Was My MBA challenging and what worked for me

Everyone wants to achieve their goals, big or small. But often we don’t make the effort because of fear. Fear of failing, fear of cost, fear that things won’t work out as planned and so on… There are way too many possible reasons for not pursuing something. But fear doesn’t hold you back from achieving your goals; the culprit is your emotional reaction to the challenges you face.

THIS ARTICLE COVERS:

The difficulty of an MBA degree
How I prioritised for my MBA: learnagility and self-motivation
Quality over quantity
Time management
Where there is a will, there is a way

Success in business often depends on acquiring relevant knowledge. A 2017 report by Capgemini and LinkedIn revealed that “over half (54%) of the organizations surveyed said that the digital talent gap is hampering their digital transformation programs and that their organization has lost competitive advantage because of a shortage of digital talent” (Cohen, 2019).

Think about the hundreds of thousands of prosperous business owners making a living from the profit their innovative ideas have generated. To that end, earning a Master of Business Administration degree (MBA) is a great way to equip yourself with the necessary knowledge. But it also requires overcoming fear by learning how to take calculated risks, which is an essential part of management.

The difficulty of an MBA degree

So while it’s hard to measure the “difficulty” of earning an MBA degree, how hard it really is is largely context-dependent. Here are the most important things I found I had to consider:

How well can I handle a full course load?
How am I going to juggle my time between family, work, community commitments and studies?

How I prioritised my MBA: learnagility and self-motivation

It’s not easy to keep track of your time when you’re responsible for so many different aspects of your life, but there are ways to help things flow more smoothly. Here I am sharing how I managed everything:

Learnagility – learning agility – is key. It’s a learning attitude in which you prioritise developing a strategy for learning rather than memorising specific facts or procedures. You need a hunger for knowledge, the agility to adapt to changing learning demands, and the dedication to put in the time and effort to expand your skill set.

Being self-motivated is increasingly expected in today’s environment of self-managed teams, telecommuting, and ongoing skill development. Find something you’re truly interested in doing, and have a goal-oriented perspective as you work.

Quality over Quantity

Due to poor time management, professionals are often forced to prioritise quantity above quality. Employees’ productivity and efficiency can be boosted by remembering this time management technique.

Successful people don’t try to pack every minute of their day full; rather, they identify their peak productivity periods and schedule their most critical tasks for then (Kumar et al , 2022). Do what they do: devote your peak concentration to your most pressing work, whether that’s first thing in the morning or the peace and quiet of late at night.

Don’t waste your time on meetings or tasks that aren’t crucial and could be done at other times (Marr, 2022).

Time Management

When you think about it, time management is a crucial life skill, and no less so when it comes to studying for this business management degree.

Effective time management allows you to make the most of each day (Kumar et al, 2022). One of the primary motivations for improving your time management is reducing stress – you can make your schedule manageable. Plus it will help you achieve a healthy equilibrium between your working and personal life. When you enter a workday without a plan, you achieve much by the day’s end. In light of this, it is crucial to organise your effort. First create a physical or mental checklist: once you know what you want to do in the next few months and the next few years, you can allocate your time more efficiently. And limiting your exposure to social distractions (such as phones, TV, and other electronics) is a surefire method to waste less time. Set times for brief breaks throughout the day to attend to e-mail and other notifications.

Where there is a will, there is a way

There’s no point feeling like you are stuck in your current job because the work never ends. Yeah, most people are! It takes so much time to just deal with life at work. But don’t just sit back and accept this.

If you’re ready to take control of your time and make some serious changes, there is a way to do this. No business administration course or curriculum is hard if you are determined to succeed – and where there is a will, there is a way.

So while most people think of capital in the form of money, real estate, and other tangible assets, start thinking about the way you are arranging your time for your MBA as how you are managing your intellectual capital portfolio. Trust me – mine was an excellent investment, preparing me for the patent trail as well as leadership roles.

Happy learning and success!

Read these for more perspective on the Master of Business Administration journey: