It's a busy life

I know, I know. Everyone's life is busy. Well so is mine, and this is my blog, so I can write about it here all I want.

Well, first off, my daughter is 10 1/2 months old going on 2 years. Yikes. How has the time flown by so fast? She started crawling almost a month ago, and she's pulling up on the furniture and "cruising". Soon, she'll be walking. We've already started baby-proofing, but as my wife indicated, she now knows how to open the kitchen cabinets, so I'm going to have to install those door stops we bought the other day...

My wife is working two jobs right now, and taking care of our daughter while I work and try to get through grad school. Needless to say, I couldn't do it without her. (Honey - I love you!) I am about 25% of the way done with the program; the last class is in November of next year. I am learning a lot (and not just going to school, an important difference Seth Godin points out in his blog).

I have managed to find time to golf this summer, and I've probably been out about 10 times this year. I wish I had unlimited time and money for golf because my scores are falling, and I'm really enjoying it. I think my wife would kill me if I golfed any more...

The Thirteen Year Plan

I've been doing a lot of research on MBAs lately. With the fast-approaching completion of my undergrad degree (February 3rd, 2009 - not that I'm counting down the days or anything), I have been trying to decide what to do next. The logical choice for me would be to continue the same path and pursue an MBA. While I might be happier with an engineering degree, I can complete an MBA program much quicker.

MBA programs seem to be gaining popularity with people from all walks of life. Some are enrolling in Executive MBA programs to continue working in their executive capacities while attending school. Some students who finish their undergrad degrees elect to continue on to get an MBA before going into the workforce. I do not recommend this. Employers do not want to hire 20-somethings with MBAs and no legitimate work experience for any decent jobs. That is, of course, unless you consider management at the Gap as a career goal.

My approach was a little different. I started at the community college straight out of high school. It took me five years, but I graduated with an Associates in Business Administration. After a two year stint in the pre-engineering program at a state university, I decided to attend an adult learning program at the satellite location of another university to get a Bachelor's in Business Management.

While I am nearing the end of a ten year road to a Bachelor's degree, I don't consider myself in a bad spot. I have gained great business and corporate experience with three great companies along the way. 1 2 3 It's time to figure out the next chapter in my life, and I don't think I'm alone:

"While the largest spike in applications is in full-time MBA programs, applications are also on the rise in the part-time and executive MBA programs. GMAC's [Dave] Wilson predicts that the part-time and executive MBA programs will be the next to see a significant jump in application volume because they largely cater to applicants who want to stay in their current jobs. "As the slowdown in the economy continues, we're going to see a shift to the part-time programs because people aren't going to want to leave work if they have a good job," Wilson said." ref