My friends, the ones who really know me, have asked me why I decided to pursue an MBA.  They know, after all, the kooky side of me that paints murals on walls and writes fiction for pleasure.  They know the beads that I sift through and the amount of fun I have trimming hats.  They also know that I’ve been employed since graduation from college, slowly and steadily embedding myself in the corporate culture.

For 10 years I’d been working for large corporations.  I’d spent much of that time gainfully, some of it not so gainfully.  I struggled with concepts like finance and accounting, and felt that there was a gap in my knowledge.  Perhaps I didn’t pay enough attention in my economics classes (undergrad)?

Anyway, I wanted to feel as though I “got it,” got the business universe and felt fully vested in it.  The MBA seemed to offer a chance to do that.  In the end, I decided to pursue the MBA for mainly two reasons:

1. 1)It felt like the accreditation most valued amongst senior business leaders
   

2. 2)I hoped it would make my corporate passage easier as I mastered concepts that seem to evade me (like finance and accounting)
   

GETTING IN

Getting into Kellogg was no joke.  It’s one of the top ranked schools, with average GMAT scores of over 700, high undergrad GPAs and whatnot.  It’s a school for overachievers, and I, being the unprepared adventurer, did not fit this profile in any form or manner.

One of the things a good school looks for is perspective.  They want students who will enrich the MBA experience.  It’s not all about Type A personalities and high-achievers, there is in fact room for the artsy and non-profit types, for the laid back and casual types.  I like to think my particular selling point was a bubbly personality and a can-do attitude much more than academic achievement or brilliance. 

I remember being thrilled when I got the thumbs up phone call from Donnelle Broskow, the Admissions Director.  I hadn’t really thought about getting in, had applied on a whim, and suddenly, I was confronted with the reality of the beast.

MOTHERHOOD, WORK AND THE MBA

When I started the program, my daughter was just under 2 years old.  I was working full time.  My husband was traveling for work, and my job in a regional manager capacity also required traveling.  It seemed like a disastrous time to start an MBA program.

I joined a Saturday class of about 30 students, most of whom were either coming in from out of town or else traveling extensively during the week while based in Chicago.  We were all cramming in the program in our “spare” time. 

The real brunt of those first few months fell on my husband, who had to manage alone while I was in class all day Saturday.  I, on the other hand, felt as though my daughter and I did not get enough time together and carried a burden of guilt constantly.

In the evenings we would often have conference calls to discuss assignments.  There was homework to be done, exams to study for, papers to write, case studies to review.  Occasionally I would get involved with student events, or competitions, and in my first year capacity as class rep/president, was often trying to arrange activities for “classmate bonding.”

Needless to say, it was a very difficult first year.  Work was also crazy, and I began to question my choice of profession.  MBAs have a tendency of making us do that.  But not once, not even once, did I question whether I had made the wrong decision.  Despite the pressures and the stress, I was enjoying myself, and somewhere deep inside I knew I was forging a better future for my family.

BENEFITS

Truly the best features of these programs are summarized in one’s cohorts.  Mine were an interesting bunch - consultants, managers, employees from GE, Kohler, AT&T, SC Johnson, Yahoo and the like.

Like most MBA programs, the men outnumbered the women 3:1, but we all got along well.  There was a lot of diversity in the classroom, from racial, linguistic and work experience standpoints. 

We bonded.  It’s hard not to bond when you have to be in class by 9 each and every Saturday morning for 2.5 years.  Each student demonstrated his or her own talents, vices and more.  We became like a dysfunctional family.

CONS

The MBA does cause dissatisfaction.  One comes in with a general idea of what one wants to do when one “grows up.”  One meets all these other individuals, from all walks of life, and one starts pondering whether any of those paths is intriguing enough to pursue. 

In that sense the MBA is a life-changing experience.  During the course of one’s MBA, one will consider at least twenty possible career options, no matter how dedicated one is to one’s own employer and industry.

The other thing about the MBA is that you start getting a CEO Complex. We feel equipped to go out there, start our own ventures and say to hell with being peons for a lesser boss.

END ANALYSIS

Am I glad I pursued the MBA? Absolutely.

Is my husband glad I pursued the MBA?  Yes, but with reservations!

After spending a number of weeks engaged in pedagogy, I still feel as though I walked away with the biggest confidence boost ever.  My family and friends, even the skeptical ones, say I carry myself with a new confidence, that I am better able to communicate - in short, that there are several improvements that have occurred as a result of the MBA.  For sure there is a polish that one gets.  I see it in my classmates and others who’ve pursued the degree.

As a proud Kelloggian (Northwestern University MBA alumna), I’ve found doors opened for me post-MBA that were certainly shut prior to the degree.  I have also come to believe that university reputation matters significantly - despite all our best intentions, it comes down to branding, and those who get into the most competitive schools are automatically given a head start.

That is not to say that MBA degrees ought only to be pursued at top schools, however, statistics show a lower rate of return on degrees from less competitive and less known institutions.  I’m not saying it’s fair, but I do know that it’s true in a majority of cases.

Many of us were fortunate to have our degrees partially or fully funded by our employers, and as such, program costs were defrayed or subsidized to an extent that made the cost-benefit analysis quite simple.  For those of you debating a full-time versus a part-time program, ensure that you are asking about the calibre of the faculty, the opportunities for recruitment post-degree and about the collegiate experience.  Any way you look at it, you’ll emerge much more confident about your skills as a manager and future leader.

So, if you’re looking for a change and seek some clarity into what you wish to do when you “grow up” consider a top-ranked MBA.  The draw here is the outstanding faculty, distinguished research resources and the ability to interact with some of the top minds in the business world. 

No doubt you will come away inspired, energized and ready to transform the Corporate world.

Why you should do it: network, network, network (oh, and understanding marginal analysis may be a good perk too)

Adventure worthy attraction: Developing a set of cohorts, most of whom will end up leading some of the top corporations in the world