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When you start your business school career it’s often quite overwhelming. You have so many different things to worry about: classes, new friends, places to live, and the ultimate problem, what do you want to be when you grow up? I think that it’s extremely important to figure out what you are working towards. Who decided what you are working towards? Was it you, your parents, or your peers? I think you’re almost better off if you don’t know.
I think if you explore this question further, you’ll find a few interesting things. One problem with how we do this is we tend to think short term. “I’m working towards a MBA summer internship, a six-figure salary, a blue chip company, etc, etc.” But, I think if you dig a bit deeper, you’ll see what you are really working towards and you might be surprised to find that the path to getting there is much shorter than you think.
A common conversation you hear is “Someday I’m going to leave this job, sit on a beach somewhere and just live the life.” Well, it’s really not that hard to do. There are people who are already living that life. What you have to realize it doesn’t take a fortune to live like a king. I highly recommend that anybody who’s reading this blog post read the The 4-hour Workweek. If you are working towards this and want to work 30 years for somebody else, by the time you can actually enjoy this life, you might be too old to really take advantage of it.
In the longer term, I encourage you to think about choosing a career that allows you to have a flexible lifestyle. The 9-5 corporate world doesn’t always offer you a flexible lifestyle. Below I’ve written what is a typical job description for a post-MBA position
- 100k in Salary
- Travel 4-5 times a week (home on weekends)
- 80-100 hours a week
- Benefits, Training, etc, etc
To me, this is an existence not a life. It is a temporary solution to a long-term problem.
While it might be difficult to go against the grain at first, you’ll often find that those who are willing to challenge conventional norms often end up having the best lives.
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Comments
09.12.08
I just finished reading the 4-Hour Workweek. It's an incredibly valuable book that I can see myself referring back to frequently. One of my favorite parts of the book is when he shares the story about the American businessman who meets a Mexican fisherman...I think that story really sums up what you're saying in this post.
09.13.08
I think this is a really great point. All too often I see others (and sometimes myself) choosing things because they are what we are supposed to want instead of what we really want. We choose prestigious jobs with big salaries because that's what society tells us we should be working for. Every so often I remind myself to take a step back and figure out what I actually want, which is often very different.
09.14.08
I'm quite the opposite, really. I chase my dreams so hard I totally miss out on what I'm "expected" to have. My house was in a mess, I wasn't happy with my pay, and I was telling everyone that they were too busy "existing". Now that I am one step closer to my goals, there are more challenges ahead - I keep wondering if it was better if I had just settled for a comfortable living.
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