Grad School - Update

I enjoy taking on new challenges. Many times that includes personal development and growth. That can be accomplished in any number of ways. This time I decided that I would continue my education with St. Edward’s University in their Master of Business Administration program. I chose the concentration of Entrepreneurship in hopes that I can continue to increase my level of understanding in small business management and growth.

So far, the program has been rewarding. I am nearing completion of my second semester and the coursework has been very interesting. Perhaps the most challenging class I have taken so far is managerial finance. If I had to summarize the class in a single word I would label it, interesting.

I will let you know how the program develops. I was waived out of the first phase, and am two semesters into the second phase. With four semesters to go in the program, I still have quite a bit of a journey ahead of me.

Grad School

Since the day I received my first car from my parents, I have been either working or competing in sports. I quickly found that if I was in control of my day to day activities at work, I could enjoy myself immensely; sometimes more than playing sports. In fact, I would turn down Football Scholarships to run a small business. Education was important to me, but it would have to take place in the evening, I had a business to run.

Over the next several years, I would hop from one college to the next, taking classes and changing majors with each new experience I had in the “real world”. Eventually I would settle at St. Edward’s University (http://www.stedwards.edu) in Austin, Texas where I would obtain an Undergraduate Degree in Business with a concentration in Entrepreneurship. Fitting.

The degree has come in handy, but in ways that most people would probably not imagine. Networking has been a big key. Due in large part to the size and atmosphere at St. Edward’s, I have been able to make many lasting and influential contacts. The actual education for me was hot and cold usually because I already had direct experience or exposure in the “real world” with the application, theory, or concept we were going over in class.

I have set out and accomplished what many people search for in small business ownership. I have helped people grow businesses into large corporations, watched dreams come true, and even seen people retire. But I have also experienced what every Entrepreneur has also seen, failure.

One of my current ventures is on the edge of really taking it to the next level. I can feel it. I can see it every day in emails, the marketplace, and even the people around me. I can feel the electricity in the air. While this excites me, I feel a need to grow myself personally. Seeking out new stimulus, new ideas, and furthering the foundation I have in practical experience, along with education theory interests me greatly. That is why I have decided to go back to St. Edward’s to get my MBS in their Entrepreneurship program. Fitting.

Currently ranked #20 in the West for Masters Granting Institutions (http://www.usnews.com/sections/rankings), St. Edward’s is a wonderfully groomed campus, ideally located, with a tenured faculty that interacts directly with the student body. The value of the MBA is obvious when you inspect a resume. However, since I plan to never interview for a “job” ever again, the degree itself is less valuable to me. The experience, the actual education, and the people I will meet along the way are the true value I seek.