Then we came to an end

I know, I know, I abandoned this blog a year ago with a ‘wish me luck’ post.. but all I can say is that I did need the luck.. and I can’t believe I survived the past year.. it was crazy, but not in the way I imagined it at all. I changed course multiple times, questioned my decisions a lot, but now at the end I have an overwhelming feeling that I did the right thing.

The prerequisite action after abandoning one’s blog is to re-read old blog posts to figure out what was said, the tone etc... I can’t re-read my old blog posts.. I just can’t.. it feels odd.. So, I ‘m just going to dive in.

So, let’s start at the beginning. I didn’t graduate last year. I’m graduating this year...actually in one week today, on June 8th I will be donning cape and gown and my name will be announced along with 350+ MBA Rotman grads...

So why did I postpone graduation.. well last January, I got a new portfolio (in addition to my current job) and I decided the opportunity to learn about a new business was just too good, so I put off graduation. It was a torturous few weeks, trying to decide what to do. I dropped two courses, and tried to hold onto the three courses, while doing 1.5 jobs .. (that’s how I describe my job last year). Over the year, I had to decide whether I took the summer off school and then decided to drag out the remaining two courses that I had. I took Marketing strategy in the fall and Real Estate Investment this past spring. I’m glad I didn’t rush it. The courses I took were the ones I really wanted to take..

Am I glad that I did the MBA? I guess that the $65K question.. I’ve asked my classmates about it and some seem to have mixed feelings, not everyone is convinced the money is well spent, but most feel that the experience was worth it.. but wished it was cheaper... Some were successful in changing jobs, others (like me) were grateful they had a job to hold on to. The current market environment made everyone question what they really wanted to do.. those lucrative finance and consulting jobs didn’t seem all that lucrative..A few people contemplated switching careers, but then realized that their best prospects lay in their current field.

My opinion? I am I glad I did it. I feel different. I’m more confident in my abilities. It seems silly to say I paid for my confidence.. but it’s more than that.. It’s that my thinking has changed. Graduating from one of the top business schools in the country makes the difference. Do I know what I want to do? Have I found my dream job. I realized that there is no dream job for me.. I’m not someone who lives for work, however I do like making money and I think the MBA has refined my money making skills.

I did get a promotion within the company post MBA. The timing couldn’t have been better. Two weeks after graduation I will start my new job. The decision to postpone graduation a year later was one of the best decisions I’ve made. I was unsure of it at the time. A classmate asked me what the rush was especially in last year’s economy. Sometimes I think I would never have gotten my current job had I not pursued the opportunity at work.

My unsolicited advice- Experience the MBA.. take your time, soak it all in, don’t be overwhelmed by the people around you or the information they try to throw at you. You’ll have the naysayers who think an MBA is an overpriced, inflated ego driven degree, but as long as you know why you are doing it, then that’s all that matter.. Above all stay open to life, experiences, and opportunities.