These past two months (November & December) have been quite overloaded for me. I had to joggle three things at the same time and neither of them compared to a normal work load.
First, the Albanian online bookstore had me going the whole day as we were processing about three times as many order as we do normally, so that kept me quite busy as everything has to be micromanaged so as to ensure that things would get done as they should.
Second, as I am not one who says no to extra cash when I can, I undertook to do some translation work and support the Press Office of Klik Ekspo Group, which is the organizer of the Tirana International Fair.
Since I got back from the U.S. in 2004 I’ve done all sorts of translation work off and on. This time I was doing it again in one-on-one in meetings, translation of marketing materials, press releases, at the press conference, etc. I even got to translate at the Opening Press Conference for the Fair, where Prime Minister Berisha was the main speaker. That was my second time translating for him. Though I don’t care much for the man, politically or otherwise, he does understand the needs of translators for short sentences and can be supporting in that regard.
Finishing my MBA @ Regent
Third, but considerably greater, was finishing my MBA which was by far the largest and most intensive engagement of the year end for me. It took me three years to finish a degree which should have taken me only 2 years plus one semester. The reasons were simple. I skipped two semesters to get married, become a full-time entrepreneur and support my wife when our son was born!
Finishing this MBA was a particular challenge both intellectually and emotionally. I truly intended on finishing the program in time, but as all my friends tell me, it was worth postponing it two semesters in view of all the other major things that have happened in these past three years. It was an intellectual challenge as the final semester and final project required me to review everything I had studied till then and put it into a cohesive final project with all its elements. It was an emotional challenge, as I feared that my extreme workload would somehow impact my final semester. To put it another way, I was in no mood to even consider withdrawing due to workload. The thought of retaking the final semester for a grade improvement was just too much.
Anyway, now it’s done and I am already considering the wild idea of a doctorate in leadership, but I think I will lay that to rest for a bit longer as I cannot say I have fully recovered from the three year journey.
What Now? Future Plans
For now, I am still trying to figure out how to best utilize the extra time that I have every evening of the week (as I don’t have to stay at home studying for my MBA). Spending more time with my family is definitively a top priority.
Reading books: Also, I’ve already amassed a list of books that I intend on reading, so that is one thing that I want to get back at again, though for now I’m taking it very slowly.
Albanian Bookstore: I will continue to invest a considerable time on the bookstore and focus on several major projects that I have not been able to work on due to the aforementioned obligations and workload.
Part-time job/consulting/teaching: A part-time engagement somewhere is also a viable alternative as I see myself expanding my professional experience at every chance that I get and the extra cash is always welcome. I am currently waiting on a response from a company interested in my online marketing skills, so we’ll see if that panes out, if not I am still satisfied to continue consulting on the side while I focus on some other projects.
The other venue where I know I will be focusing in the future has to do with teaching. I do not intend on starting anything this year, but next year I will start to seriously consider my options. If you’re reading this, then do let me know if you have any ideas.
Another website: Another such project regards the establishment of a business consulting website which will be the foundation for a book idea I’ve had since I started my MBA. But, I’m still doing research and writing the first ten or so articles.
