Sure, I thought, after six years in the Army I can do anything unpleasant–I’m used to it. So what if I have no interest in business whatsoever? So what if I disliked college the first time around? All I need to do is apply myself. Everyone says I’ll be oh-so-employable with an MBA and my languages.
But I still am disliking my classes. The topics are interesting enough, but instead of tests we have to turn in papers. I so hate doing papers.
I have a paper due within a week that’s supposed to be 20 pages long and I have 2 pages done so far. I am at a loss where to get the information for the rest of it. I also don’t know what the teacher has in mind; he seems to want us just to do our own thing.
Does anybody have any advice? Reassurance? Go ahead and tell me I’m not cut out for success in life. I don’t need MBA-type-money. I have simple tastes. sigh
Take a course of study you like. Life is far too short, and you spend far too much time at work to do something you don’t like. Money does not equal success. A well-lived life does.
I know a lot of b-school grads (Darden, Tuck, Kellogg, Michigan, Fuqua) and knew most back when they were still in the midst of it. What I hear them talk about is not the coursework, but the people they met and the fun they had. Most of them are extremely successful now, so the credential was a help. But it seems to be the people that made it worthwhile for them, and made them endure the studying and the courses.
Are you getting that aspect out of it?
I got my MBA in '98 and there were certainly times when I wondered if it was all worth it. All I can say is, for me, it was worth it. Could I have gotten the jobs I’ve had without an MBA? Sure, but it would have taken me a lot longer. Has it been a cake walk? No, I’m currently unemployed due to a layoff, and no one’s immune to that. But, it’ll pay off for you in the end. You just have to grit your teeth and do what you need to. It won’t last forever. Like Cranky said, the work isn’t what you’ll remember, it’s the people you meet and the things you share.
Just an update: I dropped my latest class, and I’m going to take some time to think about whether I want to do this or not. Fortunately, I have only taken a few classes.
I just can’t drum up any enthusiasm for business, can’t think of a thesis topic, and don’t care.
This, I think, is the most telling statement that you’re not doing what you want. And this:
Shows me that you’re under the impression that success is caused by something as mundane as an MBA. Someone who flips burgers for a living can be successful.
Why in the world would you get an MBA when it’s so obvious you don’t want it? You’re not required to have one, you know. I consider myself successful even though I work 25 hours a week and don’t make as much money as I’d like. Why? Because I’ve written four game reviews in the last two weeks. Three of them are for a magazine. One is for a large website. I consider myself successful because people paid me money (not much, but it’s actual cash) to play computer games. It’s not going to make me rich. It’s not going to impress the President. And I don’t care.
What would you rather do? As romansperson said, life is too short to do something you don’t like.
Here’s wishing you good luck in finding what feels right for you.