From the very first second you dare utter the concept of going abroad for a masters degree in business, everyone around you gets that weird look on their faces and go: "OK… but why?"
And you'll immediately blurt out your well-rehearsed answer and probably end up convincing them, or at least some of them, that it's the logical next step for you. The answer might even correlate with your response to that same question as it appears in most of the school applications you're working on (I doubt it will). But when you search deep down within yourself, is that the answer you really, and I mean REALLY, believe in?
I've been through this analysis numerous times over the past months. I really did try to figure out whether I was doing it all to fulfill my career aspirations (confused and ill-defined as they might have been) or maybe just for the money. Perhaps I was doing that just so I could run away for a while, getting as close as I could to the romantic notion of "starting over". One of my best friends went so far as to interpret my actions as a symptom of someone who was just trying to postpone life and maneuver away from settling down like a "normal" person.
Why…
As with so many other things in life, the answer is not as deterministic or as concrete as I'd like it to be. Still, I feel good enough about it, really. REALLY.
First, it's my career, which can grow from a common, technologically-centered one, to a people-centered one. I truly feel that passion for something more interpersonal and dynamic, of a completely different nature than what I've been doing so far. Second, I view this kind of an experience as a chance to figure out where I'm going, even if just for a while. Unfortunately, I'm not a guy with a dream. I've never felt I had a calling. I'd simply want to enjoy waking up in the morning for another day, and I think this MBA thing can serve as an amazing candy-store of pathways onto such a professional future. Third, and most importantly, I want the experience. And I'm not just referring to living abroad for a while, or collaborating with amazing international class-mates, or learning from Nobel laureates or even working in Corporate America for zillions of dollars a year. It's everything put together. It's squeezing as much of the world as possible into a short little period of two years. It's the kind of person I can be once I cross the MBA finish-line.
And that's how I answer everyone's questions now, smiling at their doubting faces. Despite the risks, and in spite of all my fears, having come to this realization actually strengthened my confidence and better prepared me for this big step. I especially remember a phone-conversation that really helped me deal with my doubts and fears. My friends from Kisos (see first post), amongst so many other things, introduced me to this Harvard graduate who, with just a few words, put everything in the right perspective: "Well, David, it seems like you're totally aware of the downsides, and you've gathered all the information you need. Now comes the hard part - the reasons to pursue an MBA abroad won't necessarily be unique or uncommon, but they have to really feel right to you. And you might feel they're worth the risks or you might feel they're not worth the risks. But if, and when, you decide to go, just put those fears aside. They won't go away, but they won't stand in your way, either. And that's when you're really ready to go."
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