One of my favorite parts of the various classes we take is the real-world advice the professors give us. We get so caught up in assignments and projects that we don’t always take the time to step back and take a look at the big picture.
Our Operations core class professor, Dr. Gray, is great at sharing examples from the many projects he’s taken on over the years. But he’s also great at just giving general advice that can be applied to any field.
On the last day of the Operations module we discussed the value of increasing our “intellectual capital,” since we will be seeking to differentiate ourselves the same way we’ll be working to differentiate the products or services our companies provide.
“It’s not about how you dress, what kind of car you drive, or what kind of home you live in,” Dr. Gray told us. “What really matters is how you think.”
He then told us to spend time continuing to work on our own education plan. I’ve thought a lot about this over the last two months, since you really only scratch the surface of business in an MBA program. I don’t know how many times I’ve heard it described as an exposure that is a mile wide but only a few inches deep. I plan on going to most of my professors to get advice on how to expand on all these concepts we’ve learned in the last year and a half.
“I still spent time every day thinking about what articles I should be looking for,” Dr. Gray continued. “What topic should I be trying to learn more about? What projects am I involved in and what areas should I be reading into to help those people who have engaged me to help them?”
“Stay after it.”
My biggest fear is that the subjects that I won’t use every day, like accounting, for example, will fade without repeated use. Continuing education, even if it is periodic review on my own of the basics of what we learn, is going to be a big priority after graduation next month.