A choice of optional courses and a big question behind that

The Thinker statureAt the end of Semester 1 we all had to choose optional/elective courses for Semester 2. The choice was quite big. For me there were two possible directions, either to learn something related to my background (banking), or vice versa learn something totally new.

However before making this decision you should answer a much bigger question behind it. That question is what are you going to do after the graduation? We all come to do an MBA with an ultimate goal of having better lives – more exciting job, higher income, interesting people around, more opportunities and perspectives, etc.

The MBA Career Service at Smurfit was trying to help us to answer that big question from the first week of our study. They provide a range of trainings and session starting from very practical such as writing your CV to individual interviews with professional coaches, who help you to understand your real motivations and goals. The main thing Career Service and all the trainers repeat all the time is that MBA is your chance to think about a job that you would be willing to do for the rest of your life, something that makes you happy and excited!

I love this idea. I know we are all afraid of changes, especially when you already have achieved a certain level in the area you worked for before MBA. And it would be so easy and comfortable just to go back, get promoted and continue working in the same routine. However, if you don’t feel that what you were doing before was the best job for you; and if you did not feel so happy with what you were doing, then now is the best moment to try something else – at least that’s what they say…

Yeah, that’s a dilemma – from one side stable income and comfort, and from the other side something unknown which can lead both to great success and to great failure. I’m myself not ready to answer this question at the moment, but isn’t it great to have a choice! As of now I decided to take optional courses that would help me to see new aspects of business, something different from what I worked with before. That is why I chose such subjects as Managing Sales Relations, Strategic Marketing and Enterprise Risk Management.  In addition to mandatory courses this semester on HR, Strategy, Corporate Finance, Negotiations etc., it has to give me a good understanding of overall business mechanisms (see Full-Time MBA Curriculum)

I will keep you informed on my impression from optional courses I took; and also on my big life choice of further career after the graduation.

–  Nargiza