Planning for My Future Career Endeavors

1. Objectives: 

a- Receive all A's in my five current classes
b- Graduate from Baruch in May 2013
c- Obtain a career or get accepted into a legal and compliance training program within a financial firm

2. Personal Strengths and Weaknesses: 

a- Receive all A's in my five current classes:

Strengths: 
1. I was always an individual who was more successful when being very busy, I am able to allocate my time effectively.
2. When I find a topic interesting, I tend to devote more time to it. Which, I find myself currently doing in my International Business classes.
3. I have lengthy breaks in between my Monday and Wednesday classes, which I use my time to complete classwork.

Weaknesses:
1. I am currently taking five classes at Baruch, extra-curricular Italian lessons four hours per week,  interning fourteen hours per week, a  member of Baruch's Wall Street Club, as well as working on Saturdays from 10am - 6pm; which leaves little time to do my school work to the best of my ability.
2. I have the tendency to leave tasks to the last minute, when I feel more pressure to complete something is when I mostly get it done.
3. The work load is some of my classes is more than I expected and will take up more effort and time to complete to receive an "A" for.

b- Graduate from Baruch in May 2013:

Strengths: 
1. I have the motivation and drive to want to finish college as soon as I can.
2. I have my courses planned out and know which classes to take and when to take them (inc. Winter and Summer Session 1).
3. I am able to allocate my time effectively towards school, while remaining busy in other areas of my life.

Weaknesses: 
1. I have to take a winter class, five Spring 2013 classes, and two summer courses in order to graduate.
2. I have extremely little room for failure. If something interferes with one of my classes, which results failure, it will delay my graduation.
3. My father pays my out-of-state tuition and I do not receive any form of financial aid or compensation, which can be very difficult at times when it is time to pay the bill.

3. Obtain a career or get accepted into a legal and compliance training program within a financial firm:

Strengths: 
1. I have partaken in three internships in prestigious organizations, which shows that I am active outside of school.
2. I am a student of Baruchs' Zicklin School of Business, which is very relevant in New York as well as a member of the Wall Street Club.
3. I have recently discovered my interest in legal and compliance which gives me the ability to narrow my focus when applying to jobs/training programs.

Weaknesses:
1. I am a Marketing Major - not a finance major, which may put me at a disadvantage in comparison to other applicants.
2. My first two internships were in the Marketing/Corporate Communications departments, so I do not have as much experience as others applicants do.
3. There is great competition in this field as well as a certification must be obtained in order to work within legal and compliance.

3. Plan of Action:
a- Receive all A's in my five current classes:
1. Devote more time to my studies
2. Use my breaks in between classes to the best of my ability, avoid distractions
3. Complete school work/projects ahead of time so I don't feel as much stress to complete them at the last minute.

b- Graduate from Baruch in May 2013:
1. Go out less and focus more time on my classes and extra curricular activities, I can enjoy time with friends after this hectic year is over.
2. Prepare my class schedule prior to the registration date so I do not lose opportunities in classes that I have to take in order to obtain my degree.
3. If I feel that my work load is too much, then I have to rank my tasks in order of importance (school and interning coming first) and drop an extra-curricular activity.

c- Obtain a career or get accepted into a legal and compliance training program within a financial firm:
1. Improve and edit my resume and cover letter to the best of my ability.
2. If I am unable to do a second term of interning at Merrill Lynch, apply to another financial firm so I can build up my resume as much as possible.
3. Attend as many networking events at Baruch as possible. The greater amount of connections and the more companies see you attending their events, the greater opportunities you will gain.

Crisis Management: Costa Concordia Shipwreck

On January 13, 2012 an Italian cruise ship holding 4,200 passengers reportedly ran aground causing the ship to capsize off the coast of Giglio, Italy. The captain of the ship is still currently awaiting trial for the deaths of 32 passengers, as well as the injuries of many others, and the abandonment of his crew and ship. Also effected was the town of Giglio's economy due to the lack of tourism from the ships water pollution, contaminated beach grounds, and loss of sea life.

Once the ship reached aground passengers and crew were immediately taken ashore by lifeboats and some even swam to the nearby island. Helicopters, medical, and rescue crews were immediately called on sight to help as many victims as possible. Rescue divers also attended the scene to search within the ship for missing victims. After days of searching the ship for trapped survivors, actions were taken to  further prevent an environmental disaster. Shortly after, the majority of the ships "heavy fuel was removed". When the de-fueling was completed, plans to remove the ship were implemented - it will be re-floated and removed whole. The salvage operation has begun in June, however it will take up to twelve months and 300 million dollars to remove the ship.

Timeline for the further removal of the ship wreckage:

July 31, 2012		Site inspections of the ship and its position.
August 1-31, 2012		Securing of the wreck to ensure on-going safety and stability.
September - November 2012		Installation of caissons on left side of vessel and construction of submarine platforms.
December 1, 2012		Rotation of the wreck begins with the installation of boxes on its right side.
January 15, 2013		Ship to be up-righted above waterline.
January 31, 2013		Ship delivered to an Italian port for processing according to regulations.
April  30, 2013		Cleaning and replanting of marine flora expected to be completed.

In this disaster, the captain of the ship was at blame for the ship capsizing. The captain was later arrested for manslaughter, failing to assist passengers, and failing to be the last to leave the ship. He is currently under house arrest and awaiting trial.

Regardless of the captain for being at the root of this crisis, I do believe that the fellow crew members of the ship did for the majority abide by the six rules of crisis management. After realizing that a crisis was initiated, crew members immediately instructed passengers to put on their life jackets. Life boats were also released and passengers were instructed to move to a specific area of the ship. Also, professional divers were called on site to rescue passengers that were trapped. In this specific crisis, waiting cannot be a strategy. The Costa Concordia is the size of slightly more than two football fields and is now known as the largest ship to capsize.

 This situation was also highly unfamiliar, it was the route of numerous cruise ships that would tour this same route everyday. Members of the crew and passengers would also never imagine this to happen, which caused for much distress. Some members of the crew were reported for not properly dictating instructions for safety. The last two rules for crisis management do not greatly apply to this specific crisis. However, just days ago the crew of the Costa Concordia was awarded the "Seafarer of the Year" award for their bravery and skilled response because the number of fatalities could have been greatly higher.


http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/16/world/europe/italian-cruise-ship-accident-raises-questions-about-crew-and-captain.html
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/01/23/italy-ship-idUSL5E8CN3WV20120123
http://www.cnn.com/2012/07/05/world/europe/italy-cruise-ship-captain/index.html