On finishing the reading, I stumbled upon an entry that the Director Ryan Carson posted:

If you’re educated and wealthy enough to be reading this blog (which is true as you’re reading a computer screen), then you’ve got a massive advantage in life. You have the power, the wealth and the education to actually choose what to do with your life. Most of the population of the entire world doesn’t have that ability. You and I are lucky to not be fighting to stay alive day-to-day. So if you’re not doing something that you believe in – something you can be passionate about – then do something for me.

Quit.

Don’t waste time @ Carsonified

The good thing is, I’m already a believer in the notion that you should do what you are passionate about in life. The bad thing is, it seemed to have got me into a situation with two pitfalls.

1. I’m doing too many things because I love them all, and it kind of drains me out a bit.
2. I’m not doing enough on any particular ‘thing’ to make sure I get somewhere with it.

The first one is recently starting to get to me because I know I’m only going to get interested in more things, and before I know it I’d be trying to build a home studio to do some recording. A bit luxurious, but it’s been at the back of my mind for some time.

So I gathered together the kind of things that are occupying most of my time at the moment:

• Web design & development: project work, general read-and-learning, and an upcoming site-wide redesign
• Dancing: teaching, rehearsal, and some upcoming performances & competitions with the FuNkoLoGy crew
• Brand strategy consulting: regular contract work with Promise and a looking out for career down that path

And this is where the second pitfall comes in. At the rate in which the economy is going down, I can’t be thinking about doing all those things when the one that I’m most experienced in – dance – isn’t really getting myself much well paid except the huge amount of joy I get out of it.

(Fortunately) Promise contacted me yesterday for another short contract to work on some new projects. The projects sound interesting already, although I shouldn’t really be taking on something else to delay the other projects on hand. Too bad the recession is hitting everyone quite hard and I couldn’t get a guaranteed longer contract, but I think the early January start with them will be a great opportunity for me to push myself on getting the other web design projects finished beforehand, and really start balancing bits of my life and look out for myself.

1. Develop locally

Be it Mac or PC, make sure you have the complete suite of softwares. If your work is more graphical than technical, make sure you have softwares such as Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, Flash etc. If it’s the other way round, you’d need a fully equiped developing environment.

For PHP and MySQL developers, WAMP is very well recommended for PC users, and MAMP for Mac users. Without any surprise, LAMP is probably ideal for Linux users. In whichever case, a good HTML editor is required for CSS manipulation, and no one does it better than Dreamweaver. I am yet to try out the new Dreamweaver CS4, but CS3 suffices for most of my job requirements. One may argue that you can do all that Dreamweaver does with Notepad, but there’s no harm relying on the auto-complete, colour coding, and code management features.

Oh and of course, for Firefox users (and I don’t see why you shouldn’t be using Firefox), Firebug comes to the top of the list for one of the must-have plug-ins for local development. It features a full range of features for editing, debugging, and monitoring HTML, CSS, and JavaScript live in any web page.

2. Reduce, Reuse & Recycle

According to Web Designer Issue 150, 82% of readers would affect how they advise clients over using Flash content with Google’s capability to index SWF content. I personally started with JavaScript libraries a year ago when I first came to touch with being a web designer. It pretty much creates most of the effects and features that I wanted, and I was also happy with the fact that it runs fully on iPhone Safari when Flash content isn’t supported on the device. If Flash was also supported on iPhone, which I believe will only be a matter of time before it is, I’d definitely change my view on using Flash content.

Meanwhile, for the lovers of JavaScript libraries, be it MooTools, jQuery, Prototype, or script.aculo.us, make sure you have a latest copy of them in your computer. And I mean all of them, uncompressed. I started off as a happy MooTools user, but it was only a matter of time before any developer encounters a less than familiar language/framework that he or she must work with. As is the case for one of my clients, It has recently been required for me to learn to use the jQuery library. Fortunately I am still in the realm of JavaScript libraries, and it wasn’t too hard to pick it up. Good thing was that I had a full copy of it in my computer, and when I wasn’t too sure of any syntax or features, I can always go back to the original package, and check how the features have been built. Having said that, you’d need a reasonably good understanding of the language.

The main point is, when you need to produce any piece of code or layout, or when you are unsure about how to use a feature, go back to another piece of code that will show you how. As simple as it is, you’ll find yourself not relying on Google so much and gaining a deeper understanding of the tool that you use.

3. Plan ahead and use your online time wisely

The most common sympton for overly internet-reliant web developers is that they feel the need to upload everything of every phase of their project to a test server and test it. I used to be like that, before I one day wonderfully bumped into WAMP that is. The truth is, as long as you are aware of bandwidth issues with internet connections, you’ll do fine with a local server and Firebug.

As precious as £2.50 for 1 hour of internet time, make sure you plan your phases before you show the clients your work. If you need to, type the emails on Notepad before you hit the internet cafe, and schedule the phases and meetings with the clients. Normally this would also help in making sure you cut the slack and get the work done on time.

Bonus cake – Back up your work.

Taken from Internet Duct Tape:

“Hey, can you check out the latest version of this file to see if my changes work?” Except it’s never just one file, and the changes never work the first time. Checking code out into your working copy is not just an interruption, but can lose an entire afternoon trying to re-achieve the state you were at before updating that “one file”. Having multiple directory trees (hard drive space is cheap) can remove this problem.

Now I generally keep my code in three batches: Working, Stable, and a Current version that is kept in WAMP’s ‘www’ folder. In cases where a code goes horribly wrong, at least you’ll have something to revert to.

Yeh, why not?!

I remember applying to McKinsey a year ago, sending off the application for the opportunity to be a business analyst in the London office. The reply came back quickly with a rejection. Thanks for the love & support from all friends and family, but it was quite a dream at that time anyway: if you’re going to dream, you might as well dream big, right?

But after having spent some time doing web design & development, I thought I might as well have another shot at McKinsey, this time with the Business Technology Office (BTO). Skipping my reasons for the choice – this isn’t the time nor place for cover-letter-ing – I’d like to share the short but sweet experience of having passed the initial application screening.

Stage 1: Online Application

So I went to the McKinsey & Co. website, making sure that nothing major (i.e. infrastructure, career path, etc.) has changed since I last applied, before hit the APPLY NOW button. The online application interface was well designed. It doesn’t have all the NEXT buttons that the majority of firms have with their application interface. Instead, it’s probably driven with the AJAX technology that gives you more forms and questions “as you fill them in”.

At the beginning, the only sections were Personal Information, Language Skills, and the Position that you’re applying. As you fill in these details, other questions such as Location Preference, Education, and Work Experiences start to appear. Some may think, “is this ever going to end?!” But I personally think that it makes the filling in process psychologically shorter and easier. Followed by the Resume/CV and Cover Letter uploading, I then completed the application and submitted it. The response came at 5AM before I left for Stansted, and it was obvious that the notification of receipt was sent personally by the recruiter, and not generated automatically – a small sign of dedication here.

Stage 2: Problem Solving Test (PST)

Less than a week later, just before Chinese New Year, I received an e-mail on my mobile phone while sitting in Yauatcha saying that McKinsey would like to invite me to the next stage of the recruitment process. They call it the 1st stage, but I’d like to include the initial Resume/CV screening as the initial stage. The stage consists of a multiple choice problem solving test that lasts 60 miniutes.

After some research, it appears that the PST test (excuse the repetition of test) is necessary for all applications, be it applications for the graduate program or for the experienced recruitment. Unlike the numerical tests that investment banks give to applicants, the test much more complex, despite the recruitment team has stated, “the test assumes no specific prior business knowledge.”

Calculators are not allowed, which means fast-paced logical thinking and timing become the two crucial factors of succeeding. Standard case studies usually emphasise on the chain of thoughts of the applicants when dealing with complex problems. However, with only one correct answer each question and the assessment marked on a pass/fail basis, you have to give the one and only correct answer.

What I would advise for the people who get to this stage would be:

• Get a good night sleep and breakfast to keep a clear mind.
• Remember to keep your time. Practise a couple of times with sample tests if you have them.
• The test isn’t (or at least wasn’t for me) negatively marked, so don’t leave any questions unanswered!
• Have fun! You either have it or you don’t. It is true that the test assumes no specific prior business knowledge. The business terms used are only there for you to show that you possess the if-A-then-B logic, even in time limited situations.

At the end of the test, the recruiter came in, stopped the test, and said she would have it marked before the end of the day so that she wouldn’t be keeping our minds hanging (it was a Friday). I left the McKinsey office just after 4PM, and received the e-mail just before 6PM saying I will not be going on to the next stage. Too bad. But the impression that McKinsey has left me remains a majestic one.

Summary

Like I said, you either have it or you don’t. The screening process is rigorous, and the test is well designed, with only a couple of sample tests available on the internet. I was lucky enough to have 2 copies. But I was lucky in more than just one way.

I submitted the application well after the graduate recruiting deadline. In fact, I didn’t even know there was a deadline. First I didn’t apply because I didn’t think I was ready for the management consulting giant, and then I applied because of Antosh’s “why don’t you”. And he was exactly right – why not!?

Only two people took the PST test: myself and another Indian guy who turned out to be my EEE senior that graduated in 2002. He was surprised that I got through to the PST stage because the recruitment process had ended, and he got through to that stage only because someone inside McKinsey recommended him.

As for me? I guess I was either very lucky, or they really liked my CV and cover letter. So my advice for everyone out there who are looking for a job they really want – take my “why-not” attitude, just go ahead and apply.

You would be able to find a copy of the 2001 PST that I found HERE, for which the original link was kindly provided by another person on vault.com.

Update: Following Maxim’s comment, I’ve uploaded a copy of the Kosher Franks sample test, with detailed answers.

Update 2: Thanks to Tracy, you can find some non-McKinsey aptitude practice tests below that could get you started.