Polite Fiction

I have never let schooling interfere with my education.
~ Mark Twain

The key to surviving an MBA program is sacrifice and a little loss of sanity. You have to sacrifice time with family, friends, and yourself. It’s a hard thing to accomplish because the damage to your relationships can be severe. I entered into my MBA program without fully realizing the high level of time and thought that an MBA program demands.

I started my MBA program the day after I arrived home from my Honeymoon in Italy. I was still jetlagged but eager to start. I had fun during my undergrad years and I thought that this program would be the same…the first day told me otherwise. Huge expectations were set by the professors and I could see in the eyes of my fellow classmates that I wasn’t the only one in shock. Thus my trek through the MBA program began…full of fear and uncertainty and it would only increase as the classes progressed.

My program is 6 quarters long and so far I have survived 3 quarters and most of a 4th. I have seen many people drop. Some of them came as complete surprises because they dropped late in the program. If an MBA was a disease then the mortality rate would be severe. In the darkest period of my program I found strength in my frustration…I was not going to fail because I would not let a full year of sacrifice die in vain.

Another source of strength that sustained me through this journey is my love of irony. I find it funny that I, a former heavy metal bassist and anti establishment enthusiast, am now in the last leg of an MBA program. If I were to ever run into myself from 10 years ago I’d probably kick my ass. Why this amuses me is anybody’s guess but I chuckle when I think about it.

I’m in the home stretch now…I’ve lost some friends, skipped numerous family functions, and missed quality time with my wife (thank god she’s going through her own program). My views on the business world have changed a lot since I started this program and, doubtless, it will change further when I complete the MBA. I’m not sure I want to remain in Corporate America but if I do I can tack on the moniker of MBA on my business cards. How groovy is that!