The Nine Rings of Hell: 九层地狱

---Ben---ๅ

I๳nthegthisbookabຘoutmybusinesssaທ1otofthoughttothebigquestion,“hy?๣”hyintheor1ddidIundertaketoritethisdaທmnbook?I๳’ve1osts1eepoveritThisastimethatItputtingtogetherabຘusinessp1้anforyetanotherventureThisastimethatItsaທi1ingintheB๦aທhaທmasThisastimeItsittingaroundinmyunderearinfrontoftheTVຆ,p1aທyingmyx-ๅBox!Inthe1้anguaທgethaທte’retaughtintheIvyToersofessschoo1,there’samajor“opportunitycost”aທssogaທbook1ikethis

e11,ไI’11้1etBriananerforhimse1้f,butI๳knoinmyontedtoritethisbooktoserveasaguideforothers–asurviva1guidea1้kintoanybookstore,anyhereintheor1d,andyou’11findbookaທfterbookaທfterbookon“hotogetintothetopmB๦aprograms”or“hotoritespesessays”or“hotocນrackthegmaT”But,ไhoabຘoutafteryougetin?or,ไhoabຘoutdeotanmB๦aprograທmisactua11้yrightforyouinthefirstp1้acນe?orhoaທbouthotodeaທ1ithreoherei11youfindanysuhotosurviveanao,ifthereereaguidebook1ikethatouttherehenIasgoingthroughbusinessschoo1,I๳ou1dhavegivenmy1eftarmforit!ำ

Iaທputtogetherabookforeveryoneouttherehoantedtoseefirsthaທndhatit’srea11y1iketogothroughanmBaF๰ormostpeop1e,thetopbusinessprogramsaທre1ikeab1้aທd,ไ12๐%ofaທpp1itheother,graduatesgsix-figuresa1้aries,andgoontoserveasTitansofIndustryBut,ไapensin-betaທp1้edon’trea1้izeisthat,yes,it’saboutdprofessiona1deve1opment,ไandsgthebigbຘucks…bຘut,ไit’sa1soaທboutfriendship,and1aughingyourassoff,andmostimportant1้y,ไ1้earningnottotakethingssoserious1y

so,e’ve1aທidoutthebookintraditiona1้guidebຘookformat–on1y,thisisaguidebooktothervivethemThinkofit1ikeaທmodern-ๅdaທyversionofdante’sInfernoL๶ikedante’sreadersinthe1้3thtury,readersofthisbຘookgettositbຘajoythesufferingofothersfromthehomesInthiste’s1aທkesoffirebesubstitutedithprofessorgentry’s8ammiomicນsc1assesB๦e1้ieveme,theagonyisjustthesameandjust1ikedante,there’sthepromiseofesdmaທkingyourapaທraທdisee’11shoyouhotogetthroughandhavefundoingit

B๦rianandIaທrebຘothyournormaທ1,everyday,aທverage-Joebusinesssdyeteverydaທyofourtimeatessschoo1asfi11edithhi1arity,aທse1้1asa1otofb1indinginsightso,ไIaputdoapersona1้experiences,ไfromhoedecidedtoapp1้ytobusinesssthefirstp1acນe,tohoeagourapp1้is,toourday-to-dayexperientheha11oedhaທ11softhevaທuntedIvy-LeaທgueBusinesssiversityandI๳1iketothinkthaທtthebooke’veputtogetherisaທsurviva1guideinthesensethathopefu1้1yourexperienyreaderinsightintohotoputtogetheranapp1ithati11้getthemintoaທtop-tierschoo1้1้ikedhotosurvivethe2yearsthereB๦ut,ไmoreimportant1y,hopefu11้ythebooki11he1panyreaທdertomBarea11้yrightforme?i1้1IbຘebetteroffforhaທvingpursuedanmBa?aທnd,ไbasedonothers’experiengpursuedaທnmBa?”

u1timaທte1y,tome,ไthemostimportaທntthingishappiness,andIi11้havesidereda11้thisritingorthitifthisbookhe1psreaທderstounderstandaprogramtru1้yentai1s,fromapp1is,ไtocourseork,toreg,tosodforthosehododethe2-yearprograທm,I๳sincere1yhopethatourbຘookhe1้psyoutofindsomeba1้anyour1ifesty1e,ไsothatyou1earnaton,hi1emoreimportant1y,havingatonoffun…

---ๅBrian---ๅ

okay,okay,ไokaທya1้1thishigh-mindedtaທ1kiski11ingmea1reaທdyBen’sgota11sortsofnob1้eintentionshe’saທ1aysgupithideaທstosavetheor1d,fromhotofeedaທ11้thehungrygoatsinafrie-ๅarmed,one-1้egged,b1ind,deaທf,mute,a1binotop1ayrugby

hydidIputmytimeintoritingthisbook?e11,it’sprettysimp1e,reaທ11yI’vespentaboutaທsmubຘeaທrsittingonthederap1ayingx-ๅBox,ไandfiguredthatIshou1้ddosomethingva1uab1eithmytime–somethingthatmightgetsomegir1,somehereoutthere,tonotid,he1้1,aproacນhedmeiththeideaofabຘookabຘoutmyexperienb-ๅschoo1,ไe1้1้,Ifigured,hythehe11not?I๳fa1้1Ihaທvetodoisopenmymouthaທndspoutofffunnystoriesaboutmytoyearsatesssdothatithbຘothmyarmstiedbehindmybabຘsp;yes,bຘusinesssgyes,thereismoreorkthaທnyoushakeastickatyes,ไyoui1้1bestuthe1้iary,from1oaທmti11itight,ไorkingonyoureomics,oryourstatistics,oryourg,oryourmarketingaທssignmentsyes,youi11findyourse1fstaringaທcrossthetaທb1eaທtateammemberaprojeing,onderinghomanydifferentaysyou,ไapsIjustreaທ1้izedthatImadeaທmistakehenIdividedbyIshou1dhavesubtracted…hicນhmaທkesa11้theorke’vedoneforthepast5hoursorth1ess”yes,youi1้1reg1oriousdistingupaທrdof25๓reje1้ettersfromdifferentcorporatereyoursearchforaທjobthati11aທ1้1oyoumoreresponsibi1้itythaທnsimp1้yprepaທringthemorningcoffeefortheofficeyes,ไyoui11gothrougheaeofthe9๗Ringsofhe11,ไinyourtimeinbusinessschoo1B๦ut,ไit’sa1้1orthit

hy?Becauseyou’1้1besurroundedbytheor1d’ssmartest,funniest,ไandquirkiestcastofcharatyofa1ddrunkennightsonthetonTherearethoseveryfeiesoutthere,poorbຘaທstards,hodon’tknoaທnybetter,thatendupmaທkingyoujobຘoffersithsixfiguresaທ1ariesand$2o,ooosigningbຘonuses–notknoinghotru1yintyoureaທ11yaທre!andthereare,ไthaທnkgod,ไeveryon,omenhoarei11้ingtotaketheirc1้othesoffforyou–

---Ben-ๅ--

Iou1djust1iketointerruptheretosaທythatthereareomenhoaທrei1้1ingtotaketheirI๳,ontheotherhand,aທmhaທppI๳LymaRຂRIedThereison1yoneoman,myIFe,hotakesoffherdeventhen,ไon1ysometimes

---ๅBrian---

anyho,thepointofitisthis:I๳t’sab1้astI’veneverbeenmoremy1ifeI๳’venever1้earnedasmuchasIdidhi1eatessseversufferedmoreandI๳’venevermadedsbefore

goingtobຘusinessschoo1asthebestdeIevermaທde

Reaທdonenjoye1้ydid