The Journey to a Degree

Nearing the end of her MBA25 journey, Nicole Breton explains why embarking on the Strathclyde MBA25 programme was the right thing to do.

My employers Craneware invested in employee development by partnering with Strathclyde Business School in their executive MBA degree programme MBA25. This programme is in its third cohort and I am a lucky participant.

Over the years - more years than I care to admit to - I considered working towards my MBA.  When I finally sat for the GMAT (an exam requirement for many US Universities) and began searching for the right school, real life took over and those good intentions got pushed to the back burner. And then, more recently I started looking at online only MBA courses as the structure better suited my personal needs and work life. But I never pulled the trigger and officially signed up. Now, I’m so glad I didn’t invest in an online programme and that I waited – even though it was unintentional.

First, I have found that the most important aspect of the MBA25 is the discussion and individual perspectives across the room; not the subject or text book being taught. An online only MBA programme would not have given me to opportunity to learn the viewpoints, the industry specifics and the cultural considerations of each of participants in the class.

An “in person” environment allows learning to take place over lunch, during group work and in casual discussion walking to class. Besides gaining an understanding of the subject theory and statistics in the classroom, I learned:

• That charitable organisations struggle balancing the creativity and emotional aspect of fundraising to the need for a repeatable business process in order to create a sustainable institution
• That trying to create performance objectives that are in line with corporate objectives is a difficult process for all career levels and industries (it’s not just me that has a hard time)
• That the societal issues that Americans and Europeans are facing are more similar than dissimilar and current events can be discussed with sincere interest and candour.

Second, if I had started an MBA directly after my undergraduate degree, I would not have had the insight or awareness that I do today. The ability to marry career, personal experience and industry knowledge to the academic theory creates a dynamic learning opportunity for the entire classroom.

What I bring to the table is a unique perspective due to my skills and career choices and those are balanced by the capabilities and knowledge of the rest of the participants. Completing an MBA in my early 20s, although a valid educational choice for others, for me would have not had the richness of experience that I have now.

Thinking about getting your MBA? Do it. But do it in a class environment where you can talk and create personal connections with others headed on the same journey you are undertaking. Think you waited too long? You haven’t. Your career and your life choices are exactly what everyone else in class needs to learn and create insights from.

To find out more about the MBA 25 please click here

About Nicole Breton

Nicole Breton is Sales Enablement Director at Craneware in the USA and is currently doing the MBA25 programme at Strathclyde Business School.