For my semester-end blog post, I tasked ChatGPT (I know, I know, totally original idea) to brainstorm creative ways to write my end-of-course post. It initially pitched writing it in a different language, then in all pirate talk, then finally this idea that I think is the most reasonable, useful, and entertaining. So, join me on this adventure as we go forth into this together and I ask for some grace in the oddness of this format compared to a typical one!
- Best Actor (Guest Speaker)
As a strong start for our awards ceremony, the panel immediately hit a speed bump in deciding on which actor (speaker) would win this coveted award and its prize (there is no prize). However, I am pleased to announce that the winner of the best actor (speaker) award is New Age Capital, with founders LaDante McMillon and Ivan Alo. New Age Capital brought a fantastic sense of style, fun, and tons of interesting and insightful information to our semester and it was an absolute, unanimous vote.
Wait, it looks like there was a correction. It looks like there are TWO winners of the Best Actor award for this year, never before seen in all of this show’s history! Our second winner is Silicon Valley Bank for its thrilling performance in the show, Bank Run (is this too far?) – with the lead actor, Sean Thompson.
And while some may accuse the panel (me) of being biased, I do believe that we got to see such a great display of both rising up in the ranks and what a harder perspective and place in business can look like between these varying actors (guest speakers).
- Most Interesting Advice
This award was a tough decision, lots of different pieces stood out to me so I’m going to instead offer 2 runner-ups and the final winner.
For the first runner-up position, Andy Ruben shared with us the idea that a company shifts its environment every 2 years and gave the analogies of climbing trees vs. living in the fields, etc.
For the second runner-up position, Mark Mahoney shared that the best way to understand your clients is to understand “what keeps them up at night” and read into that and resolve it.
Lastly, for the final winner position, was Doug Shaw’s advice about “I’d rather sell painkillers than vitamins” for the perspective shift that it brought. I did have some bias as I heard this after hearing from a non-profit director “We should work ourselves out of business” so I did just enjoy (the panel was biased) the different advice here.
- Favorite Twitter Talk
In some ways it does pain me as it felt like the trend of our course, but the most obvious award here goes to any discussion around AI. Specifically when there was a post using wording such as “top 10 ways AI can transform your life” or the like of this. I have a love-hate relationship with AI, as I think a lot of us do as well so while I did love seeing those posts (and shared some myself), and also always looked at the top 10 ways, I also did get AI burnout at moments. Nevertheless, AI (albeit reluctantly) gets the award for the favorite Twitter talk.
- Top Takeaway
The top takeaway award goes to a theme more so than an individual statement. The recurring theme of, it’s actually okay to take risks in life and especially early on. Countless speakers shared with us that the best thing to do after graduating is to start taking risks or to absolutely double down and that both could and likely will eventually lead to success. It was not anything new but it was really great to hear that and let it sink in, hearing it from incredibly well-successful and established individuals.
- Favorite Professor Kane Comment
“The thing that makes my teaching different is that I was a Methodist pastor for 10 years.” ‘Nuff said. I’d love to elaborate on this but I honestly believe (and so does the panel, of course) that this was a fantastic comment and summed up a lot of the course structure, style, and takeaways. Y’know.
- Coolest Class Conversation
The award for the coolest class conversation goes to Blockchain! The panel (still, just me) came into this course with zero understanding of blockchain and while I did try and get ChatGPT to teach it to me (like a 5-year-old, using different analogies, and in real terms), nothing could compare to the teaching and conversation that followed in our course. The takeaway was both a lesson on the blockchain, and how much I still don’t get it, and also how effective conversations are with multiple people with many different backgrounds and understandings on a complex topic.
- Biggest Area for Growth
Lastly, the award for the biggest area of growth goes to… confidence, all of you, and us! Over the last few months of us meeting for classes, I (the panel) have been able to see a lot of personal and professional growth in all of us, myself included. From the ways we ask questions, to speaking up to (at times) intimidating guest speakers, to even learning as a collective group – there has been so much growth in all of us and especially in our confidence in what we know and who we are. I am proud of that and this award was genuinely the easiest to decide on.
Conclusion
Thank you for joining me tonight for this year’s awards show. We’ve had a great lineup of speakers, discussions, tweets, blogs, TedTalks, and Professor Kane comments to pick from, a thoroughly enjoyable and informative class experience, and a good send off to senior year. I am personally very thankful for the experience this class has brought me, the new perspectives, and the rekindling of a love for learning this course has brought for all of us.
And the curtains close on our MIST 5720 Awards, I thank you all for the last few months of great discussions and conversations. I wish you all the best in all of your future endeavors and hope that we can all be a resource of encouragement and support if ever needed in the future.
p.s. I’d love to hear if you have any thoughts for different awards or different winners, the above opinions are solely my own and meant to be humorous and light-hearted above all. And I’ll include a comment including how ChatGPT encouraged me to conclude this awards show if you’re interested.
Conclusion: The ENTR5550 Grammy’s Grand Finale
As the curtains close on our ENTR5550 Grammy Awards, I can’t help but feel a surge of emotions. This semester has been nothing short of a rollercoaster ride filled with a harmonious blend of inspiring guest speakers, thought-provoking discussions, and unexpected moments of growth. In the spirit of our awards show theme, let’s take a moment to give a standing ovation to the entire ensemble – professors, guest speakers, and classmates alike – for their unforgettable performances and contributions to this amazing learning experience.
It’s been an honor to walk the red carpet of knowledge alongside such brilliant minds, each of us shining like stars in our unique ways. As we take our final bows, I’d like to thank everyone who contributed to this semester’s soundtrack – one that I’ll keep on repeat for years to come.
But like any true Grammy Awards ceremony, the show must go on! As we part ways and embark on our individual journeys, let’s not forget the valuable lessons, connections, and experiences we’ve gained in ENTR5550. May we all continue to pursue our passions, hit the high notes, and embrace the occasional off-key moments as we strive for growth and success.
Until we meet again on life’s stage, here’s to hitting more chart-topping moments and making the world our very own sold-out concert. Encore!
This conclusion balances a touch of sentimentality with humor and professionalism, creating a memorable and engaging end to your awards show themed blog post.
Hey Ben! I thought your final post was one of the best and very creative. I love the use of ChatGPT to give you an idea on how to structure your final post very relevant and kinda ironic. Your post was very interesting and gave a good recap of the entirety of the class this semester!
Hey Ben, this has to be one of my favorite blog posts of the semester. It’s creative, it brings back great information/memories of the class, and it was actually pretty funny. I really liked #4, $5, and #7. I feel like everyone has heard “take risks,” but this class really set it in stone. Also, it was cool seeing the evolution of the class as the weeks went on! I’m going to miss this class too!
I agree with Alex. This is a wonderful and creative blog post. I think your use of ChatGPT shows the potential this AI has to change the way we live in this world. I will have to use it to brainstorm ideas for unique papers and presentations in future classes. My second favorite Professor Kane Comment had to be the saying “AI won’t replace _____, but it will replace ____ that don’t use AI”. I quote that one often.
Hi Ben! This is an awesome blog post! I really liked all of the points made about favorite speakers and advice. I completely agree with you that the class confidence has increased throughout the semester, especially with the blog posts and how well all of the guest speaker hosts did. I’m sure it must’ve been difficult to choose between all of the incredible runner-ups for each category. Great post!
This was very cool! I thought that the biggest area of growth was also confidence! Being able to ask these questions and make them well-informed was hard for me. I think that this class helped a lot. Have a good one man!
Hey Ben! This was such a great idea for a last blog post. I think it’s so interesting but also makes so much sense that a lot of speakers we had gave us similar advice. As you mentioned, now is the best time to take risks in our lives and career. I have always agreed that when you graduate, you should take a leap and allow yourself the opportunity to learn things you may have never considered before. Another huge theme I took away from the speakers was the importance of workplace culture and value. We had so many amazing speakers, I don’t know how you were able to single out so few, but I think the biggest takeaways were universal amongst most of them.
Hey Ben, great post! I liked the creative twist to the end of all of this course and I truly believe it will be one to remember. Great job taking up 2 guest speakers as well! You did an awesome job with both!
What a great and creative final post! I also LOVE that you used Chat GPT to help generate it. I can’t imagine a better conclusion to the course. Nice job!
This post was really cool. Super creative and like a good recap on the semester, loved how you used quotes and specific moments from the class. Really good final blog post.