Thinking of getting your MBA?

Have you ever had high expectations for your favorite dish and it turns out to be less than stellar? That’s how I felt during the process.

Have you ever thought that you were a below average human, but everyone else couldn’t stop bragging on you and giving you compliments about your accomplishment? That’s how I felt after walking across the stage.

Currently, I’m somewhere in between these 2 emotions. I’m not 100% sure about my degree yet. I’m beginning to see that this is just what life is. Nothing is ever as good or as bad as we make it out to be, and we never have it all figured out.

Life is the grey area.

I can say that I’m extremely excited about what the future holds for me. At 30 years old, I’ve struggled in corporate America since 27, but i managed to stay at one job since finishing my first degree in 2014.

While I’ve learned a ton of life lessons that will last me my entire career, it’s been a struggle developing a specific skill-set and growing at my current workplace.

One thing that my company did offer though, was tuition reimbursement.

I took advantage of this. I applied to the school, a smaller branch of my undergrad Alma mater, in hopes of killing the monotony and boredom of my 9 to 5, while also hoping to expand my professional network. I was looking for hope, looking for success, looking for an escape route.

I can’t necessarily say that I was able to achieve this. Most of my classmates were quite honestly in the same situation as me, so it made things that much tougher. They were looking to change their career outlook too, or were fresh out of undergrad, unsure of what they should be doing with their lives.

It’s hard to expand your professional network in a group of classmates that are pretty much looking for the same things that you are.

Early in the program, one of my professors that I respected had some very demeaning things to say about the university during a lecture that made me question myself enrolling.

It was confusing. How can you destroy the reputation of the school you teach at when you are being paid handsomely to in essence ensure we stay at this school?

Why should I be here if the professor doesn’t even want to be here?

I almost quit numerous times.

After voicing my concerns, he pretty much broke it down to me.

In a nutshell, he said if you’re not going to an Ivy League to get your degree, everything else is pretty much placed in the same basket, so there is no need in transferring from one state school to the next. Just get your degree and move on to getting real life experience.

To be clear, this wasn’t some online school or for-profit degree mill, but it was something that I wasn’t 100% sure was the right move for me, being that there just wasn’t a ton of information or reviews out there for the school. The school had recently branched off on its own from the main campus.

The truth is I would have went back to my undergrad campus to get the degree, but I didn’t want to study for a standardized test in the form of a GMAT. How lazy of me right?

It was a waste of time to me. Corporate America has never given me a multiple choice or essay exam, so why do I need to take one to get a degree that will give me much more theory than practicality?

There is so much info out there telling readers that if you’re not going to these Ivy League’s to get your degrees, you’re not worth anything. There’s also info out there saying the opposite. “Just get your degree to check the box”.

The verdict is still out on who is right or wrong.

At the end of the day, I believe that your position in life depends more on your drive and work ethic than the school you attend. While I know that relationships and connections are a few of the top keys to success, they aren’t the ONLY KEYS. There are many factors at play when discussing career trajectory

I have great opportunities in front of me, but I can’t say that I attribute them to my second degree as it has only been a few months.

Maybe my expectations were too high.

I understand the phrase “you get what you pay for” now.

I don’t think I came out with a very good network of peers to call on or connect with.

The work was underwhelming and was a replay of undergraduate studies to be honest.

I did get a free education!

I did finish my degree in a fast-track 1 year program!

I do have my MBA!

I am happy that I’m done and was able to finish it before my child could walk or talk.

This was another life lesson that I’ll never forget.

I believe that even though I don’t see the benefits quite as clear as I should, there are underlying positives that are yet to be seen. Only time will tell

If anything, I hope that this article will help someone, if even just one person.

How was your MBA experience? I’d like to hear from you.

-aaron@thecollegetips.com

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