This month, I’ll finally receive my diploma for my Masters in Business Administration (MBA) specializing in Social Impact.
Aside from the industry and business relevant knowledge I gained, doing a part-time competitive, on-campus program while working full-time in my mid-20’s revealed much I did not anticipate.
So here we start of a series on those side-lessons.
Credential vs. Why
Before even applying, I associated an advanced degree with something I needed in order to be taken seriously, and wanted to make sure I had the right one for the future I sought. Chalk it up to when I was the 15-year-old kid neuroscientist who had the 30-year life plan and foresight to know about “tenure-track” professorships, but I knew this accreditation was not something I wanted to lose forever.
To do a quick recap, when I was a 20-year-old graduate with my BA in Neuroscience, I had gained admissions to 3 programs that highlight the exploration of my path ahead. A science journalism MA at USC Annenberg (heavy on science, light on reporting that I didn’t have adequate experience in!) and two twin programs at Columbia and Harvard’s graduate schools of education. I ultimately attended (and fled) the Harvard one in a illustrious example of “wrong place, wrong time”, and again the question of “What credential and why?” comes up.
At that early stage in my career, I felt unqualified for any “real job” except student, but didn’t know that everyone feels that way until they reach a level of perfunctory complacence.
When I finally got out of the classroom and explored, I realized I had blossoming interest and skills in too many windows, and tried my hand at them one by one.
When I finally started working in technology, and that too with governments tangentially, I realized that if I played my cards right I could still have my dream career. I explored MPA’s, MA’s in Leadership, googling where politicians I admired went and deciding if I had it in me for another round of Admissions fees, personal statements, interviews, and recommendations.
Deciding on this particular MBA program at Boston University Questrom School of Business took a while. I attended live prospective student sessions, mock classes, I compared Boston University to Boston College. Ultimately, I only applied to BU, and that too was because it felt so familiar that I knew I could stretch my own limits. Specializing in Social Impact was a way to both target my future goals as well as learn more about whether that is viably a path forward for me.
In hindsight, this decision in my first year of my technology career has held the most impact in my growth and my trajectory in terms of headspace and acceleration. In some ways, taking the time to pursue a graduate degree on top of a 40+ (let’s be real, it’s more like 60 most weeks!) workweek feels like an insane ordeal, but because I had committed before I could get truly get used to a “9-5” lifestyle, and actually was working close to 7 day weeks prior to graduate school (weekends spent as a barista like my pre-tech days), I was already used to the rhythm of a busy schedule, and school pulled that busy into a path to my future.
Even today, post-graduation, I am spending my evenings reading biographies and management books (for FUN!) because I truly value growing in knowledge and leveling up day after day. My insatiable curiosity needs nurturing!
My advice for anyone considering graduate school while you are in a job: try taking your post-work time to study for your entrance exams or do a free certificate or course via a MOOC (massive open online course) like Coursera or edX. If you enjoy the practice of learning and reading, or at least train your mind to start using the time you have (even on weekends!) for these practices, you will be ahead of your peers if and when you pursue a degree. This may also help you realize that you have untapped time for skill building and do not need to pursue a full-time degree.
In my 3 years that I continued to work and grow in my technical role, I gained a degree but also feel as though I grew a new understanding of my world. I leveled up my career by about 6 years, and now feel like I am on par with my peers but with the experience of multiple industries and a MBA’s analytical lenses.
My road to a master’s degree had many fits and starts, but I’m so glad that it ended at the headway for another journey of growth and discovery. This journey reignited the fire in me for research and made me appreciate my past as a scientist for how it molded my way of thinking , and though I had shaken off the research degree aspirations over a decade ago, I have learned to never say never.
I have a few more unanticipated lessons I want to share, so please stay tuned!
Cheers,
Maithreyi
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