Top 10 Things I Learned #2 – It Pays to Get Involved, But…

Top 10 Things I Learned #2

It Pays to Get Involved, But…

There are only two entries left in my grand finale! I am going to use them to tell you the two most important lessons that I learned. Number Two: It pays to be involved, but you must also realize that everything you get has a price.

During business school, I was president of a student organization, author of the blog, worked full-time, went to school full-time, won a business plan competition,  participated in tons of community events, and even consulted regularly for my previous business. I played the whole field… twice.

There was a cost. I graduated cum laude, but without an invitation to the honor society. None of my classes are documented properly, so I worry about referring back to things a year later. I missed some of my education due to distractions from work or other projects. I attended only half of the social events and missed out on a lot of the bonding and socializing.

My strategy was different, but I am happy with the way it turned out. I went to school to increase my job options. In the end, I graduated in a recession with several offers. There are several other strategies in business school including:

1. Having a really good time getting totally tanked and making excellent connections with your classmates.
2. Building your resume with internships you couldn’t have previously gotten
3. Getting ready for a life in academia or a doctoral program
4. Job switchin’ (i.e. from managing rock concerts to managin balance sheets)
5. Getting out of research and into sales
6. Getting out of sales and into research
7. Going from “financial whiz” to “financial engineering ninja.”
8. Cultivating better career opportunities (i.e. getting ahead faster)

My point is: don’t think you can do it all.  Pick a goal, think about the limitations, and decide if you’re ok with them. Then, once you’ve decided, go out and destroy the competition.

Note: How to destroy the competition? How to cultivate better career opportunities? Tomorrow’s final #1 super thing I learned in business school will tell it all.