Even though the trip had been a total grind, Nick and the guys were hauled into the dean's office the second they stepped foot back on campus. They'd made some serious waves this time, and the university wanted to get the full story straight from the source.
For the school and the department, these were their own students, after all. Scoring wins like this was obviously a direct result of the top-tier education the university had provided over the last four years—at least, that's how the brass saw it.
On top of that, Nick's crew was seen as a grad-student startup that had knocked it out of the park in record time. Both the Dean and the VP who met with them were practically glowing with pride.
Originally, the department wanted to throw a big symposium with experts and professors to pick apart their tech, but Nick shut it down. He told them flat out that the technology involved sensitive military applications and had to stay under wraps for security reasons.
The administrators were a little bummed, but they were still pumped. If it was classified, that was basically the ultimate stamp of approval, right?
Still, the higher-ups couldn't help but feel they'd missed out on a payday. If Nick and the guys had actually signed that deal with SPX, we'd be talking hundreds of millions of dollars. That would've brought massive prestige to the school—and maybe a fat donation check to the department.
With that in mind, the faculty got even more neighborly. Their warm, fuzzy vibes made the guys feel like they were getting the royal treatment. Honestly, if it weren't for the fact that they had to prep for their thesis defense, the admins probably would've kept them there all night drinking coffee and talking about "the future."
After dealing with the big shots, they still had to see their advisor. Luckily, he was way more chill and straight to the point; he just wanted to nerd out over the tech. After about thirty minutes of shop talk, the three of them finally made their escape.
They checked the time—holy crap—it was already past six. They hadn't done a single productive thing since they got back besides reporting to various suits.
They hit the dining hall for a quick bite, and then it was time to pull an all-nighter for tomorrow's defense. Even though their papers had been submitted ages ago, those were just digital copies for review; they still had to print hard copies for the panel and get their slide decks ready.
Since their laptops were trashed, they had to head to a 24-hour internet cafe to get the work done. It definitely drew some stares from the other customers; nobody expects to see college kids actually studying at a gaming lounge.
They were on a deadline, so they didn't worry about making things pretty. They just grabbed some templates online and plugged in their data. They couldn't just wing it, though; they had to be sharp where it counted.
The group pulled a straight-up marathon, finishing just as the sun came up. Looking at the clock, there was no time for a nap. They just grabbed their stuff, hit the cafeteria for some breakfast, and waited for the show to start.
They were already running on fumes from the trip, and after a total all-nighter, the whole crew was a wreck, yawning every five seconds. To keep from face-planting, they slammed a few cans of high-octane energy drinks. Whether the stuff actually worked or not was a toss-up, but the bitter taste at least kept their eyes open.
The defense was set for a big lecture hall in the main building. By early morning, the hallway was already packed with students. When they spotted Nick's crew, a bunch of people came over to say hey.
Word about what went down in Miami had traveled fast, and people were acting different. It actually made Nick feel more awkward than before.
Of course, you had the "too cool for school" types who acted like they didn't see them or just didn't want to give them the satisfaction of a "hello." Hey, they were all top-tier students; nobody likes being outshined.
Nick and the guys didn't sweat it. They were graduating anyway, and everyone would be going their separate ways soon, so why care about high school drama?
Even though the hallway vibe was pretty loose, with everyone hanging out in groups and joking around, the pre-defense jitters were real. Even Nick felt the tension starting to get to him.
After the first few students went in, it was finally their turn. Tyler was up first.
"I'll go scout it out for you guys!" He flashed a grin, gave Nick a fist bump, and headed in looking confident.
About ten minutes later, he walked out wearing a huge smile, waving at Nick and Zack. "It's all good. Just go in, stay cool, and answer the questions like you mean it."
Tyler's report helped them breathe a little easier, but the nerves were still there. Like everyone else waiting, they started frantically flipping through their notes, terrified they'd blank on a question from the professors.
A few more names were called, and then it was his turn. Nick took a deep breath and stepped inside.
Facing the five or six professors sitting on the panel, Nick gave a polite nod and handed out his thesis copies. He walked up to the podium, plugged his thumb drive into the computer, pulled up the PPT, and looked at the board.
"Morning, everyone. The title of my thesis is 'Analysis of Performance Stability and Security in Computer Wireless Networks.' In today's fast-paced tech world, networking isn't just about plugging things in. It's about the strategic design of the entire system and maximizing the resources we already have..."
The intro hit all the usual beats—motivation, the process, the hurdles, and the final takeaways. He talked for about ten minutes. Nick took a hard swallow; the easy part was over.
Next up was the Q&A session that everyone dreads. Nick stood there wondering what they were going to throw at him. From what he'd heard from other students, the questions could be anything from technical deep dives to "so, do you have a girlfriend yet?"
The first one to speak was an older asian guy in the middle. He was the heavy hitter of the department, Professor Minh, a guy with some serious academic credentials.
"Mr. Nicholas, we've all read your paper; it's solid work. But we're all dying to know: why did you pick this topic instead of writing about that tech you just built?"
Aha—he knew that was coming. Luckily, he had his "BS" detector ready.
Nick gave the panel a modest smile. "Honestly, when I picked the topic, I wasn't thinking that far ahead. I just wanted something I was familiar with so I could do a good job on the paper. I finished it pretty quickly, which left me with a lot of free time.
I started looking for a job and worked on some side projects for fun. It wasn't until a couple of months ago, when the job hunt wasn't going great, that I thought about doing my own thing. I already had some ideas cooking, so I called a few friends and we decided to just bet on ourselves."
The whole panel started chuckling. They never expected that the "secret sauce" behind this world-class tech was actually a string of rejected job applications.
Times have definitely changed. You have to wonder what the companies that turned him down are thinking now that he's the talk of the industry.