One thing I’m proud of is the completion of my Duke MBA this past December. There are several reasons for this including:
- Taking on the intense pressure of the MBA while also working full-time
- Gaining new international experiences by traveling to 4 continents (and seeing 2 Wonders of the World in the Great Wall and Taj Mahal)
- Befriending and learning from a diverse student cohort
However, what sticks out to me isn’t just the MBA experience itself but also the events and lessons I gained leading up to me pursuing the MBA in the first place.
None of It Was Supposed to Happen the Way It Did
If you were to ask me what I think about college and graduate programs in general, I’d say they aren’t worth the exorbitant cost unless you have a very clear plan for why you’re getting it. I’ve had this sentiment for years as I observe many good people succumb to debt and career troubles which is why as recently as late 2016 I would’ve never paid for an MBA without a clear and intentional plan.
For my situation, I was fortunate to be working at a company that offered full tuition reimbursement (with no obligation to stay for a set period post-completion). However, I regularly wrestled with the notion of pursuing an MBA while working due to the extra time and energy I’d have to commit toward it. My thinking in early 2016 towards getting an MBA was either, “maybe one day I’ll reluctantly take advantage of the company’s tuition program for practical reasons” or “I would never do it.“
In April 2016, I was brought in to my Director’s office and told “I didn’t have a future at my company” due to poor performance. This news didn’t blindside me much and I am the first to admit that I struggled in my role at the time. Despite this event, I was offered until the end of the year to figure out my next move whether it was a new job at a new company or pursuing my education further (i.e. getting an MBA full-time).
In my mind, pursuing a full-time MBA was a no-go. I didn’t want to do it just for the sake of it or in the hopes of something good maybe happening as a result and go into extreme debt.
While I was stern in this viewpoint, I had close colleagues (including my Director) in my ear telling me of the benefits of graduate school and how it can work out really well for me. I decided to outwardly go along with the path of pursuing a full-time MBA even though internally I felt it wasn’t for me. With that being said, I took the application process one step at a time starting with the GMAT exam under the guise of going full-time. I knew its scores were good for 5 years so I had nothing really to lose minus some time dedicated toward studying. I told myself, “I’ll just complete this step and go from there. I won’t do an MBA right away but at least I’ll have this test done should I change my mind within 5 years.” This led to me studying and subsequently scoring very well on the GMAT exam by November 2016 which would allow me to apply to top programs and enroll full-time in 2017.
Soon after I completed the exam, it was time for year-end performance reviews with my company. In a turn of events, my Director informed me that I turned things around significantly over the past 6 months to the point that the company wanted to keep me on board. Now I had employment for the foreseeable future along with a high scoring GMAT score.
In early 2017, I had the option of pursuing an MBA while working as a result of my good performance (I even got promoted during this time period). This would allow me to earn the benefits of tuition reimbursement while getting a prestigious degree. As I continued to listen to colleagues, friends, and family, I half-reluctantly figured I’d at least apply to a program and go from there. I remember not being stressed out about getting accepted because it wasn’t something I had planned to do anyway.
Fast forward a few months and I had identified and got accepted to the only program I applied to which was at Duke University. The MBA program I specifically entered had a strong international component to it and made me genuinely interested and eager to be a part of it after learning what it had to offer.
Looking back there were several unique circumstances that had to occur for me to embark on the MBA journey I went on:
- I had to do poorly enough in my job to the point I was told in April 2016 I would be let go by the end of the year
- I had to have caring colleagues and peers who would offer advice and perspective. I also had to be flexible enough to listen despite my staunch personal beliefs.
- I had to be at a company that offered a very strong tuition reimbursement program (having to personally pay or contractually stay at the company would have been barriers for me)
- I had to subsequently do well enough to turn my performance around and thus become eligible for the company’s reimbursement program.
Takeaways
With such an odd journey toward pursuing my MBA, I observe a few key takeaways:
- Be flexible and open to others’ opinions. This doesn’t mean you have to abandon your beliefs, but if you have people around you who respect and want what’s best for you – at least listen.
- Take things one step at a time. If I knew the end result of 2016 would be me performing well at my company to the point I’d be staying there, I wouldn’t have taken the GMAT or gone to grad school. Instead, I took things step by step starting with the GMAT; making no promises that I’d go full-time. You won’t always know how things will pan out
so it’s alright to do what’s best for you based on the given information you have at any point in time. - Push Yourself. Simply put, the rigor and intensity I had in 2017 and 2018 helped build my character and confidence. I was able to perform well both academically and professionally taking on an MBA and full-time work, but the “hard work” and “time and energy commitments” made pursuing this path a no-go for me in the past. You don’t always know what you’re capable of until you put that pressure on yourself.