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How/Why I Chose my Graduate School

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Now that I'm officially done with school and my MBA program, I feel like I can fully reflect on what I got out of my graduate education. Yes, I know. Another school post and another post about how I'm done, but it's one of the last 🙂

After I finished my undergraduate degree, I took the Summer and Fall semesters off before I realized that I wanted and needed to go back. In order for me to grow in the financial area that I'm in, an MBA was definitely needed.

I'm the type of person who needs to thoroughly research EVERYTHING. When I say thoroughly, I mean I literally looked up every ranking, review and article that I could get my hands on. And then I read them over and over again, and compared them all. Probably not the healthy way of going about things, but it worked for me.

I knew I wanted to stay close to home, mainly because I had bought a house shortly before. I also got a good job after graduation, so I didn't want to leave because of that as well. There are a lot of schools in the area where I live, and most of them have good reviews, etc. A lot of the companies prefer if you attended a local university as well because it definitely helps with networking.

I chose a university that offered me the best value. It was a good price, with great reviews and a lot of the companies in the area like it. It was also not too out of the way, so I could easily drive there from my work and then home afterwards. I knew that I didn't want to choose a school that would be too costly and put me into too much student debt.

Career Advantages.

An MBA was needed for my career. More people will take me seriously, and honestly, just the more letters behind your name, then the better and more professional you look to clients.

My work said it would be preferable if I went for my MBA, and I don't regret it at all. Because of this, I will be getting a decent sized raise this month. I will also be able to do more things at my work and become more involved. It's a good step up for me.

 

Networking.

I was able to meet a lot of people through my classes. And this really benefits me because I am a financial analyst (I won't say my exact job title because then it would be super easy to find me if you know where I live) and client contacts are needed for what I do.

A lot of our referrals come from lawyers and others in the financial world that my boss went to college with.

 

Education.

Yes, I am a firm believer that experience trumps education most times, but I do think that education opens up many doors and possibilities. I was able to learn how different people would approach different situations, strategies and so on.

It also can help you learn about new subjects that you might not have known much about before, or it might help reinforce something that you already do at work.

For you, what matters? Prestige? Distance? Cost? Value?

I finally have my Masters

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I finally have my Finance MBA! Last night was my last class, my last final, and everything else. No more homework, group projects or a test ever again for me. Well except for any work designations that I'll be getting (my next work designation exam is actually 2 weeks from now).

And I'll have that designation in around 1 month or 2. It only took over TWO years, 6 exams, and so on for me to earn my professional designation as well! So this is just a good month for designations and my MBA. Lots of letters behind my name 😛

I've already told you all that I'm not going to walk at graduation on Saturday, but not walking doesn't give me any less of a feeling that I have finally graduated. It feels absolutely wonderful to finally be done.

Now that I am done with my MBA, I will finally have so much more time for everything. After working 8am to 5 pm, I no longer have to rush to my night classes and can just go home and do things that I want.

Below is a list of things that I'd like to do with all of my extra time. There is no time limit, but it is nice to think about it all:

Decorate the house.

We bought our house around 3 years ago, but I haven't had too much time to decorate everything I want. Most of the things in our house are just filler things. But I would really like to paint the rooms different colors, pull all the rooms together, and finally install some shelves in my closet.

Find a side gig. 

I'm still not sure what this will be. I don't know if I'll go as far as to get an actual part-time job but I would like to do something. Did you do anything for a part-time job after you graduated? Keep in mind that I'll still be working my full-time job, so I wouldn't want something that will drain me.

Volunteer.

I would really like to volunteer somewhere. I put in an application to Big Brother Big Sister, but I withdrew and asked them if they could put my application on pause. She said it was fine. I felt bad, but I was definitely rushing into that decision. I have a lot of things coming up at work in the next couple of months, and I realized that I should probably focus on that for right now.

Find a kickboxing/defense class.

This is something that I've wanted to do for awhile. I've looked around at a couple of places but none of them seem to really be what I'm looking for.

Get my CCW.

I won a contest at a girl gun blog around a month ago. With this I won a $200 certificate to take a gun class of my choice, I'm going to take a class so that I can get my CCW. Just in case you guys were wondering, no I do not live in a dangerous area, this is just something that I want.

Pilates.

This is also something that I've wanted to do before. I haven't even looked up a place to do this, not sure of the cost, or anything. But definitely something that I want to do!

Start being more professional with my blog.

I don't know or understand what a lot of the terms mean. SEO, domain authority and so on and so on? I need to learn how to improve everything. I have put work into my blog, but I don't think I've been serious enough. Now that I'll have more time, I would like to do so.

There are so many things that I can finally have time for, and with less stress. There are so many things that I'm thankful for. What's on your list?

For me it's the fact that my family, boy, and friends were able to deal with my insanity and moods (I was definitely more high strung from working full-time and getting my MBA full-time). If they weren't so understanding, I don't know where I would be, or if I would have even been able to do it.

Have a good weekend everyone!

Getting an MBA

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I'm about to earn my MBA with an emphasis in Finance if you all haven't realized (I've made it pretty obvious!). Come this August of 2012, I will be done with school for another 10 years (until I get my dreaded Executive MBA).

Was all of this worth it? There are several factors to consider such as cost, time, and the opportunity that having an MBA gives me.

Cost. The school I attend isn't scary expensive. I go to a state school but it is still top ranked for its business program. Not Ivy League ranked, but still good. I can definitely justify the cost, considering the fact that my undergraduate degrees were about 5 times the cost of my MBA.

I would say the school that I attended was definitely a good value. And where I live it's a considered to be a good school, and a lot of CEOs of the big companies from around here have come from this school. My return on my MBA investment will definitely be high. In the end, it'll be worth it. It will take just a couple of months (yes months, not years) for me to make the money back.

Time. Altogether, it took around 1.5 years for me to get my Finance MBA. Not too long, but I had to take 4 classes every semester (besides last summer when I took 0), and I also had to work full-time as a financial anaylst. I had no time for anything.

I wouldn't say I regret anything though about rushing my degree. I'm the type of person who likes to get things done. And it'll be really nice to just be able to relax from here on out.

Money/Opportunity. Getting my MBA will open a lot of doors for me. Yes, this isn't true for every field, but for the specific section of the financial services industry that I'm in, it's pretty much a requirement. More clients will start coming and I'll seem more knowledgeable (well I'll be more knowledgeable as well!) Also, my work already told me that I'd be getting a “big bump” in my raise once I complete my MBA.

I also would say the fact that nearly all of my professors have real life experience is helpful as well. I like how they are able to relate topics to problems that may occur in the real world.

Networking is also important. I've met a lot of people through my classes and this will be helpful in my career and field in the future for when I'm looking for new clients.

I started in January of 2011 and this has not been a long journey, but it has been a tiring journey. Hanging out and talking to people you know for only 1 day a week definitely gets boring and lonely!

Having a full-time career plus attending classes, taking care of 2 dogs, a house, and my younger sister definitely take all my time away. And then of course I still need to make time for the boy and my friends.

In the end, I'm also not going to lie. Getting an MBA is also about adding those three letters to the end of my name. Those credentials are always helpful.

Also, don't forget to read my last post about whether a Business Degree is a Waste or Not. A lot of you left very interesting comments on it, but for the most part everyone agreed. Good experience and learning is needed in order to get ahead.

Have you thought about getting your MBA? What are the pros and cons for you?

And here's a big infographic to get your brain working:

I want my student loans to be GONE

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Over at Girl with the Red Balloon, she announced that she just recently paid off the rest of her loans, and she's now completely debt free! Go over there and congratulate her. I honestly can't stop thinking about this, because I bet this is such a great feeling. I am extremely jealous, but I know I am close (ok I am not close when it comes to my mortgage though).

She talks about how she did some extreme things to save money and pay off debt faster, such as eating very cheaply. But she was also super determined in paying off all of her loans. I've always admired how determined she was with the whole process, and I wish I would buckle down more and do this.

I do wish I would've graduated without debt. I worked full-time in high school and while in college I worked full-time the entire time as well. I also had to live on my own due to my dad passing and this ate up a significant amount of the money that I made. I also had to (and I still am) support my mom and help her with bills. I did manage to pay off around half of my tuition bill each semester, so of course I would have more loans. The university I went to was around $30K a year (without room and board) and I also am attending an MBA program right now, so I'm not too down about being around $33K in debt for student loans when I have 2 business undergraduate degrees and I'm about to have my MBA as well. [Read more…]

Final Exams start soon… UGHHHH

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rp_home-office-336373_640-300x199.jpgMy final exams start soon. I've been trying to study. And all of my projects are due soon. It's also super busy at work because the end of the year is always busy with people trying to lower their taxes and fix portfolios and stuff.

I feel like I haven't been posting a whole lot (well as much as usual). And I've been trying to catch up on everyone's blogs but it's getting hard right now. Sorry if I miss anything!

Wish me luck. 

Also, I've been wanting this bag that I posted in my Christmas Wishlist post. Does anyone know where I can find something similar? I can't seem to find one that I like.

Figured out my MBA problems

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home-office-336373_640In case you didn't read my other post the other day about my MBA problems, check it out here.

So I've been thinking about what I want to do. Do I just want to get a General MBA and be more rounded or do I want to get a Finance MBA and be more stuck, but be more educated in my job area that I'm in right now.

Well, I've decided to graduate in the Fall of 2012 and get my MBA. But I'm still undecided if I want a Finance or General MBA.  They require the same amount of credits but I'm afraid that I might be too Finance specific since I'll have my MBA-Finance, CFA and ASA, and then if I ever don't want to be in Finance, I'll be stuck because employers might not be able to look past all of those.

So I figure if I wait until next Fall, then I have more time to decide about what I want to do.

I also talked to my work yesterday, and they didn't really seem to care either way, and I talked to the BF, and he didn't really have an input either (he just wants me to do what I want to do).  I just wish I had a magic ball to tell me what to do.

Thanks everyone though for your inputs.  They have definitely helped!

School is draining me

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Well, two weeks have passed since I started this semester for my MBA.  It's been very tiring.  I took 12 credits last semester while I worked 50 hours a week also, but this semester just seems so much more hard.  I have barely even had any homework yet, which really worries me. What do you do to stay motivated?

It's also been harder for me to save money when school is back in session.  I go to class right after I'm done with work at 5pm, so I can't go home and eat.  Any tips on what I could do to save money on after work snacks?

Update on my student loan: It's not going down a big amount yet. If I graduate next semester, then my loans won't be due until the end of 2012/beginning of 2013, so I'm in no rush to pay those down aggressively right now since only one gains interest.  I am paying down the loan that gains interest though.

My car loan is just inching down a little by little.  I pay $400 a month but I plan on upping that so that I can be done faster.  My car is worth about $5,000 to $7,000 more than the loan amount that I have left.  I've been wondering if I should just sell it and get a cheaper car, or if I should just keep my car and driver it for long after I'm done paying for it.  What does everyone think?

My emergency fund has barely been creeping up due to my vacation last month, but I plan on building it back up after this month.  With all of my school fees that I had to pay, there won't be much leftover this month.

Any tips, advice, or anything about any of this? Thanks!

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