Term 2 has begun in earnest, and I’m staring down the barrel of the first weekend of classes, so now is as good a time as any to reflect on Term 1.
I passed, so that’s nice.
It’s also nice that my hubris in my last post on the topic didn’t bring me undone. Now that would have been embarrassing.
What I’m learning is that, yes, I do know what I’m talking about most of the time. I get to polish the rough edges, and practice what I know I’m weak at.
The focus enforced by classes is great, and assessment means you have to prove to someone else you actually do know what you’re talking about. You don’t just get to assert to others, or yourself, that you know things. The exam results provide that proof.
The real power of the MBA comes from going through it. It’s about being there, and interacting with other people who are probably smarter than you, and being forced into situations where you can practice the skills.
I’m getting a great deal out of the study group we’ve formed, and it’s been a major reason why I’ve been able to keep up. Doing a hard MBA part time, whilst running a company and having a young family is a non-trivial workload. Having study group there to force me to chip away at the work, night after night, week after week, is a big help.
You can learn this stuff on the job, but it’ll take a lot longer. And only if you have the right job, in the right company, with a great boss, colleagues, and mentors. Hands up if you’ve got that.
The acid test for me is over, and now the real work begins.
One term at a time.