A New Thought - I am an MBA Grad #mba #classof2020

Entering the Marist Campus (2020)

Last weekend I was supposed to walk across the stage (again) as I completed my Master's Degree in Business Administration (MBA).  But, with everything going on, the Commencement ceremony was postponed.  Normally I work on Commencement day, even when I was graduating, because there was always a rehearsal I had to attend since I also work Commencement ceremonies.  But this year, I took the day off.  My friends and family worked to make the day a good one anyway.  My bosses sent me flowers.  My sister and brother-in-law let me pick dinner and they paid for it.  My sister had a sign made that we put on the front lawn.  And my sister also arranged a "card shower" with family, friends, and friends who are like family sending stuff to her that she put in a nice box that looked like a graduation cap.  Though I couldn't walk across the stage and receive that nice folder that the diploma would sit in, it was a great day.

But I also wanted to take some time to reflect on the past couple years.  I made the decision to return to school for a 3rd Master's Degree because it seemed like it would be a great boost to my resume and help me progress in my job prospects.  While I would never say that learning is easy, even after you do something multiple times, I had thought that I would be able to fare better since I had been through online Master's courses before.  It was one of the hardest things I have done.

I had a concentration in Ethical Leadership, but before I got to be able to take those classes, I had to go through all the other required classes.  Classes like the 21st Century Manager and Analytics Bootcamp were interesting and though required, I enjoyed them.  Classes like Economics, Finance, and Accounting were required and really challenged my brain.  Operations Management overall was interesting, but I struggled with the work because I had a hard time correlating the concepts to how we were finding those numbers using Excel.

I had to learn how to juggle two classes sometimes, which I hadn't had to do before.  My previous two programs you took 2 classes a semester (fall and spring), but one was the first 8 weeks and the other was the 2nd 8 weeks.  This program, except for my last semester, included both an 8 week course (usually at the end of the semester) and a 15 week course.  Time management skills were put to the test and for someone who worked in technology, I still found using a physical planner helped keep my academic life straight (though it didn't always help my non-academic life).

I learned so much from my fellow classmates, many of whom had more experience in things than I did.  I can only hope that they were able to learn a bit from me.  I worked with some great groups, whether we got to pick our groups or were assigned groups.  In my entire graduate career, I have been blessed with the groups I have been a part of.  And for the first time, I even got to share a class with some students that worked with me as one of my electives was an elective in the programs they were taking.

Though I have taken all my courses for Master's degrees online, there has always been an on-site part for me.  Whether it was being able to stay late at work to complete a quiz or assignment, sit in a lounge to read my text, or even print out an article that I could read offline later.  When COVID-19 hit and we had to vacate campus, those things I took for granted were no longer available to me.  I could still work late on assignments, but I was restricted to my laptop screen in my room with a window and dog distraction.  I could print from home, but I didn't like to because at the same time my niece was in school and needed to have things printed for her work - which is more important than my need for a physical piece of paper to read something.  And I had to find time to do my reading, mostly on weekends because that was the only quiet time I had.

Even though I didn't get to walk across a stage in a cap and gown in front of my classmates and other Class of 2020 students receiving their degrees, it does not take away the work I completed, the lessons I learned, and the friends I made along the way.  My transcript said I completed the program 100%.  It was a tough journey for me, but one I feel was worth it.