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10 Things I Wish Id Known Before My MBA
by Azella Perryman on July 14, 2014
7/18/2014 10 Things I Wish Id Known Before My MBA | Poets and Quants
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Azella Perrymanos graduated from Harvard Business
School in 2011
Its been three years since I graduated from Harvard Business School, and Ive spent a lot of time thinking about what I
wish someone would have told me BEFORE B-school and definitely while I was going through my job search.
So here are my top 10.
1. They were right at least half of the classmates I know (if not more) are at a different job 18 months out than they had
when they left school. Which makes me really question what the career services team gets graded on in terms of
performance
2. Nobody mentions how much more confusing and scary (and cash constrained) life gets AFTER the MBA. Yes taking
out loans to go on trips during school is an integral part of making deeper relationshipsbut damnI still havent paid
off enough to get back to the original loan amount I took out to begin with!
3. Generally (and please dont take offense if this doesnt apply to you), if you dig past the surface things are going
great! conversation BS, people who didnt go into finance, consulting, PE seem truly happier but no less stressed out.
But people STILL chase those jobs coming out of school like their life, status, and future happiness depend on it (for the
transferable skills of course. Right)
4. Its scary and frustrating as a career switcher to feel like Im starting from scratch again while I watch my non-MBA
friends who now have 7 years of experience kick ass at their jobs
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5. Getting an MBA didnt prepare me to DO actual skill work in my industry at all really. It taught me how to see a big
problem and make snap decisions on what should be done. But actually DOING work? Im learning as I go and its a
steep steep learning curve.
6. Its going to take more time than I thought to do really BIG things (you know the stuff they allude to on your first day
about how youre going to change the world while forgetting to mention that it wont happen quickly because youll likely
be funneled back into an industry/job role that thrives on the status quo)
7. The expectations are SO much higher at work, from friends, from myself, my family, would-be employers. Everyone
expects you to be able to just DO amazing things, and KNOW things simply because you went to B-school.
8. Once youre in the jobnobody really cares you have an MBA. If anything, some people who dont have one hate
you for it on the low.
9. Most people dont want to admit to themselves that even if they knew what they really wanted to dothey probably
still wouldnt leave their well-paid, high status job to go do it.
But most importantly.
10. While my MBA prepared me to be able to speak eloquently even when I dont have the answers it most certainly
did NOT help me figure out what I want to do in life, how to find my passion and purpose or give me any clarity on
HOW Im going to change the world. I tell a lot of MBA hopefuls that your time at school opens a thousand doors and
exposes you to things youve never heard of before, but that can be paralyzing because what they DONT do is help you
figure out which one to go through. So you end up rationalizing why you followed the crowd (transferable skills, paying
off loans faster and THEN youll figure out what you want to do, need another brand name on the resume to prove
myself, etc.)
So, I figured Id start a blog. And use it as an excuse to talk to MBAs and ask them about how theyre handling their
lives and careers after 2 years of wedded bliss to the idea that they were handpicked out of the masses to do bigger and
better things with the education and network from their MBA program.
Hopefully, I can have candid conversations with folks and share what theyve learned, what they wish they knew going in
(and coming out) and how theyre navigating the world with a few more letters after their name and all the expectations
and pressures that came with it.
Maybe if I can get past the faade we learn to put up and hear some real stories, I can start learning how others handling
work/life balance (ha!) while climbing the ladder, or choosing a path less traveled and the good, the bad, and the ugly that
comes with that.
We learn in B-school (or at least at HBS) that social capital is scarce and no one wants to be associated with the person
who doesnt have it all together. But maybe if more folks knew it isnt all rosy after you graduate and that many people
are struggling with the same questions, insecurities, frustrations, and life decisions, we could learn from each others
experiences and create more realistic expectations for the droves of people turning to B-school as the next step in life.
Or not. Well see.
But if youve got a story want to chat have something to say about what you wish you would have known, hit me up!
Would love to hear from you!
Azella is a recent Harvard MBA grad and reformed ex-Wall Street capitalist on a journey to discover how life
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after an MBA can be as fulfilling, purposeful, and successful as possible. She blogs at Navigating Life After
The MBA
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