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Muddling Through College

11 Monday Mar 2013

Tags

academic, accounting, Athens, business, career, CEO, classics, college, corporations, deception, Donald Trump, education, failure, finance, GA, interests, law school, lay offs, lies, MSU, muddles, old people, people, philosophy, racket, real estate, scholarship, the American dream, The Time Given, Trammell Crow, truth, UGA, UVA, What Will They Learn, youth

Given the popularity of my postings on the law, generally and regarding specific topics, and given the inclination of so many people to ask me about becoming a lawyer and what it’s like, I thought I would write something about legal education in America. It won’t be pretty but it will paint a good overall picture of the modern training lawyers undergo. First, however, I thought I would write something about the undergraduate experience which precedes law school. That’s what this article concerns. It is mainly drawn from my experiences at the University of Georgia in the early – mid 1990’s.

As my personal collegiate experience is somewhat dated (ugh….), I have tried to incorporate a little news concerning more modern college education as well. So, this piece is really about my personal muddling with an updated, universal background. I hope it serves as a guide of sorts for those entering college or already there and struggling to decide what to make of the situation. For those you who have already completed your formal education, I hope this resonates with you. It’s up to us to enlighten the younger generations so that they may achieve their full potential.

College today is much the same as it was back then. Modern students have a wealth of on-line information to assist them in picking the right school and program for them. I wished we had had that. I recently stumbled across a fantastic website that goes beyond the normal rankings and summary guides. Check out this site: http://www.whatwilltheylearn.com/. It’s an initiative from numerous alumni to assess what, if anything, colleges teach these days. The results are eye-opening. Of the 1000 or so schools surveyed only 21 got an “A” based on required core curriculum. I’m proud to say my alma mater was among them. Several famous and pricy schools did not fare so well. Watch their video too.

(Google Images.)

Back to yours truly. I started college in 1993 immediately after graduating from high school. I applied to and was accepted to three colleges (I think it was three, I’m lazy). I got accepted to Mississippi State University (in my original home town) and the University of Georgia, where many of my relatives attended. I think the other school was UVA; I attended classes for a week as a high schooler and was most impressed.

MSU offered me a scholarship, I think it was a full ride. My dad had been a professor there and apparently they needed someone from Georgia. I probably should have accepted but, given my poor choices in college, I would have likely lost the scholarship anyway. In the end, I went to UGA. The Georgia HOPE scholarship was recently enacted at the time. My high school grades were excellent and so I would have qualified. Unfortunately, my parents made something like 50 cents over the family income maximum. The next year they raised the maximum but by then my grades were so dismal it didn’t matter. I must say I had a great time in Athens. The city is overrun with bars and hot girls and there is always something to do. Oddly, none of that matters looking back.

I have since analyzed why I did as poorly as I did in the early half of my college career. I used to blame the school and several professors in whose classes I did poorly. I have come to the conclusion though that any failings (pun intended) were my fault only. I had considered that perhaps I was not ready for college. Then again, I’m not sure what I would have done instead at that time. I wanted to continue my formal education, I just went about it all wrong. I was not true to myself.

I have devoted a whole chapter in The Time Given (not long now….) to being true to yourself. My understanding of the concept comes from my own self-betrayals. In high school and for the first few years I was at UGA I was under the delusion of the great “American dream.” George Carlin once said, “it’s a dream because you have to be asleep to believe it.” I know what he meant. The dream went something like this: You go to college to get a valuable degree. The degree gets you a ticket to work for a big corporation for 30 or 40 years. By working hard for your employer you get rich and enjoy a comfy retirement. You can vacation in Destin, Florida and such.

I tried to take the dream to its extreme conclusion. I just knew I had to major in business in order to get that golden job ticket. I started out as a general business major and then switched to a speciality in real estate. UGA’s real estate program is excellent and I did learn some things in my concentration classes which came in handy at Trammel Crow and in my brief real estate sales career. I also found some of my advanced economics classes fascinating – but only from an academic standpoint. The rest of the core business classes bored the ever-loving hell out of me. My grades reflected this. I recall mornings when I remembered I had to drop classes I had not attended all semester – on the last day possible. Still figures into some of my nightmares. I recall passing finance my reading the booklet for my fancy calculator the night before the final exam. I wasted a semester in a business MIS class that covered things like floppy disks and the new-fangled internet, whatever that was. That all says something – I’m not sure what…

The “hard” problem I found with an undergraduate business degree was that you studied based on scenarios only a CEO would encounter. Then you get into the job market and discover only entry-level jobs are available. It’s kind of depressing. I really lucked out with Trammell Crow and it took me months of interviewing for scores of other positions to find. Another problem is that once you’re on the job, they retrain you completely. I’d say only 10% of what I managed to learn ended up being useful on the job.

If you want to enter business, I think it’s best to get an MBA. It also helps to study something you have connections to (the family business, etc.). Otherwise, you’re wasting your time. I wasted a lot of the stuff.

The “soft” problem I had was that I didn’t really want to be a business major. I look like a businessman but I have the heart of a history professor or a latter-day dragon slayer, neither of which benefit from a class in marketing. This was made clear to me during my senior year. For whatever reason I finished most of the required classes and had an abundance of electives to take. Out of curiosity I wound up in a number of classics (ancient Greece and Rome) and philosophy classes.

Suddenly, I was immersed in subjects that spoke to me about eternal issues I could relate to everyday American life. I also got “A” after “A” and it wasn’t hard to do. I liked the programs. I identified with the programs. I dig ancient wisdom and logical discourse more than ROI statements and accounting baselines.

It occurred to me a little late in the game to change majors and stick it out. I probably should have done that. At the time though, the same stubbornness that got me into my plight held me there. I made excuses like “I’m almost done. I need to settle, get out, and get that dream job.” Ha! The job I got was great. I foresaw myself rising in the ranks and becoming a developer, another Donald Trump. I was good at it. I thought I could even open my own business and build skyscrapers. Then, they called me one day and thanked me profusely for my hard work. I smelled a raise. Then they said the division was closing and I was no longer needed. More depression followed. This is the real American dream – you lie to yourself, waste time and money, and end up getting laid off after giving 150%. Well, it was the dream. I think most people have to settle for permanent unemployment or food stamps these days.

After a year of flopping around I headed to law school. It was my attempt to right my ship. It almost worked. I know now that while I love the concept and theory of law, present and historical, these are not good reasons to go to law school. I’ll have more on this in my coming column on the legal education racket.

I should have gotten a Ph.D. in political theory or history. Then I would have been primed for a happier career in higher education, pondering the big ideas and helping young people seek questions and answers. I’m currently trying to re-route myself that way. This blog is a grand outlet for my academic pursuits. I’m delighted by the support I have received so far. I plan to press forward regardless of what kind, if any, formal institution I end up in. I don’t mean an “institution” where I weave baskets…

Counting the four years I was locked up in high school, it’s been about 24 years getting around to being honest about my ambitions. I have been extremely lucky in the alternative. I’ve had the opportunity most people don’t get in the business and legal fields to interact with academics, statesmen, titans and ticks of all stripes. I have also been able to strike a few blows for freedom over the years. Everything happens for a reason and I have accepted my long way home.

I hope you, dear readers, find and accept yours too. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to help you. I genuinely like helping people. It’s really why I’m here.

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To The Election

05 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by perrinlovett in Other Columns

≈ 3 Comments

Tags

2004, Bush 43, Congress, Constitution, Draco, elections, Facebook, free-speech, fun, GA, John McCain, law, learning, libertarian, Marietta, mistake, morons, oppression, Ralph Reed, Republican, Ron Paul, Rush, Supreme Court, torture

In 2004 I did a stupid thing. Despite my libertarian leanings I once involved myself with the local Republican party. I did this partly as a networking opportunity and partly as an attempt to side with the famous “lesser of two evils,” a political compromise if you will. As a result I wasted a lot of time at various party events, listening to irrational people ranting about hateful or pointless things. I learned a valuable lesson though and I have never placed myself in such a demeaning situation again.

Something funny (or alarming) did happen. I’ll relate to you now. I actually got a little bit of wisdom out of the whole experience. Maybe you will too. Mainly I learned the Party was useless and certain of its members and supporters were untrustworthy at best. This story relates to one of the chief events which taught me the lesson. Enjoy!

It was George Bush, the Dimmer’s, second Presidential campaign. I was invited to travel down to Marietta, Georgia to attend a luncheon seminar on the subject and what the “grassroots” folks could expect. The featured speaker was Ralph Reed of former “Christian” Coalition and political snake-oil fame. The event was held in a trendy hi-rise and the crowd was composed of typical Republican types – older white folks in suits and such.

(The Misunderstestimator. Google Images.)

Ralph went on and on about how Bush could and should win, if only us little people would do our part. I was more interested in the menu than the rhetoric for most of the meeting. Then I caught something Ralph said which made me laugh openly. I nearly choked on my scone. He was commenting on how hard it would be to win the re-election, or any new election for that matter, thanks to the Draconian and likely illegal provisions of the dreaded McCain-Feingold campaign finance law, recently enacted. He went on for a few minutes about the horrors of doing business under the new law and then opened up for questions.

You probably can guess what happened next. I couldn’t resist. I raised my hand early and when called on I asked, “Do you mean the same McCain-Feingold law authored by Republican John McCain? Ralph, reading my thoughts, nodded affirmatively but uncomfortably. I kept on, “You mean the same law passed by the Republican majority in both houses of Congress? Ralph began to sweat. At this point, several of the well-fed attendees looked up from their dessert dishes. I pressed on, “You’re talking about the law signed by President Bush, the same guy with the current troubles? Ralph was white and shaky. He had a hard time answering me. A few more of the Rush-bots began to listen.

I further inquired, “This is the law which Bush said was probably UnConstitutional, but that he’d sign anyway?” Ralphie swooned. I should have stopped but I just could not help myself. Most of the herd was still grazing thoughtlessly, but I had a large enough audience for my point. “Didn’t Bush sign the law only to say the Supreme Court would work out the details?” I asked. At this point Mr. Reed determined to leave early and stopped my questioning with a vague, “Uh, yeah…that law.” He didn’t want the suits to catch on if they could. There were no more questions.

As if by chance, or design, I happened to take the same descending elevator as Mr. Reed. I pressed a little further. I didn’t want to harass the poor guy but the fun was too good to let slip past. I asked rhetorically, “I guess it’s up to the Supreme Court, now?” Ralph began to turn green but responded, “Yeah. We’ll have to see what they say.” I ended the verbal water-boarding, “And, we can always count on them, can’t we?” I wish there was a video to corroborate my story.

The first time I was alone afterwards I laughed loudly for minutes on end. The ride home was unremarkable though. I don’t think the person I accompanied ever caught on to what I was implying. To her, whatever this new law was, it was just another part of the process – our team versus theirs. What it really meant was that the home team consisted of a bunch of F—ing Morons! I’ve never seen Ralph since and he won’t accept my Facebook friendship request. Bad memories I suppose.

The law turned out to mean nothing to the ticks and has since been largely over-ridden. The Supremes did make their ruling – a classic in my opinion. They pointed out the oppressive, free-speech limiting nature of the law, but concluded that since it pertained to the two political branches, and since those branches had approved it, the Court would too out of deference. So they did! As I said the law has been rendered moot for the most part. Politicians don’t mind stamping out the little people’s rights and opportunities, but they sure as hell won’t have any law impinging on their schemes.

(Justice Scalia did note the chilling provisions of Mc-Gold on “average” people. Google Images.)

In the end, I guess nothing was gained or lost, except any respect I had for Republicans not named Ron Paul.

Ten Things You Can Do Today

05 Tuesday Mar 2013

Posted by perrinlovett in Other Columns

≈ 2 Comments

Here follows a list of ten easy things you can do today to make your life a little better. I tried to think of things that one can do without spending any money. Most of these don’t require much time either. I offer these as a free service to you in hopes you will spread the good word. If you already do the first nine things, pay attention to number ten.

1. Don’t Worry.

Whatever it is, it will pass. Worrying won’t help anything. In fact, spending your time obsessing over possible bad outcomes is not only counter-productive, but it places you in an impossible position of managing things of your own imagining which will likely never happen. Do what you can do about the things you can change, hand off the rest.

2. Take a Walk.

(Google Images.)

Walking, even at a slow pace over a short distance, builds muscles and burns fat. That means, it makes you physically healthy. It also allows you the chance to clear your mind of most thoughts, which rejuvenates the brain. That and the added benefit of more oxygen in the blood will make your later thinking clearer.

3. Do Something for Someone Else.

Do it without being asked to first. It can be a very small thing. But, it will have big benefits for the other person and for you. Remember, it really is better to give than to receive. A small act of kindness, for anyone, builds and promotes good character and happiness.

4. Turn off the TV.

(Google Images.)

Television can be great entertainment. It can even be informative at times. Too often though, it ends up being an escape from reality – one you don’t really need. Why waste time viewing someone else’s fake life, when you can live and improve yours. This also goes for video games and computing (not blogging though).

5. Slow Down.

My dad always said, “If you are in a hurry, you’ll waste time.” His meaning was this: if you hurry about with things, inevitably you will mess up and have to spend more time correcting your mistakes. Slow it all down. In our modern, speed-of-light society, leave instantaneous processes to computers, faxes, and cellphones. Take life in stride.

6. Build Something.

Anything. Start a blog, build a bird house, bake a pie. Create something that takes a little time and ingenuity. It’s important for humans to be creative, and whatever you create will give you a grand sense of accomplishment. Go do it!

7. Find a Reason to Compliment Someone.

It could be anything about anyone. Tell a stranger they dress well (try not to seem like a stalker or weirdo). Tell your daughter she did a good job at school. Tell your boss you’re grateful for your job. People like hearing compliments and giving them builds better relationships. Think of this as the easiest way to implement No. 3, above.

8. Read a Book.

Any book will do. Maybe it’s a classic you’ve read before several times. Try it again. See if you can pick out anything new amidst the familiar. A new book will open up new challenges and thoughts. Reading knowledge is cumulative, the more you do the better you get at it. Learn something new today.

(Google Images.)

9. Add an Outside Perspective You Already Value.

Think about any thing you’re doing and ponder how your favorite historical figure or celebrity might handle it. What would Jesus or Thomas Jefferson or Frank Sinatra do? Is their way different from yours? Compare and contrast your methods of approach and see if you don’t want to change something.

10. Make Your Own List.

If you already do the things I’ve mentioned, then compile a list of your own 10 Things and pass them along to others. You’ll be glad you did.

Top Shelf Cigars

03 Sunday Mar 2013

Posted by perrinlovett in Other Columns

≈ 13 Comments

Tags

America, Augusta, business, cigars, dominos, Esteli, Florida, GA, green space chickens, humidor, libertarian, London, luxury, Masters, New Hampshire, New York, Nicaragua, Nick Perdomo, pipes, poker, Rudyard kipling, Russell Wilder, Southeast, tobacco, Top Shelf Cigar Shoppe

I like to help people. I also appreciate good people and good services. So, I have no problem whatsoever writing this column about my great friends at the Top Shelf Cigar Shoppe in Martinez (Evans [greater Augusta]), Georgia. This is part of my continuing series on good businesses.

My family and I moved to Augusta about six years ago. I needed to find a top-notch place to purchase and enjoy fine cigars. There were and still are several tobacco businesses in the area, each unique in its own way. However, when I first visited Top Shelf I knew I was “home.”

Just about every city over 100,000 in population has at least one cigar shop. Some are decent, others are good, some are great. Top Shelf falls into the rare great category. If you live in the area and enjoy fine cigars, I highly recommend a visit. Find them on the web, here: http://www.topshelfcigarshoppe.com/. If you’re visiting or just passing through, you’ll feel right at home.

Top Shelf is the brainchild and proprietary interest of Mr. Russell Wilder. After retiring early, Russell knew he wanted to develop a special place dedicated to premium cigars and pipe tobacco. He has more than accomplished his original goal, having built one of the most recognized and distinctive stores in America. This has not been am easy process. Often he reports to work before the sun rises and doesn’t leave until it is dark again. He goes the extra mile for his customers and with his suppliers and employees.

(Russell and his boss.)

Russell regularly attends national conventions and trade shows and has a personal relationship with most of the major players in the modern cigar market. Just the other day he returned from a trip to Esteli, Nicaragua and a visit to Nick Perdomo’s growing and production operation. Nick and other cigar royalty have been quests at Russell’s shop over the years.

I’ve been to cigar shop’s from Florida to New Hampshire. The really good one’s are memorable because they get things right. In addition to maintaining an inventory which works for the local market, owners must follow trends and design their stores to be as comfortable and enjoyable as possible.

Russell has had three different locations, each an improvement over the previous incarnation. His original shop was in a shopping center. As is (or was), it was an excellent place. However, when the opportunity presented itself to move to a larger space where he could upgrade most of the shop’s features, Russell didn’t hesitate. I helped move some of the stock and furniture from place to place as did most other “regulars.” A great shop will always have at least a few regular customers on hand to demonstrate the quality of the business.

Last summer Russell made a quantum leap. He bought his own freestanding building and moved his shop to its current location on Columbia Road. This provides easy access from Washington and Wheeler roads, both major arteries, as well as access to Interstates 20 and 520. There are some interior pictures of the new shop at the link above. You may notice a rounder version of your’s truly in one of those – seated at the domino table with a few other vagabonds.

The new shop is a model of cigar industry environment and decor. It features a giant, two-room walk-in humidor with dark wood and exposed brick trim. The rest of the building (even the huge bathroom) is covered floor and ceiling in rich judge’s panelling and tongue and groove Arkansas pine. The floor is a beautiful faux stone. I played a small part in the remodeling of the new space, working several nights until late with a crew of other dedicated regulars to help Russell build his dream. It was well worth it. And, it says something about a man when so many of his friends and customers will pitch in on a construction project of that magnitude for free. The greater portion of the credit for the new design goes to one Scott Kirby, who single-handed did about 80% of the interior work. Everything you see is hand, scratch built. The design rivals anything I’ve ever seen in the cigar best of any major city. Think a luxury shop in New York or London.

(Kipling in the humidor.)

Any liquor store with a license can sell cigars. Some lower-rent aficionados go so far as to buy cigars on-line. A great shop makes for a great experience. Russell and his staff – wife Sharon (the real boss), daughter Sarah, Gerald, Tom, and Matt – know the business inside and out and can make tremendous recommendations and comparisons.

Another critical facet of a successful shop is the smoking lounge. As noted above, Top Shelf’s is trimmed in luxurious wood and stone. It has three air-cleaners to keep the atmosphere breathable no matter how many cigars are being enjoyed. There is spacious seating for many friends to gather in comfort. Russell provides humidified lockers, a giant screen television with cable, a refrigerator, free coffee, and innumerable other services. The lounge is usually busy any hour of the day, any day of the week.

As part of going the extra mile Russell offers many additional perks. The shop is home to a premium club with meets at least once a month. The meetings provide an entertaining opportunity for fellowship and the enjoyment of the latest cigars. The shop also hosts a friendly poker game once a week (no cash). Russell also is deeply involved in the community. From his annual charity golf tournament to providing cigars to local businesses and clubs to keeping the smoke-loving patrons of the Masters happy, Russell is everywhere.

An arch-libertarian, Russell is happy to give his opinion on politics and economics to both his customers and friends as well as the local media. Russell also has a keen sense for the stock market and is always dropping profitable hints to those who will listen. This level of personal service is what puts Top Shelf above just about any other store in the Southeast.

Drop by for a visit if you can. If not, scour your area for a shop with the traits I’ve listed here. You’ll be glad you did. Not a cigar lover? Shame on you. There is still time!