I had planned to be regular with posting my experiences here but then consistency is not my forte. So, as long as i have decided to sit my arse down and write i might as well bundle a few thoughts together.

 

To start with, i recently finished my first course of the MBA program and to say that it blew me away would be an understatement. To be frank, the course material in itself was not something out of the world or anything but it was the teaching style and the professor which made me go WOW!! All our lives, education has centered around sitting in a classroom, listening to the teacher and learn the right answer(s). Well, my first course just managed to kick 'cliched' education out of the park. The professor made it a point that we (me and my batchmates) are not here to learn the 'right answer(S)', we are here to ask the right questions. More than that, the whole concept of 'There is ONE right answer' may not apply. I have already written reflection papers on the course so i dont intend to repeat my reflections on the course. What i would say is that the course made me THINK again!! Weren't you thinking all this while, you ask?? Well, i was surprised too but guess what; for the most part the thinking was done to find/reach the right answer (which most of the times exists somewhere). The course made me discover the inner self all over again and question the existing knowledge and ideology that i had ammased over the last few years.

 

Happiness is a weird word especially when it comes to me!! I enjoy being happy and often times i do have this happy go lucky written on my forehead that is good. However, i have this really bad notion of relative happiness. One moment i am happy and rejoicing on the success/achievement and another moment i start comparing the same with others and there i flush my happiness down the drain. I really want to be happy with myself and for others but some shitty neuron in my brain tells me to undermine my happiness if there is another one happy for the same reason as me. #notetoself Rejoice and bask in your happy moments and appreciate the happy moments of others.

 

Getting A Life!! I have been wrestling with this for quite sometime now. From an out an out extrovert to a 'gone in a shell' introvert; i have not regretted the transtition but bygod i have been fighting it for sometime now. From immersing myself in books, blogging and twitter i kind of lost touch with the real life or as they say ' I forgot to get a life'. Not to say that it was enforced on me, but it just happened and i did not do anything to stop the darn thing. I don't regret reading books or living a digital life but i do regret not giving enough time to family and friends; especially friends. Lots of close friends i distanced myself from for no reason at all and lots of new friends i did not make because i could care less. Coming back to college, i told myself to break the mould and try to GET A LIFE!! I am not quite there as yet but yes i am getting there. Actually spending time talking to friends face to face, indulging in sports (well, i don't do much but hey participation counts right) i am revisiting a routine i had forgotten. Here's to making more conscious efforts to become more affable and create the comfortable space around me that invites people to bond and talk....

 

I have tons to write about but this will have to do for now#

The title pretty much sums up my first day at the MBA program. Well, a lot of other things as well but yes, SCREWED is what i had written all over me by the time the class ended and for good reasons. But i will get to that later.

 

There was this 'anxiety' vibe in the class with everyone looking forward to what the program has in store. The 'Introduce' yourself series was pretty much an usual affair with 'NGO work' and 'Dviersity' being the most used keywords :-) Personally for me, i had this thought run through my mind that the industry/professional diversity is not what i wanted it to be. Over the course of the next few days the perception has changed to a certain extent and i am sure there is going to be enough diversity especially when it comes to diversity of thought process. #notetoself Learn to not judge too early

 

The course started with a rather interesting subject and something that pretty much will be the part and parcel of what will be expected from all of us- both professionally and personal. I loved the completely conversational/particpatory approach followed by the professor because my past experiences in 'studying' (if i may call that) leadership has been rather one-way. Come to think of it, i find the whole concept around teaching leadership ironical but i guess the concepts could aid in developing the whole thinking process. Time will tell i guess. Too many thoughts were bounced around in class with some being really insightful and some boring me to death. On a personal note, i wasn't really happy with my capability to articulate my thoughts either. #notetoself Learn to listen well and get better at being concise

 

I kind of came with an expectation that an MBA course like this leaves literally notime for doing anything except course work. Boy, did it turn out true!! Very first, there was a huge list of course work to be done including individual as well as group project. Yes, individual project ok but hell, a group project on the very first day of the course. For someone who takes time to open up with people, i kind of felt weird from the mere thought of working with 8 other totally unknown folks on a project that sounded weird in itself. Add to that, the introduction session which introduced tons of online tools that need to accessed and used actively inorder to just getby through the course. My plan for dedicating sometime to blog everyday scattered like nine pins. This is the reason i got around writing this almost a week later but given the fact that i am going to use this blog for lots of introspection, i have tried to capture the essence of my first day as it was and not how it has changed within a week.

 

Hoping that i will be able to manage time efficiently and find time to capture my thoughts from the course as it goes forward and doing so, re-discover myself and have fun while doing it.

 

 

They say that a new year gives way to new beginnings and indeed some beginning it has been for me - becoming a student again. After 4 years of immensely gratifying professional experience with a fair share of ups and downs, the mere thought of becoming a student was both exciting and nerve racking. New place, New people, a new routine for the next 16 months and in all probability a new direction to life altogether.

 

All said and done, i announced to the world (or the 600 odd FB friends) that the eagle has landed :-)