For Mexicans, Cinco de Mayo is a day to celebrate the Mexican army’s unlikely defeat of French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. This year, for me, it is a day to celebrate having completed 33.33% of a graduate degree. In about 5.5 hours, I will definitely be done for the semester.
As I reflect on the past 5 months, I think about how I almost backed out of going back to school. Before the semester started, as I was about to resign from my previous job, I started to get cold feet. Was it smart to quit a well-paying job during a time when people were getting laid off left and right? Did I really want to spend the money on a MBA? After graduating with a BS, I vowed to never go back to school, and now I am going back on my promise, is that smart? Business school, I don't know anything about business, and now I am going to graduate school for it, is that a good idea? All these questions and concerns were racing through my head as I typed up my resignation, scared to death of what was going to happen.
Now, 5 months later I know all the answers to those questions. Undoubtedly, going back to school was a smart idea. I am glad I didn't chicken out. I have learned so much the last 5 months, and the best part is that the things I have learned are rooted so much in everyday life. The education I am receiving is so practical and will benefit me so much that I am glad I broke my personal promise of never going back to school. Aside form the education, I have met a ton of really smart, interesting people. This is not confined to classmates either, we have been fortunate enough to meet some very successful business persons that have shared some great insights into what it means to be successful, etc.
Most importantly, through this experience I hope to get a job that I will find interesting and fulfilling, and that I will now be qualified to have. My last job was super boring, sometimes it felt just one step above busywork. I am not naive enough to think that my next job will be my dream job or anything like that, but I am confident that this past 5 months have been the biggest steps I have ever taken towards getting there.
