What Am I Learning?

As the first year of school is quickly drawing to a close (6 weeks to go) I find myself reflecting on what I have learned this year.

It's a daunting task to go through that in my mind.

I've come to the conclusion that MBA school is like boot camp. It's a rite of passage. Those who have gone before understand the demands, the long hours, exams, papers, etc.

Will this experience make me a better business person when I leave? I don't know. I do know that I am learning the language of business. Things that I wondered about before are becoming part of my everyday thoughts and vocabulary.

For instance, I had to write a paper for my Strategy class on a topic of my choice. Since I am most familiar with my past job I chose to write about Corporate Merger's & Acquisitions. I was able to look up the financial data for the company and a whole lot more due to learning about 10k reports that are posted on line for all publicly traded companies. I even looked up the 10k for the rival company to compare and contrast their businesses. I also was able to see the base salaries and bonus pay for the CEO and other top executives in the company.

It's all right there, on the internet. So much information at my fingertips.

So, for better or for worse, I am learning. I am growing. It's been the kind of growing that happens when you force yourself to do things you've never done before - then you gain the confidence to keep on trying new things... and the cycle continues.