Today was the last day for events here in Prague for the Griswolds', but it was a great day like the rest of the days. The day started as always with a light breakfast provided by the hotel then it was off to our first stop of the day HP (Hewlett-Packard). Here, we was greeted by Talent Advisor Martha Blathin, and she is a recruiter for HP in the HR department. Ms. Blathin, presented us with the Graduate Program, and with this presentation we learned how graduates become employed by HP. This presentation was very interesting because HP has over 270 locations, has over 300 thousand plus employees, and had a 1.6 billion in revenues for 2013! Wow! I would love to work a profitable company like this one, but the most important piece of this presentation was the Graduate Program. With this program graduates our choosen by HP, then are put through a series of assessments that test their skills for what HP is looking for. Once a graduate is choosen based off their assessment, the graduate is now a new hire that is put through two weeks of training. After training the new hire is given a mentor,a nd the mentor teaches the new hire about the company; for example, like where they need to go if their computer needs to be fixed. With a mentor, the new hire is given real task to work on soon as they are hired because HP believes in perfecting everyone, and one is not going to learn if they do not make mistakes. After several months past the new hire qualifies for the Young Guns Program, and with this program they are able to choose to work in a different department for a selected amount of time. When that time is up, they can either continue to work in the choosen department, or in the department they were hired for. Once all of this is completed, the new hire presents what they have learned in their first year or year in a half then graduates from the graduate program to new career opportunities.
"Rusty Future HP employee"
After the HP visit, we given some free time for lunch where pops and I went to KFC for a quick lunch, and a nap after. When we woke up from our nap, we went to our next visit, which was to Prague College. Here at this visit we were greeted by Mr Alex Head of Communications, and he gave us a breif description of Prague College that started 10 years ago. For such a young school, it is growing quickly, and has a great representation. Prague College is in the center of the industry network being located in the Czech Republic because it is a great location for transportation and logistics. Many representatives from Microsoft and Google come to Prague College and speak to students, and to work on real live projects from these companies. Students here are recieving British degrees which are recognized as a quality education. An interesting fact about Prague College is that it only cost roughly $6,900 a semester! After Alex gave the brief description of Prague College, we were next greeted by Tony Achmat who is an international life coach. He talked to us about how communication is key within any organization, and that face to face communication is always best. We also learned that we have an advantage in business, since we speak fluent english because english is business language on international scales. Mr. Achmat also talked to us about work ethic and creativity. He told us that companies are looking for young individuals that have great work ethic and creative. If you are not creative then companies will not want you. That stuck with us all, and was very glad to have Mr. Achmat as a presenter.
The Griswolds' finished the day off at a nice restaurant just a few blocks away from Prague College. We had a taste for a Czech cuisine since a few of us haven't had one while being here. I know that sounds bad, but we did it today, and I tried a cheesy pork pasta. Never had a pork pasta before, but it was good and I wish I could stay in Prague longer. This vacation will go down in the record books as one of the greatest, and more adventures to come.
Rusty (Brandon)
Today marks the first full day back in Missouri for the Griswolds', and it was quite easy I would say. After the plane ride into KCI, we headed right for home. Soon as we got home, I went right for the kitchen looking to devour all food that I could reach. When finished eating, we all talked about the trip, and how this trip was life changing and surreal. After discussing the trip,I went out to give souvenires to my friends, so that I could beat jet lag and not fall asleep so early. I ended gift giving and hanging out with my friends about 8:30 pm lastnight. I was sleep for 12 hours, and woke to make myself a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Sounds tasty doesn't it, and it was not our typical bacon and eggs breakfast. When breakafast was finished, I typed my six page reflection paper about this wonderful experience that is due July 3rd. After the paper was completed I went to a chinese buffet, and had lunch with my friends. The night was ended with a few movies, and this blog about adjusting back to time. Now that I am back in the past, as we were in the seven hour future in Europe, I will never forget this trip and will be remembered as the Griswolds' Family Vacation to Europe!
