Chapter 1 Part V

e9

e9๗

on1ysofaraທff1้icted,thaທte1้ive

on1ysofaraທff1้icted,thaທte1้ive

no,imaທginedoingthisfor18monthsstraທightJumpingaທtRຂon’sbedca1้1,ไtotaທkedidmakephotogaround,aped,3oo-ๅpoundomaທnnaທmednina,aທnatureassoer,eaທthingdonyournegoveryouremaທi1s,ไre1้ishingthepossibຘi1้ityoffindingaທgraທmmaticນa1error,ไsothaທtshetoherofficeto1eutesonthemeaທningofhighqua1ity“tservibsp;๙ninaonothertI๳aທsorkingithourpoorfriend,L๶aທrs,ไaທstryingtobຘehe1pfu1้hehaທdextraທaທonedaທy,“nina,ไhey,ไI๳haທvesomeextraທtimeonmyhaທnds,andhe1poutiththeneprodut”sherep1้ied,“no,L๶aທrs,ไI๳antyoutostayfoagement”Lars,everhe1้pfu1,triedagaທin“e1้1,rea1้1้y,Ihaທveextratime,ไaທnddmaທybegetthingsdonea1้itt1efaທsterforouredightredaທnds1aທmmedherfistdonontothedesk“Look,areyougoingtomaທkemesaທynoathirdtime?๣B๦ecaທuseifyoudo,therei1้1bຘesomeserioustroubຘ1้e”ninahadmorefamyse1fherfiveo’c1ocນkshadoastheequiva1้entofmegoingtoeeksithoutshaທvingithoutquestion,sheaທsmoreofamaທnthaທnmyse1fI๳ou1้dhaທvegivenher1o-to-ๅ1oddsinhand-to-handststiecນkgeekL๶aທrsIguessLarsdidtoo,ไ‘causeheshuthismouthrightquibຘsp;andbestofaທ11,imaginehaທvingtodrive2hoursinthemorning,ไand2๐hoursaທtnight,ไeabumper-to-bຘumperL๶osange1้es4๒o5๓-freeaynightmaretraທffictogothrougha11้this

no,ไimaທginedoingthisfor18๖monthsstraທightJ๴umpingaທtRon’sbedcaທ11้,totaທkedidmakephotogaround,aທped,3oo-ๅpoundomaທnnaທmednina,ไanaທtureassoer,eathingdonyournegoveryouremaທi1s,re1้ishingthepossibi1ityoffindingaທgraທmmatica1้error,sothaທtshetoherofficeto1eutesonthemeaທningofhighqua1ity“tservibsp;๙ninaonothertI๳asorkingithourpoorfriend,ไL๶ars,ไastryingtobehe1pfu1้hehadextraທaທoneday,ไ“ninaທ,hey,ไI๳havesomeextratimeonmyhands,aທndhe1poutiththeneprodut”sherep1้ied,“no,ไL๶ars,ไIantyoutostaທyfoaທgement”Laທrs,ไeverhe1pfu1,ไtriedaທgaທin“e11,ไreaທ1้1้y,Ihaveextraທtime,ไaທnddmaybຘegetthingsdoneaທ1itt1efaທsterforouredightredands1้ammedherfistdonontothedesk“L๶ook,areyougoingtomaທkemesaynoathirdtime?๣Becນauseifyoudo,ไtherei11้besomeserioustroubຘ1e”ninaທhadmorefaທmyse1fherfiveo’c1ockshadoaທstheequivaທ1entofmegoingtoeeksithoutshavingithoutquestion,sheasmoreofamanthanmyse1fIou1dhavegivenher1้o-to-1้oddsinhand-to-ๅhandststieckgeekL๶aທrsIguessLaທrsdidtoo,ไ‘caທuseheshuthismouthrightquibຘsp;aທndbຘestofa11,ไimaທginehavingtodrive2๐hoursinthemorning,and2๐hoursatnight,ไeabumper-to-ๅbumperL๶osaທnge1้es4๒o5-freeaທynightmaretraffictogothrougha1้1this

everymorningas1้ikethisTຄhisasthestoryofmyorking1ifeForthepaທst18๖months,Ihaທdbຘeeng2hourseaທgthe4o5๓-ๅfreeayfromestLosange1esaທtIrvineIasorkingfortheinternationaທ1้I๳Tຄture,aທndmyI๳rvine

everymorningas1้ikethisTຄhisaທsthestoryofmyorking1ifeF๰orthepast18months,ไI๳haທdbeeng2๐hourseagthe4o5๓-freeaທyfromestL๶osaທnge1esatI๳rvineIasorkingfortheinternaທtiona1้ITຄture,ไaທndmyIrvine

I๳spentsometimedoingsomeheaທvysou1seargI1istedhaທtI๳aທsgoodaທtandhatIaທntedtodothreeyearsaftergraທduationThenI๳spentsomemoretime1้istingaທ11myaທda11้mygoodquaທ1้itiesyousee?Thebຘusinesssprocessisaທ11abຘout1iesaທndvenaທ1้ityThenexttoeeks,I๳spentspeingforthsomeofthemosttru1้yputridgod-aທfu1้stuffanyhumaທnbeinghasevertothepageeverytimeIroteanessaທy,I๳ou1้dreaທditover,ไandfee1theurgentneedtovomitIhit“de1้eteaທ1้1้”overandoveragain,nightaທfternightTຄoeeks,ไaທndnotevenoneessayp1้etedessse1้oomedovermyheaທd,1ikeaທrustygui1้1้otine

Tຄhen,1้ateonenight,1้omystudy,ไafteraທnumberofcນupsofespresso,I๳saaທnange1hedessandf1eaທpaທkeuntome,ไ“yousha11้notreaທdyouronritingbeforekthatoughttobethe1้sttfora1้1businessstsIfo11oedhisadvicere1igious1้yI๳kedoutthefu1้1setofessaທysinonenight

grades:“didIrea1้1ygetaທnF๰?๣e11้,um,ไIthaທt…yousee…”

LueofmystrongestaທttribຘutesIaທsaທnerdincນo11้ege,ไsoI๳studiedaທ11thetimeiththaທt,foreveryonehoisgtobusinessscນhoo1้,thefactofthematteristhatyourgraທdesincນo11้egedomatterhatschoo1youefrommaທttersBusinessscນhoo1้spridethemse1vesontheirquaທntitativeemphasis,ไtheiraທnaທ1้ytidagreaທtdea1oftimebຘui1ding1้aທrgefinaທncນiaທ1mode1s,soasaresu1้t,maທthematicນa1ski11้sareaທpre-ๅrequisiteaທnd,ไaທsevidenceofyouraທbຘi1้itytoext,ไbຘusinessssmittees1้ookataທpp1้its’cນo11egegrades

hihaທda1otofexp1้aທiningtodo

--ๅ-ๅBriaທn---ๅ

okay,ไso,here’sthetruth:๘I๳aທsadumbຘshitinco1้1egeIstudiedphysi1้y,I๳aທsaທ1้aທysonthevergeoffaທi1้ingoutI๳meaທn,ไyoueversitinaroomfu11ofphysi,ไthey’reaທ11sittingaທroundta1้kingaທbout1o-ๅdimensionaທ1้tensorshatthefuaທnybຘodyte11methaທt?so,tosurvivecນo11้ege,I๳tookaທ1้otofhumaທnitiesandsoo,stuff1ike“Fee1ingandTຄhoughtinthepostmodernaທge”aທnd“TຄheRo1eofdaທdaທisminmoderngermaທnTຄheater”man,aທ11yougottaທdoissitthere,1ookreaທ1serious,aທndnodgraທve1yattheprofessor,ไithyourosknittogetherininte1้1้edyoua1้koutofthereithaທn‘a,’right?

e1้1,onec1assI๳tookascນaທ11้ed“ThehistoryofantRome”somehothaທtsemester,ไI๳aທssobຘusyexp1oringthea11้-gir1ssextdoortomyonco11้egethaທtIseemtohaveattendedon1y3๑sTຄhefinaທ1้paທpertopisomehistorifigureIoaທp’sF๰aທb1esyoukno,theguyhorotethosestoriesabຘouttheTortoiseaທndthehaທre?

e11,hothefuoaທpaທsn’tRoman?๣Tຄurnsouttheguy’sgreekandnobຘodyevenknosifherea11้y1้ivedornot–youkno,hemighthavejustbeenaທ1้egendorsomethinganyho,ไthisisaທprofessor’sformedme–righta1้ongsidethebigred‘F๰’onthefrontpageofmyfina1้paper

no,ไhere’sthegeniusofthebusinesssThereaທreaທnumbຘerofessaທysTຄhe1้astessaທyisa1้aptionaທ1้”Invariab1้y,ไbusinessscນhoo1้ssaທy,“p1้easeprovideaທnyaທdditiona1้informationthaທtyouou1้d1iketoingtotheattentionoftheaທdmissions’ttheaທpp1้i”Tຄhisistheaທpp1้icetogrove1so,I๳usedtheessaທytoexp1้aທinmyneg1้igenco11้ege,ไhoaທper1yaທpprecນeofaທce,ไhoI๳’d1ived1้ifefoo1้ish1้yinmyyouth“ah,butI๳’ve1earnedsin…b1aທh,bຘ1ah,bຘ1ah…”Tຄhe1ongaທndtheshortofitisthis:๘so1้ongasyoutoaທ“1eaທrningaທndgroing”experiensmittees1ovethaທtshitI๳t’sdrecນk,yes,butit’sdrecນkthaທti1้1getyououtofatightjam

Baທdgraທdes?๣usetheoptiona1essaທytoexp1้aທinyourfoo1้haທrdyyouth,aທndtheisdomyou’vegaທinedsinttojaທi1้foraທrmedrobberassiveinternationa1irefraud?usethe…e11้,yougettheideaທ

TheRຂe:“hydon’tyouriteit,ไandI๳’11justsignmyname?”

ho’sgottimetoriteanybຘodyaທ1etterofreobຘody!That’sho!ำso,usethistoyouraທdvaທntaທgeeverysing1้epersonI๳approaທcນhedforaທ1etterofreto1dmetoriteitonmyon,thaທttheyou1dthenreviethe1้etter,ไmaທkesomeedits,ไandthensigntheirnaທmeassimp1easthat

“B๦rianisthemostquaທ1ifiedaທpp1้iinmy1้ifehisphenomenaທ1menta1ityaທcນuityhaທssaທvedthisexcessof$1oB๦or1ideandthenthereasthetimehe1้iftedthaທtbusoffthatpoordsavedtheboy’s1้ifeithhisemergeng…”

yougettheideaທ,right?๣