Where have I been?
While working, doing karate, riding a motorcycle, and generally slacking off, I am also working on a Master’s degree in Informatics at Northeastern University. Doing so tends to take a large slice of my available time and I therefore do not get to post here as much as I’d like.
On a related note, one of the classes I have completed is titled “Strategy, Policy, and Finance”. I know, it sounds boring, but I assure you that its not. As part of the class, I read Michael Porter’s book “On Competition”. Essentially, the book is an analysis of competition and corporate strategy. Not since reading “A Book of Five Rings” have I found a book on corporate strategy so potent. I think that every software engineer owes it to themselves to gain some exposure to these ideas, if for nothing else, to better understand how to best contribute to an organization.
To be fair, I don’t think that everyone should be subject to reading Porter’s bible sized tome. Honestly, I barely survived. Rather, I have opted to post a paper that I completed for that class that largely distills the thoughts outlined in the text. Think of it is the Cliff’s Notes version. Or maybe “On Competition: Lite”. Anyways, enjoy.