I'm considering the option of taking my education to the next level by investing in an MBA program. So earlier this week, I attended a Women in Management reception to see if an MBA would be right for me, what I could expect from the program, and to learn about the work/life experiences of a panel of successful women. It was such an eye-opener for me; it made me re-evaluate the degree in a different light.

My best friend attended the reception with me, so we grabbed dessert afterwards. We got to discuss our work/life experiences since graduation and stumbled across some insightful things.

Formal education versus the university of life

Formal education teaches you about the world's economics, how to meet deadlines, how to approach problems with strategic thinking principles, and how to apply this newfound knowledge to projects and presentations. Ultimately, students are equipped to pursue the career, move up the ladder, and succeed.

They don't teach you that it’s beneficial to dip your toes in a wide range of jobs for a few years so you get the opportunity to figure out what you ultimately love to do or more importantly, to find your strengths and weaknesses. (I’m not saying this path is for everyone; I’m envious if you’ve already figured this stuff out.) For awhile, I was wary of accepting job offers if they didn’t align with what I thought I wanted to do or if I wasn’t sure where the job could lead.

Now that I’m working on pinpointing my own strengths and weaknesses, I realize that accepting a wide range of interesting opportunities could teach me a wealth of knowledge about how I work best and what I’m not so good at. Not to mention, it wouldn’t hurt to learn more about other industries.

Life expectations versus the school of hard knocks

Life always has a set of expectations.

We're expected to go to university or college right after high school graduation, otherwise people slap on the "he must be crazy for taking a year off, he's not going anywhere in life" label. (This was true for my high school anyway.) Yet so many people graduate from their undergraduate degrees and start careers, just to find out that what they wanted to pursue for a career wasn't what it was all cracked out to be. We're left searching for answers again.

From my perspective, life has always been this huge rush to get every experience in. “Live life to the fullest”, “carpe diem” – they always preach. But this mentality can manifest itself into a stress-filled mentality instead. I get stressed thinking about how to fit in having a family, pursuing a career, going back to school, and travelling around the world (and all of this while saving money) before we have to “settle down” and be adults.

Does it have to be this way?

Please tell me it doesn't have to be.

Ryan's constantly reminding me to "take life as it comes. There's no rush." After internalizing all of this over the past week, it makes so much sense to me now. You can't have it all - well, not properly anyway. I understand that if I want to actively pursue my career, having kids will have to wait for a few years. Maybe I can’t do it all in the next 5 years, but I still have my whole life ahead of me. It’s all about balance.

Slow it down, don't rush ahead

It’s important to know what you can bring to the table, especially in your career. Just because you want to be an interior designer, it doesn't mean that a corporate job in project management won't equip you with a set of transferable skills.

I despise this statement with a passion, but it always rings true in my life: only by taking one step back is it possible for us to take two steps forward.

I believe people find more joy in life by dancing to the beat of their own drum and carving their own journey through life, instead of blindly following the path of the tried, tested, and true.

Life's a long and wild ride, and we've really just begun.