The Beginning of the End

I hesitated to write this entry. The purpose of this blog was to record my journey through business school and now I have only three weeks left of school. Which means I only have three entries left for this blog. As I write my final papers for my classes, I am also handing off my other responsibilities at school. Tonight I have been recruiting students to replace me and five of my colleagues on a marketing panel that I have been involved with for the past year. I have also started writing thank you/good-bye letters to various people and organizations that have supported Challenge for Charity over this past year and also used this opportunity to introduce the new leadership.

As Ashley, my Challenge for Charity co-chair, and I are passing the torch to the new co-presidents, we are definitely starting to feel sad. We are handing off our "baby", the result of our vision. This past year has been a very challenging – in a good way – and busy year. It has allowed both of us to grow a lot and learn how to juggle school, extra-curricular responsibilities, work, friendships, and our sanity. We struggled with our own day-to-day workload, while doing our best to keep our team motivated and continue to grow Challenge for Charity. I have worked two days a week, taken three classes, and managed the Run the Waves Race. I do feel now like I have been running a marathon, but the truth is that if given the opportunity, I would do it all over again!

It is fair to warn you though. These last three entries are going to be less cheerful. It is the end of a journey and as exciting as the next step is going to be, I will have to say good-bye to a lot of people that have become my friends and family for almost two years. We spent a lot of time together, partied, played games, had late-night study sessions in the library, got sick of writing papers or case analyses, went to each other’s weddings, birthdays, and engagement parties. When we graduate in three weeks, most of us will move to wherever our jobs or family responsibilities will take us. And although we will vow to keep in touch often, sometimes life will get in the way. So here is to the last three weeks of my program!

Second-Yearitis

It is real and you can feel it all around campus. As much as we do not want to admit it, we have it. Second-yearitis is hitting everyone hard. We come to classes and leave four hours later as quickly as we came. Rarely are there any second-year students in the library anymore. We take twice as long on school assignments just because we cannot focus. Or we take twice as less, because we rush to do other things that are required for our re-entry into the real world.

There is also one other thing that almost no one talks about openly. Graduation is in five weeks and the economy is not as good as we thought it would be. Last year, we pitied the graduating class for their bad timing and believed 150% that when we graduate, the economy would be just about at the right level. I bet the first-year students are thinking the exact same thing now. With graduation approaching, my classmates and I struggle with the decision to take "a" job versus pursuing "the" job. We all came to school to acquire the skill and knowledge that would allow us to do what we love. And now the reality is that some of the jobs that we love and prepared for are not available. So what do you do?

It is a tough decision. On the one hand, we want to be responsible and on the other, we know that compromising now – although the easy way out – will have long-term, negative consequences and it distracts us from pursuing what we love. I have made my decision. It took me some time, but I did it. I have looked at my expenses, evaluated my options, had a long talk with myself and decided that...I will follow my passion!