make sure you are connected to a network (Wi-Fi or a data plan provided by wireless carriers) and open this application and you are ready to scan 2d codes and access the content. To download and get going, register at http://www.mobilediscovery.com/ (but as of now access is limited to Case community only).

Potential of this technology lies in the fact is that it makes print advertisement interactive, by letting users scan and know more about the product/service that advertisers are trying to sell. Experience of carrying out this test has been really useful to us and Mobile Discovery. We would be pushing our efforts in the remaining one month. I would be updating here more about our progress and results. To read more about the ongoing trial, please read:

http://www.cio.com/article/178853/Scan_Your_Way_to_the_Next_Party_University_Tests_Mobile_D_Barcode_System
http://observer.case.edu/Archives/Volume_40/Issue_19/Story_2495/
http://blog.case.edu/case-news/2008/01/29/2dcodes

Program Manager Interview

So, after weeks of preparation, I interviewed with Microsoft on March 13, 2008 for Program Manager Position. I interviewed with Office sharing Services and Outlook group. Usually you need to have 5 interviews to have a strong chance of getting a full time offer. Sadly, I just got three; now if that means rejection, I don’t know yet. I am not optimistic either. I did fairly well in first two of my interviews and probably got slightly relaxed in third one.

Overall the time I spent preparing for Microsoft, has given me a new perspective on product design. I believe I missed the chance very narrowly and should have gone in my favor. But, I want to continue my learning in the area of new product design especially understanding the customer’s requirements and specifying them. I would write in more detail about my interview and what all resources I used. I focused lot of my preparation time in understanding customer requirements and doing various design cases for new products. In retrospect, I should have spent some time on user interface designing. My UI design in 3rd interview wasn’t at par with ideas I generated for the design case given to me.

Visa Interview

My visa interview was on 21^st May, 2007 in New Delhi at 12:45 PM. Advice is take your visa date as early as possible to get the morning slot, otherwise rush keeps on added up towards the end. My visa was in the month when there are very few numbers of student visa and rush is acceptable. Reach around an hour before your visa time as they allow you to pass an hour before your interview start.

I reached an hour and 5 mins before the visa interview. Don’t forget to sign your DS-156 form and right your name in your native language in one of those forms. I join the Queue outside the embassy at 11:40 AM and slowly moved ahead. Upon entering embassy your thumb impression of left and right index finger would be taken. Since it was lunch time less no. of counters were operating. I would advise to talk around the fellow members (in English) to cool down tension, know more about fellow US travelers. I was in Queue for two and half hours and learnt a lot about visa rules of business, tourist and J-1 travelers. Carry cash with you as you can buy snacks and other food items inside.

Visa Interview: My interview was taken by a young American lady

I pass her my I-20 and she reads “CASE Western “. Her Response, “WOW”.

She was about to ask my financial but cut herself short and says that, ”you must have got Grades, Show me your grade card”

I passed it to her. Nods in between and smiles. Then she asks for my GRE and TOEFEL score and I say them blah blah.

She reads the course that I am pursuing in CASE Western; it was Engineering Management and asks some questions about it.

What is this course about?

Why you want to do it?

She reads that some amount has been reduced in I-20 and asks about that. I tell her that I have 25% fellowship. She says,”WOW and asks for my admit letter”. Given reads it.

VO: CASE Western is a good college, but not cheap. So how are you going to pay for your college? What does your father do?

Me: My father is an Executive Engg in Municipal Corporation Delhi(She writes this down and lots of other thing parallel on her computer)

VO: How much he earns?

Me: I said ___. Before she asks me anything, I said, ”My father has worked for more than 25 years and over this period he has made lots of investments. He purchased four properties long back and their net value has increased several times. I have the CA statement for that and original property papers (This I did to put upfront our financial strength and to take her into confidence before waiting for questions).”

VO: Show me

CA Statement given, she turns to second page where property values were mentioned. She looked at that and says”WOW, and says your father is a smart man”.

VO: Ok, Mr. Arpit you are eligible for VISA.

It was a cool experience and I would say Visa interview is all about confidence. One thing I would seriously recommend is a CA statement that lists assets of family serially. Keep that letter in the front and arrange all the other documents according to that. An Important thing is that, just a bank statement is from your bank that you have xyz lakhs in your account is not sufficient. You should have Pass book or Bank statements to confirm that.

Just go out there confidently and trust me you would get your visa. Wish you all, Good Luck.

Arpit Gupta

arpit.decompiler@gmail.com

Strategy

So here I am in the wee hours of 13th April of my final year of Under Graduation. About 15 days back I finally decided to zero down on my final future option. This decision of my life would have an ever lasting impression of my life ahead and I have taken an utmost care and spent a lot of time deciding about it. So, after the completion of my under-graduation, a Bachelors in Technology I would be flying to pursue Masters in Engineering Management in no time. I must have considered a hell number of options for me. It was like a Chess game and deciding on final strategy was no easy game. Now that I have no tension as to where I would be or the questions of similar nature for at least few more months, I would relax and enjoy my final month at DA-IICT.

In past week I understood my course curriculum at case and I am excited to attend classes starting June. To give you an Idea course is fairly an integrated one concentrating on all areas of a firm namely technology, Management, finance, accounts, etc. Now all these areas do not work in secrecy to each other. I believe the success of firm be it technology intensive, service or a products industry rely upon the co-ordination of each of these domains. Some of the book I have read in past week are:

1. Creating Blue Ocean Strategy
2. The Power of Six Sigma
3. Production Process and Development
4. Engineering economic analysis

and lots of other. This collected reading has empowered me to appreciate the true meanings of Engineering Management. I think this program would open up my thinking or I should say Applied Thinking in understanding Engineering Processes and its coordination in a Management Scenario. I am right now focusing on Product Strategy techniques for new Technology Products. As of now my career plan is to be a Consultant as an Analyst in a challenging company. I am open to change my plan and in fact looking forward to understand various possible career profiles for me.

Apart from all these I donated blood on 18th March. It was a good feeling and felt more matured towards my society needs. Also I walked on the Ramp on 11th March in Synpase 2007. I have lot to write about it. This was one hell of a of experience and would write about it soon. Also made a visit to Mehsana Water Park. This was again a cherished experience spent with my best friends.

I look forward to our Farewell Party, my Visa interview(date not taken yet), B.Tech Project Presentation, lots and lots of moments with my friends in next month.