The end of my MBA chapter: what happens next?

As Cynthia Halatyn celebrates handing in her MBA dissertation and comes to terms with life post-MBA, she reflects on the last 12 months at Strathclyde and what it has meant to her.

I handed in my dissertation this week, which means that my MBA journey is at an end. I’ve spent the last few days celebrating with friends and reflecting on what I’ve accomplished and learned in the last year. I’ve had opportunities to travel to Spain, Switzerland, Germany, and Ireland but the most significant learning and growth has happened right here in Scotland.

So many days during the MBA felt excruciatingly long, but in a blink, it’s now over. Twelve hour days spent thumbing through textbooks and case studies, straining my eyes in front of the laptop are abruptly at an end. In the days since dissertation hand in, I’ve found myself a little lost; unsure of what to do with my time (although it helps that Taylor Swift released a new album). It’s also a bittersweet time, as classmates have already begun moving back to their home countries.

A commitment to sacrifice and discomfort

The bravery it takes to move abroad and enrol in an international MBA shouldn’t be underestimated. It’s an incredible privilege to study here in Glasgow, but I’d be lying if I said there weren’t times I missed my best friends, family, Tex Mex, and the mundane comfort of familiar places like my neighbourhood pharmacy. Many of my classmates left behind families, spouses, to move here, sacrificing precious time with our loved ones. It’s also a huge financial investment and sacrifice of time in our careers that we all hope will pay off in the end.

I’ve often said that this MBA programme forced me to “get comfortable with being uncomfortable.” It would have been so much easier to continue on in my legal career doing what I know, but I wanted to take that chance to learn more. I fumbled my way into running a business by luck and saying yes to the right startup, but I never got over the nagging feeling that if I truly immersed myself in a business education with diverse coursework, I’d have a better understanding of the opportunities available to me, and ultimately, more authorship over the future direction of my career. In order to get that, I had to take a leap of faith and give up a lot of control in the short term.

Learning comes in many forms

I’ve enjoyed the exposure to so many new academic concepts and business tools across multiple disciplines (yes, even finance), but so much of the learning occurred outside the lectures in team meetings and client facing projects where I had the opportunity to apply the theoretical learning to real world problems. The association with Strathclyde Business School offered me the chance to work with SME clients in a variety of industries who respect the Strathclyde name and reputation.

The access to university sponsored lectures from special guests as well as the vibrant startup and technology community in Scotland has exposed me to a new network whose entrepreneurial spirit is joyfully infectious.

I also learned a lot from my classmates about their industries (airline, hospitality, AI, logistics, etc.) and about their national cultures and work styles. There was a lot of compromise involved in team projects and most of the time, it wasn’t easy. Culture affects communications, the way decisions are made, the style of the work product, and so on. One of the greatest outcomes for me is that working with so many classmates who learned English as a second or third language has pushed me to become a better communicator and writer. I realised how frequently I communicate in “Americanisms” and metaphors, which are cryptic and confusing to an international audience.

Self learning

Aside from sharpening my communications skills, I’ve had a lot of opportunities for reflective, self learning.

I grew my confidence this year, both academically and professionally through the client-facing projects that Strathclyde offered. Because of my incredibly humble beginnings and struggles with mental illness, I’ve often wrestled with imposter syndrome. I find it hard to reconcile my success with my tumultuous upbringing, but succeeding in this programme has reinforced to me that I have every right to feel proud of what I’ve accomplished in life. I’ve had family and friends support me along the way but in the end I put in the work.

This MBA journey has continually challenged my illusion of control. I knowingly gave up a lot of control over my life by coming to Scotland and committing to this programme but I wasn’t prepared for the kinds of questions that forced me to ask myself. My friends, routine, professional network, and comfortable job were all gone. So, who was I was without the things that were a central part of my identity for so long?

The answer is that I can’t be good at everything, and I’m rarely the smartest person in the room, but I am passionate and creative. I like to make connections between people and information. I try to see the good in others and support them, and I love to learn new things. Understanding that will help me ensure my next career move is purposeful and aligns with who I am.

So…what’s next?

Dissertations need time to be reviewed. Graduation isn’t until November and I’m so excited to have my moment on that stage in front of friends and family. In the meantime, I’ve been sending out CVs and going on job interviews, meeting with the incoming cohort of MBA students and reconnecting with friends I’ve been absent from while finishing school.

It’s going to take some adjustment to having leisure time and developing a routine. There will be more farewells in the coming days and weeks as other classmates pack up their things and head home.

As to what happens to the Lone Star Lass blog, that remains to be seen. I’ve decided to keep the site live for now and see where my inspiration takes it. I’m grateful for the opportunities that this move to Scotland has given me so I’d like to post some of my photography from this last year and continue writing about travels around Scotland and my career progression.

Here’s to the next chapter!

This blog first appeared in Cynthia’s own blog page. You can connect with her on Linked In.

About Cynthia Halatyn

Cynthia Halatyn is a student on the full time MBA programme at Strathclyde Business School.