Brand Promise

All brands have some sort of a "promise" that they strive to adhere to.  Even small brands with little voice or local family businesses know what they want people to think of them.  It is also important for individuals to have their own brand promise to help promote themselves.  Without this statement how can anyone else, let alone yourself, know what you are all about.  My own personal Brand Promise is very simple, but I believe that it is truthful, plausible, and inspiring.

"To use the full extent of my abilities to succeed at any task that is put in front of me."

I know this seems simple, but I think I it says a couple things.  First, it shows that I am motivated, and that I plan to get results.  Second, it indicates that I am not giving up if something gets difficult, if there is any way that I can accomplish the task then I will.  These are two very important points that I think are relevant not only to potential employers but to anyone that interacts with me.

Linkedin

So I have a Personal Brand Management class this semester.  It is completely different from any other class that I've had in four years, probably because it isn't technically based.  One thing that we do is to establish a Linkedin account.  Before this class I'm not sure I even heard of Linkedin, but simply put it is the "Professional Facebook".  You add your education, work experience, and you make connections with people you know.  The connections can be thought of like Friends on Facebook, but they are a little different.  Each direct connection you have, indirectly connects you to all of their direct connections.  In this way, your network of people that you are connected to grows rapidly.

I am quickly seeing the extreme benefits of Linkedin.  It can very easily help you to find opportunities for yourself that you might never have known existed.  Additionally, growing and cataloguing your network of people that you are connected to is extremely easy, especially compared to the former de facto, "word of mouth".

After setting up my account and adding my older brother, we had a conversation about Linkedin.  He is a district manager for a chain of restaurants and he spoke many praises upon Linkedin.  It has helped him to find new and reputable employees that he is happy to work with.

However, with every great thing there is a downside, and Linkedin has its own as well.  The biggest problem that I can see is Truth.  It is very easy to lie when you don't have to do it directly to someone's face.  I am not accusing every person that has an online profile with any networking site of being a liar, but I doubt there are many out there who are EXACTLY what their profiles may say.  This is not necessarily a bad thing, but there are some precautions to be taken and it is also a reminder that you should always be promoting yourself as what you are and what your ambitions are.

The Final Four

What a crazy year for college basketball.  The season started with talk of Duke going undefeated and repeating as national champions, and they looked great with Kyrie Irving as their point guard until he got hurt.  They had some "bad losses" in the ACC and their stock went down.  Then there was all the talk about how great the Big East was and how good they would be come tournament time.  The teams in the Big East apparently just beat up on each other too hard.  Then Ohio State sailed into the spot light with Jared Sullenger and all the talk was about their great team, but then they lost to Wisconsin.  For a while we heard about how Texas was the best team in the country (although their early record kept them from the top spot in the polls), and then they went on a losing skid.  Finally towards the end of the season everyone realized, there were no GREAT teams in college basketball, just a lot of good teams that could beat anyone.

Now that we finally reached the Final Four, it seems that the last statement was actually true.  There were no great teams, and it is certainly no repeat of 2008 when all four #1 seeds were left standing.  No it is actually 4 of the more unlikely teams heading to Houston.  Coach Cal is surrounded by talented freshman again this year, but no one will dispute that they aren't quite as talented as last year, and yet here they are.  Connecticut clearly has one of the best players around in Kemba Walker, but they haven't lost since before the Big East tournament and everyone thought they would be too tired, and yet here they are.  We all knew Butler was a good team and they had the experience of last year, but they did lose one of their best players and team leader Gordon Hayward and were seeded 3 spots lower than last years team, and yet here they are.  VCU probably comes as the biggest surprise though.  Their selection was discredited by more than one analyst saying they had no right to even participate in the tourney, and yet here they are.  All but UConn had to beat a 1 seed to earn their trip to Houston, so it was no easy task for any of the teams and they certainly earned their spot.

This season is definitely not going down in the record books with any of the best teams in history, and it isn't going to be one of the better draft classes in recent years, but if it is remembered for anything it will be the tournament.  There might have been more upsets this year than in several of the past years combined even.  I don't feel too bad knowing that everyone's bracket, not just my one, accrued very few points.  We will see this weekend if the "Cinderellas" can finish the tournament off with style, if nothing else there will be three more matchups that no one expected to see.

Area of Passion

My degree will be in mechanical engineering.  I very much enjoy what I have been doing over the past 4 years at college and I look forward to continuing my education as I will be shortly starting the master's program at Michigan Tech.  While I am very excited right now about continuing school, I am also excited to apply what I've learned at college to the real world.

But let's be realistic, my life is not all about work.  I played sports in high school, and although I can't spend nearly as much time on them now I still love basketball and soccer above most other things.  I don't watch a lot of soccer because the availability and quality of the matches on TV is not very good, but every 4 years I am glued on the World Cup.  It is some of the best sporting action to watch, and I try to suck in every minute that I can.  I do love my soccer, but basketball is truly the best sport, in my opinion.  I think the best athletes in the world are professional basketball players.  Just watch one game and you will be convinced.  It is ridiculous the amount of body control that players have, and usually it is all in a split second reaction.  There is no other sport that requires so many unique, unpracticed movements.  The NBA has the best players, but it is so much more entertaining to watch college ball.  For that reason March is the best month of the year.  From conference tournaments all the way through the NCAA.  I just can't get enough college hoops.  And it's all about to culminate at the Final Four.  Bring on Houston!

Bio

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My name is Kyle Bordeau and I'm about to finish the final year of my undergraduate degree in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan Tech.  I'll be starting the Master's program soon with a focus on Control Systems and Optimization.  I'm excited to continue my education and further my potential opportunities.

Twitter:
Michigan Technological University/BS Mechanical Engineering '11/Future MSME Student/Research Assistant