Tag Archives: classes

[Guest Blog] How to Juggle Work and School

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Two years ago, I made the decision to get my MBA while continuing to work a full time job. Although the past two years have been a whirlwind, I am very happy I made the choice to continue my education. I have found that although I currently have a job I love, I am now performing even better and also finding new opportunities that better match my interests and skills. I have also been fortunate enough to be able to keep my income and not have to worry about finding a job when I graduate.

Before starting grad school I tried to mentally prepare myself for this juggling act. But, the truth is I really had no idea what to expect. Here is what I wish someone would have told me before I made the leap:

1. Learn to Say No. You do not have to attend every networking event. Just go to as many as possible.

2. You will have to work extra hard to maintain your social life and previous friendships. But, the important friendships are worth it to maintain even if you only have an hour of free time every week.

3. Your management will take notice of how hard you are working and the knowledge that you are bringing to your job. I was promoted in my current company after only a year in school.

4. Technology makes the juggling act easier. Having access to my school email on my phone while I work allows me to stay connected with my group and make changes to projects at the last minute. With all of my classmates juggling so many responsibilities, it is almost impossible to get us all together in one location. Fortunately, Skype allows us to hold group meetings virtually. Also, don’t worry if you have to travel frequently for your job. Professors are very understanding of work travel and my school even videotapes classes for us so we can watch them online when we return.

5. Schedule time out for a break because the to-do list will never end. Don’t be afraid to take a day off from work or skip a class if you have to. It is impossible to get an A+ at both work and school, just do the best you can. Schedule a vacation, a day with no work or even a night to just enjoy a movie with your family.

6. Grad school consists of way too many group projects. I have learned that other people juggle their responsibilities differently than I do. I try to get work done as early as possible but others in my group wait until an hour before a paper is due to finish. I have learned to respect others juggling habits which has allowed me to be a better manager.

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Because I am a [gosh darn] professional!

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Anyone who has seen the 2001 film The Wedding Planner probably can recall that hilarious (edited) line. Frustrated, blindsided, and incredibly angry, J.Lo’s character is trying to keep her personal drama from affecting the one thing she truly loves in life — her job.

We are human. Sometimes your personal life spills into your professional life. Okay- let’s be real: it is increasingly hard to determine where your personal and professional lives separate. There will be occasional personal drama and catastrophes that interfere with your ability to get your work done. The opposite is also true: school and work often change up your personal plans, and as MBA ladies we have to just roll with it.

As an MBA and/or career woman, you (I assume) are no stranger to feeling overwhelmed and juggling more than one thing at a time. Also, you frequently may find yourself in group settings. But juggling all you have going on and working with others on a daily basis leave little time to take a moment and gather your thoughts. How do you decompress after a stressful conference call? How can you ensure that you come across as composed and poised after chasing your slacker of a classmate to submit their PowerPoint slides (hours before your huge presentation)? How do you keep it together 100% of the time? Continue reading →

“If everyone is moving forward together, then success takes care of itself.” – Henry Ford

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Teamwork is great – when everyone is moving forward together. As MBA students, working with groups or on teams is necessary. Sometimes, we can create our ideal group which includes professionals from different industries who offer diverse skills sets, and everyone gets along like lifelong friends. Other times, we find ourselves in random groups and have to work with different work styles, personalities and leadership styles. Defining the goals of the project may be straightforward (as in, they’re listed in the syllabus), but the path to the final product can be an epic battle.

Everyone has that one horrible group experience that still makes them shudder when they find out a group project is worth 40% of the final grade. We’ve all worked with the one who loves the sound of his voice so much that your group is penalized for going over the time limit, or the one who cannot finish writing her piece because she is too busy obsessing over PowerPoint animations, or the one who…(insert your awful group member story here).

Please share your experiences and tips for group projects! To get the conversation going, I’ve started a list of tips/ideas for Getting Through Groupwork:

  • Assess the situation and get their digits.
    Get everyone’s emails and cell phone numbers once you are assigned to work together. Introduce each other and know what everyone does and what they can offer to the team. Knowing you have an IT specialist on your team in your IT strategy class is a little gem of information that you want to know now.
  • Get started early (seriously).
    Set out a schedule, and work together to decide on dates for deliverables. Some of the group may not appreciate your overzealous planning efforts at first, but in the end, while other groups are scrambling, you can enjoy some time to revise and rehearse if you need to present your work.
    Last semester, my group started working on our project six weeks before it was due (was not my idea, okay…but I appreciated it!). Our first meeting was relaxed and we planned out the next six weeks. No one felt rushed and everyone got their parts done on their own time – when we got together to combine all of our work, we had ample time to revise, edit, and even rehearse make sure the entire presentation flowed nicely. It felt like minimal effort and we all brought home an A. Totally the best group experience ever.
  • Deal with conflicts with “big picture thinking.”
    Not everyone is going to go along with everything the group decides, and some may enjoy playing the other side, every. time. you. discuss. anything. Deal with these team members and conflicts that arise by reminding everyone of the end goal, and how much this project fits into the big picture. This may be a required class that does not apply to anyone’s major, but no one wants to fail.
    Also, no one wants to be the nerd in the group, policing everyone else, yes – we know this. But, if you “don’t care,” and “it’s just a project” ….why are you there?
  • Understand the value of Google Docs.
    Google Docs is fantastic for working in groups. In case you’ve never seen one of these before, a Google Doc is a shared document that is easily accessed using an email address (docs.google.com). They are free and easy to use. Not much else to say about this, other than that I will take a Google Doc over a clogged Inbox full of 73 versions of a PowerPoint presentation any day.
I would love to hear your stories about groupwork or tips for better group experiences in your MBA program. Either comment below, tweet them (@MBAchic), or post to our FB wall (http://on.fb.me/iK4h33).