Wednesday, July 24, 2002

The Dream

A friend of mine in the part-time MBA program asked me yesterday evening, "How can you be enjoying the MBA if you keep commenting on your weblog about the intensity of it all, and using moods like 'swamped'?"

I've had an interesting opportunity for some self-reflection over the past few days. Having been short-listed for a scholarship based on the content of my resume and my original MBS application essays, I decided to revisit the journey that I'd been on over the past couple of years.

My personal journal from my US b-school tour in 2000, combined with the eight application essays I wrote for the AGSM and MBS in 2001, and all the posts I've written for this weblog, make for a fairly comprehensive summary of the career growth/change process that I''m going through, and the end point that I'm trying to acheive. A common theme seems to be that what I'm really trying to do is 'live the journey' rather than end up in a particular job in a particular industry in a particular city.

Right now, I'm living that dream. I'm seven months into the MBA. I'm doing some challenging elective courses. I've interviewed for management consulting jobs, and I'm about to head off to New York to study at a top-ten school. This time next year I'll have my MBA, and I'll be working in a brand new role - in a new industry - possibly even in a new country.

One must maintain a positive attitude in an MBA program. It's a hard slog, the hours are insane, and it's expensive. However, with the right attidude and a dose of confidence, the returns can be substantial. And, yes, for the most part, I'm enjoying it immensely.

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