Exam Prep Update

Nobody who knows me well will be at all surprised to know that I'm using Excel to organize my study for my second set of exams here in Aberdeen. I made a list of stuff to study, which then expanded a bit. It's remained (mostly) intact since Thursday. I've been using it to keep track of the various things I need to either read for the first time, or review from earlier in the semester. It's been pretty effective.

I probably won't finish everything on the list. The Secondary Study Topics, for example, may get a bit of attention, but I'm focusing on areas of overlap between my two classes, and trying to figure out particular sources that I can be ready to cite. I worked from a similar strategy for last semester's classes, and was fairly successful in Strategic Theory, and did well enough in Strategic Intelligence. I'm feeling pretty confident about GSI, so I've been focusing on materials that cover both GSI and SND, because I'd like to do at least one grade point better in SND than I did in SI last semester. I'm still a bit nervous about SND - Critical Mass is a tough grader - but I'm probably more comfortable with the concepts, and with having appropriate sources to cite, than I was in SI last semester.

I checked the exam timetable again. SND is Friday morning, and GSI is Monday afternoon. I'm pretty confident that I'll be ready.

Gotta say, I'm getting a ton of mileage out of my Kindle during this particular exam prep period. I've been using my laptop, and studying in the SOC, but I've also been taking my Kindle to Starbucks and reading Modern Military Strategy, or a ton of PDFs. As part of my continuing mission to turn my Kindle into the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I've also sent some additional "Defeating Tech" PDFs to it, including some Marine Corps doctrinal publications, and the transcripts to the 1981 Reith Lectures for reading while listening to the corresponding mp3s. In all honesty, it's really simple stuff, but I love how I've been able to use the thing as a sort of academic force multiplier. It also saves me lugging my laptop to Starbucks. I continue to lean further and further toward blaming all of the Kindle's shortfalls on the university's network settings.

More updates as they come, but as far as I can tell, I should be more than ready to trounce my peers when it comes time to spend a combined total of six hours destroying my wrist. Booyeah!

The Gear: Wherein Technology is Defeated

I've mentioned several times that the biggest drawback of my Kindle Fire is that it can't connect to the University's network. As I mentioned a few days ago, my solution to this is to adapt and overcome. My Kindle has turned out to be a great piece of kit, and I figured it was worth some effort to get more use out of it.

Last week, I mentioned downloading some more apps. I decided that I wanted to try to get some more data on there as well, in addition to a couple of new books. I spent about a day and a half preparing. I made a list of categories, then listed specific resources in each category that I wanted on my Kindle, and then consolidated them. Some of them required downloading, and some of them required conversion from plaintext to PDF. My final categories were Strategy, Counterinsurgency, History, Books, and Security.

In Strategy, I assembled some classics (Clausewitz, Machiavelli, Thucydides), some contemporary stuff (Colin S. Gray), and some nuclear strategists (Albert Wohlstetter, Bernard Brodie). This covers strategy in general, as well as one of my current courses that I'll discuss in more detail soon. Wohlstetter's The Delicate Balance of Terror was required reading for the second week of said course, so I'm glad that I got it onto my Kindle with a few days to spare so that I can finish reading it.

For Counterinsurgency, which has become a core component of my studies here in Aberdeen, I elected to include a number of military field manuals, as well as some of the classics: C.E. Callwell, T.E. Lawrence, and David Galula. The PDF files for Callwell and the Marine Corps' Small Wars Manual ended up being too big to send via E-mail, so I'm going to have to download those directly to my Kindle at some point.

History was easy: the Orkneyinga Saga, and Caesar's The Gallic Wars. Every now and again, there's such a thing as reading for fun.

I'd been wanting to get a couple of books for a while. I've been meaning to read The Devil's Sandbox since 2006, which is right around the time when it came out. I read Imperial Grunts in 2007, enjoyed it, and think I may be able to make use of it at some point, so I got a digital copy of it since my hard copy is back in the States. One of the great things about a digital copy is that it's its own index: you can do word searches and find particular sections or topics.

Finally, I wanted to put some of the open source military policy documents for a variety of risk management topics on my Kindle as well. Topics range from physical security, to industrial security, to information security, to foreign disclosure, to export control. In theory, these are all meant to be reference documents; in reality, I've read through a couple of them, and want to read several of them in detail, particularly the stuff on physical security for my eventual exam to get my PSP certification.

My original plan was to E-mail all of the files to myself, and then download them through the web from Starbucks. It wasn't the best solution, but I figured it would work out alright. As it turns out, Amazon actually assigns an E-mail address to each of your Kindle devices for the specific purpose of sending documents to yourself. I had to go in and jockey with the settings on Amazon's website (you have to add the address you'll be sending it from so that it's an "approved" address - a spam prevention feature?), but once that was sorted out it ended up being pretty easy. With this successful test under my belt, I'll probably add a few more categories - for example, a number of items about Oman for my potential dissertation, and a few Arabic language resources. I like to think of it as working smart, not hard.

Oh, yeah, and I got Deer Hunter Reloaded, too. It's pretty good.

The Long Break

My last day of lectures was last Thursday, and my fellow Strategists and I have been playing hard to celebrate. As most of my comrades are in the process of heading home for the long break, I find myself settling in for the long haul. Our exams are in mid-January, which leaves me to my own devices for about a month.

I had considered heading back up to Orkney for Christmas, hiring (renting) a little cottage, and studying. I had also considered a hop to Oman for some sight-seeing and research on the Dhofar Rebellion. Instead, I think I've decided to make one or both of those trips later on.

So, what to do with a solid month "off"? Here are a few of the things I'll be working on.

Studying for Finals: I have a lot of material to review - or, as the Brits say it, "revise" - in that month I have off. I have yet to plough through Strategy in the Contemporary World, Modern Strategy, Secret Intelligence: A Reader, and Intelligence in an Insecure World, and though I finished Modern Military Strategy: An Introduction in November, my attempt to conquer Intelligence Power in Peace and War has been brutally slow-going. I also have a bunch of PowerPoint presentations to review, as well as the Director's "clippings" of various articles in PDF form. My biggest priority is to review/"revise" as much of this information as I can, in as orderly a fashion as possible, in order to prepare myself for exams in January.

Studying Security and Arabic: During this semester, I've somewhat neglected studying for my PSP certification. I've done slightly better with my Arabic, but I'd like to really hit it hard over the break. I've been doing well with doing both a run-through of my current stock of eighty Libyan Arabic flash cards and listening to either a BBC Xtra podcast or Sultanate of Oman Radio.

The Counterinsurgency Paper: CN Odin and I will be working independently on our respective portions of a paper on counterinsurgency. Our presentation for Strategic Theory was on the Director-provided topic "Scrutinize the major requirements for successful counter-insurgency in the modern world", and we used examples from the Dhofar Rebellion (me) and the Algerian War (Odin) to illustrate six key requirements. We'll be combining the information in our memorandum with the information in our slide deck, and expanding them into a formal paper.

Photographing Local Sites: There are some local sites that I want to get pictures of for the blog. This one won't be particularly time intensive, but the month off from class should give me some time to accomplish this.

Day Trips: I have a few spots that I might try to see, if the completely asinine RMT strike doesn't stop me in my tracks - literally. My buddy Chris wants me to revisit his old digs in Edzell, I want to go harangue Captain John down in the Borders, and I'd like to get a couple of things at Edinburgh's Army/Navy store.

More Planning: With the first semester almost over, it's time to go back through my spreadsheets, find individual points where my strategy needs adjustment, and adjust accordingly.

So, there are plenty of things yet to do. Fortunately, I have twelve more posts already written (or mostly written), which should allow me to focus on some of the bits I've listed above.

The Spreadsheets: Let's Get Employed!

In theory, the ultimate purpose of higher education is to increase one's job market competitiveness, overall employability, and hopefully one's salary as well. Once, when I was considering a postgraduate degree in history, my mentor - a history PhD himself - told me that unless a postgraduate degree would definitely pay for itself in higher wages, I shouldn't pursue one because it would be a waste of time. Despite jokes like I've already posted here and here, I'm fairly confident that my MSc in Strategic Studies will facilitate long-term professional success.

I'm currently on a leave of absence from my company, but the entire defense industry is holding its breath over the current "fiscal cliff" crisis and the impending drawdown following the end of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. I'm hopeful that I'll be able to find a position in my company once I'm ready to return to the workforce, but my life is all about risk management. In a case like this, managing my risks means preparing in advance to saturate a number of potential employers with my credentials just prior to graduation. Those who have known me for a long time (or just followed this blog for the last couple of months) will know that I'm an inveterate planner - whether it's spreadsheets or 3"x5" index cards, I'm constantly making and adjusting plans in one manner or another. One might even say that I'm reminiscent of Brian Boitano...

"What would Brian Boitano do if he was right now? He'd make a plan and he'd follow through. That's what Brian Boitano'd do."
- South Park: Bigger, Longer, and Uncut, 1999

So, I've put together a spreadsheet with a bunch of potential employers. I've divided them into several categories to keep them straight. Based on my current background, and the additional credentials and experience I'll be able to offer in late 2013, I think these are probably among the best prospects. I also intend to keep expanding the list as additional prospects reveal themselves, as well as adding some additional companies and organizations that some of my multinational classmates might benefit from. As I mentioned, it's all about aiming for my preferred option - returning to my current employer and doing risk management (and, in fact, I have another spreadsheet that includes the contact information for a number of hiring managers and recruiters from my current employer) - while managing the risk that they won't be in a position to offer me a job.

One potential employer that's grabbed my attention is the Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research. Thus far, I've specialized in the Middle East, and I've spent fifteen months of my life in the Gulf already. Another stint in the Gulf region, particularly working on international security issues at a think tank like the ECSSR, could be a really good opportunity that would allow me to continue developing some key credentials after graduation. The Director also happens to have some ties to the ECSSR that I could benefit from if I were to apply there (particularly if I continue on my current track to be among the top graduates in the course). The ECSSR is located here, in Abu Dhabi, which benefits from being a bit less socially austere than other Gulf nations like Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, or even nearby Sharjah. The Emirates are also located next door to Oman, which could facilitate my goal of writing the authoritative history of the Dhofar Rebellion. Since the ECSSR prospect is fresh, it's prominent in my mind, but it would also be nice to spend some time back in the States after having spent a couple of years abroad.

I suppose the bottom line is that it's good to have some prospects, and I'm glad that I have sufficient forethought to start planning for this well in advance.

Updated Spreadsheets

I've made a few updates to my spreadsheets.

I completed my passport renewal and my visa application, so I crossed those items off. I also crossed off pre-reading and applying to the University, since I don't anticipate finishing any more of my textbooks prior to departure. Other items that weren't accomplished in time have been highlighted in red.

I made a few updates to my "Current Plans" spreadsheet to reflect items that have been purchased, and changes in the Dollar-to-Pound exchange rate. At this point, the number of items I've purchased or will purchase is a bit out of hand for the current version of the spreadsheet to track, but at this stage that's not really important. It's helped me to forecast for the last couple of years, and will help me to forecast some general costs into the future.

My Training sheet has been updated to reflect the books I've finished reading, the books I won't finish reading before I leave, and the books that have been added to the syllabus. I've accordingly updated my Readings slide with the same information. While this may seem redundant, the Readings slide has helped me keep to some semblance of a reading schedule while the Training slide has helped me to keep the readings into the larger context of my overall personal training plan.

I've done some work on my dissertation bibliography worksheet, and I'll likely do some more soon. The segments of this sheet are divided by topic, and include the author, the title of the item in question, the publisher, the location published, the year, the type of publication (book or article), the retail price, the price on Amazon, whether it's available on Kindle, and the URL (mostly Amazon). Although it may cost me some serious coin, I'm going to try to get a number of books for my several dissertation topics on Kindle to reduce packing and shipping weight. I generally prefer traditional "dead tree" books, but for this particular occasion weight and bulk will be at a premium, so it's worth it to me to replace at least some of my current books for ease of carry en route, and ease of use once I get to Aberdeen.

In addition to a few other updates, the next order of business will be to make out a sheet that schedules the tasks I need or want to complete while I'm in Scotland. When I came home from the Middle East, I made out a spreadsheet that tracked, week by week, what I wanted to accomplish. I was either far too ambitious, or nowhere near disciplined enough. I'll have a year to work with in Aberdeen, and all of the pre-reading I've done thus far will help to reduce the overall workload. I'll still be ambitious, but I'll try to be a bit more realistic, and a bit more disciplined. I've listed my other projects previously, and when I've put the spreadsheet together, I'll post some of the specifics.

Spreadsheets Aplenty

In case you hadn't gathered from the maps and the lists, I'm a pretty organized person. One of my favorite tools for organizing my like if Microsoft Excel. My first spreadsheets for Operation Highlander were drafted in Spring of 2010, shortly after Aunt Jo planted the idea in my head.

The original spreadsheets dealt with two aspects of the plan: gear, and operating costs. Gear included things like clothing, entertainment, field equipment, and such. Operating costs included things like tuition, living expenses, the cost of keeping things like my mobile phone and car insurance paid for back home, flights, and the like. Excel was great because I could plug in a couple of simple scripts, like a cascading cell system that allowed me to easily account for changes in the exchange rate between the dollar and the British pound.

My spreadsheets for Operation Highlander were copied and retooled for my sojourn to the Middle East, which was a good pre-Highlander exercise. I've since used Excel to come up with a variety of additional spreadsheets to help me through the process of preparing for Scotland.

Goals/Time: (2 spreadsheets) These sheets helped me to track tasks I needed to complete before leaving the Middle East, and before leaving for Scotland, and the timeline in which I needed to complete them.

Ricochet/Current/Old Plans: (3 spreadsheets) Ricochet is my current "operation", so named because I've arrived in one location before almost immediately bouncing to another. My Current and Old Plans worksheets include Highlander, other potential near term plans, as well as former plans (like Carnivore - my deployment to the Middle East) that I've archived for reference purposes.

Writing/Bibliography: (2 spreadsheets) These spreadsheets contain the writing outlines for my potential dissertations, as well as my source list. The source list will become especially useful when I'm working on the bibliography for my dissertation.

Training/Readings: (2 spreadsheets) I've had a lot of readings to keep track of as I've prepared for grad school, as well as a number of other certifications for my risk management work.

ME Pay/Forecast/Old Money: (3 spreadsheets) Excel has been great for tracking my money over the last couple of years. I've used it to forecast and track my earnings. Like the Operation Highlander portions of the Current Plans spreadsheet, I made great use of Excel's cascading matrix and formulas to do the heavy mathematical lifting for me.

Travel: Finally, my Travel sheet has helped me to organize my travel goals, of which I've spoken previously. At some point, particularly if I get to North Africa and especially if I have an opportunity to travel throughout Continental Europe, the organizational boost I get from using Excel will help me to plan an efficient route so that I don't waste time covering any ground twice.
I've already posted a few of my spreadsheets, and as appropriate, I'll post more as time goes on. Stay tuned to learn more about the trip and how I've planned for it.