Rich's Ritings: the "ritings" of an MBA/MDiv candidate at Baylor University

It’s amazing how, after only one semester of business school, I’ve already started to understand some of the language of business.  Listening to NPR on the way to a Super Bowl party with my wife today, we heard a jobs report, followed by a discussion over energy policy.  My wife reached to change the channel, and I asked her to wait a second, because I was actually understanding what they were talking about!  This is huge!

Not that I didn’t understand that more jobs were good and energy was somehow related to how much I paid at the pump, but as a result of the Managerial Macroecnomics class I’m in now, I began to explain to my wife about why West Texas crude being high could be seasonal, and we could (probably) expect it to come down by the end of the year.  This brought on a discussion of oil from shale…  By the time we reached the party, her eyes had glazed over, reminding me that she’s a saint for pretending like she cares.

A little success, even when it’s as small as beginning to speak the language of business is kind of fun for this old theology student.  Maybe, I’ll consider myself a real business student too…

When I first came to Baylor, I chose it because of the seminary.  More than a few of the individuals who I love and respect had graduated from that seminary (or encouraged me to go to this one over others).  The man I would think of as my mentor suggested that I might look for an MBA program, saying that seminary prepares you for a good chunk of church work, but an MBA would help in a whole host of the other things necessary for church work.  So I hit seminary.  Hard.  The goal was to go really hard, take a ton of hours, then in my last year and a half find an MBA program, just to have the degree.  Sharing this idea with my advisor, he told me that Baylor was introducing a dual degree, and that the school I had planned to go to (a decent school, but not anything impressive) would be a mistake.  I made the decision to go to Baylor for my MBA, and I think it’s the best decision for me.

Now, I know I’m supposed to say that, but the reason why it was best for me is simple: flexibility.  I have maintained my position as the pastor of a local church, while being able to manage my time to fit my homework.  This semester, I have been able to do a seminary small group, something that is required, but didn’t really fit in the schedule.

In addition, I mentioned that I felt that I had some unique concerns related to non-profits that weren’t being covered in the traditional MBA, and my MBA advisor pointed me in a direction so that I could get coverage in those areas.

Looking around the program, flexibility is everywhere.  One of my friends is a marketing focus.  This semester, he is directly working (under a professor) with a local business on their marketing.  Kind of a pre-internship internship.  Another friend in the program is in the Healthcare MBA section, but he is specifically interested in finance.  As such, they’ve pointed him in the direction of some finance classes that he is interested in, in spite of the relatively rigid nature of the Healthcare MBA required classes.  Another friend is on the case competition team, being able to leverage her distinct abilities (and they are very unique) in a way that will help her in what she wants to do.

All of this to say that flexibility surrounds me in my program.  I get what I want, my classmates get what they want, and I believe we are all the better for it.

One of the cool(er) classes we take is something called Focus Firm. In reality, the idea is to get real-world experience with a real company doing real stuff and real things and real whatnot.  I wanted to put the word real in a sentence enough times for it to come across as the primary idea, in spite of the fact that I then made my English teacher roll over in her grave for using stuff and things and whatnot.

So our firm this semester is pretty cool.  I’m not saying I’m in it for the cool factor (it’s a required class and there is a grade after all), but I’m in it for the cool factor.  I mean, getting to take a peek at what a real company looks at and how they attack problems, getting to be a part of the process is pretty neat.  Not that I think that they are going to take our word for it, or that I even think they will take to heart everything we present, just the opportunity to get the experience is good for us.

The more that I take these business classes, the more convinced I am that it is the experience that matters most.  I’m not going to come out of the process perfect and ready, but I’ll have the tools and experiences of rolling with the punches.  I’ll know how to move in such a way as to be valuable for a church (non-profit?) because I’ve had some experiences that another pastor or leader wouldn’t.  This is a project that asks us to apply what we are learning in a new and interesting way.  Like in the real world.

Real experience.  That’s pretty cool.

You know, I thought I was ready to get back into the groove.

As an MBA student, one of the things that I am constantly reminded of is that there is always more reading to be done, more writing to be done, and more work to be done in terms of thinking about future employment.  It’s so much easier if there are professors who seem happy to see you, classmates who are willing to share their process, and a Panda Express to remind you that fortune cookies are both tasty and wise.

There are so many more healthcare students in my classes I’ve never met until Monday.  I’ve heard of them, but up until now, they’ve only been legendary, like Bigfoot or King Kong or Luther Vandross, off completing their wild administrative residency adventures.  There were a few who were willing to help me out this morning as we compared how we completed an assignment.  As we did so, we made acquaintances.  But people I had only sorta-kinda-a-little-bit known for a few days were willing to share in the pain process.  I appreciate those who are willing and able to provide help.  This whole learning thing, I’m fairly certain, never ends, and it gets better when we work together.

Now, my fortune cookie is either lying to me, or there’s a decent weekend coming up.  But first, finance class.

Friends, life as an MBA student at Baylor can be hard.  My biggest grievance at the moment?  I’m bored.  Christmas break has felt like it has taken forever.  It seems like I was just starting to get caught up to the breakneck pace of work, reading, writing, and (not) sleeping.

There is only so much of Netflix I can watch (finally got caught up on HIMYM and finished The Office).  There are only so many runs I can go on.  There is only so much playing with Mr. Becket, the greatest dog in all the land, that I can do.

In truth, and don’t tell my professors this: I’m looking forward to class on Monday.  I have no doubt that the material will be just as hard, that my coffee consumption will be just as unhealthy, or that I will still be somewhat technologically-challenged, but progress will be made on all three fronts.  Baby steps.

So, some goals:

1. 4.0.  There, I said it.  Last semester was good, but not 4.0 good.  Let’s get after this.
2. Run the Bearathon in under 2 hours.  Having a hobby leads directly to sanity, especially when it forces better time management in order to succeed in the hobby.
3. Get some clarity about career path.  After reading a book about development over the break, I’m wondering how I can use business interests and spiritual interests in tandem to help people.
4. Help my classmates in some way.  I have no clue what this looks like.  I know that I received a ton of help from older students last semester, and I would love to pass that along.
5. Help my university in some way.  We’ve got a pretty sweet gig.  My professors care about me, a statement that I’m not sure students everywhere can truthfully say.  I would really like to find a way to give back in a substantive way.

I’m sure my grievances will be addressed by this time next week.  Until then, I’m looking forward to Monday.

Friends, everyone is in New York City right now.  As a dual-degree student, I didn’t need to go, so rather than going, I made the choice to stay at home.

I did not choose wisely.

Friends have been texting me and updating their facebooks about how much they have been doing and all the fun that they have been having, and it’s been sad to see that I too could have been there and done all of that.  It looks like a really cool trip.  Some of the coolest parts?

One of my friends posted a pic of the Nasdaq opening bell being rung.  Now, I don’t know about you, but I have tried to be smart with my money, and as such have sought to put some away.  As I’ve done that, I’ve stayed fairly active in how my money is being managed, and done some of my own leg work as to exactly where and in what quantities money is going.  Yeah, the money guy loves me…  But the Nasdaq opening bell?  That’s pretty cool.  Really missed out on that one.

Or today, I saw pics of friends doing a real-life case.  I hated case learning when I first came in.  Now, I love them.  Cases are like training wheels, getting a real problem and being given the opportunity to have real input.  Sometimes, I hear myself saying really stupid stuff.  But that’s getting better.  I’ve really come to love case learning – why learn concepts from made-up scenarios rather than real life companies?

All of this to say that I’m jealous of my friends.  Sure, I got to sleep in until 10 every morning, but there’s only so much running, disc golfing, and sermon prepping to be done.  Then it gets boring.

Oh, the New York City that could have been.

Homecoming week.  Only at a big enough school (like Baylor) do you get to enjoy all of the pomp and circumstance of homecoming, while at the same time being able to enjoy it.  I remember back when I was in a fraternity at another Big 12 school, spending the entire homecoming week pomping a float that ended up getting 12th place in the homecoming parade.  All that work for nothing was demoralizing.  Getting to see the floats now that I’m on this side of homecoming is way more fun.

And thinking about homecoming, I can’t help but think about the number of football players that I see at Baylor pursuing master’s degrees.  The dumb jock stereotype simply doesn’t fit.  And it’s not as if they get in just because they’re football players.  I heard one of the players in the MBA program lead a group presentation better than anyone in the class would’ve been able to yesterday.  A professor disagreed with the position that he was taking, but his numbers backed him up enough and he was articulate enough that the professor conceded that he had a good point.  It’s fun to see a guy go maul the other team on Saturdays, then juggle his life Sunday-Friday and still be at the top of the class.

All of that to say that I’m enjoying alot the of the extras that I get to experience.  Don’t hear me wrong, I like the classes, but the cherry on top is the extracurricular opportunities.

Sic em Bears!

As a dual-degree student, I really enjoyed getting to know all of the new people who came in with me, but at the same time realized that I was not going to be in the same classes as them for very long.  This is because the degree sheet for dual-degree students is compressed, when compared to normal, regular MBA students.  It’s been incredibly enjoyable to get to know the people I came in with (even Carlos, who still happens to be mistaken about who has the cooler dog).

But I’ve known that my degree plan dictates that I move on down the road, as a different set of classes awaits me than awaits them.  So I’ve had the luxury of getting to know other students who have been in the program longer.  Usually, I’m not someone who struggles to meet new people, but it’s still intimidating to talk to someone who has been in the same program longer.

But do you know what I’ve learned about the students who have been around the MBA block more than me?  They’re still people, and they still want to give and receive help.  Last night, while thinking about a final exam, I was able to talk a few things out with a couple of the other students in my class that helped me put some concepts together.  I think that they were able to do the same in our discussions before taking the final.  It was great to get to know them that way, knowing that we were helping each other.

New friends.  I like it.

Friends, my first final of the semester is over, and I’m happy to say that it is…over.  One of my favorite sayings is that there’s good, and then there’s good enough, and my grade reflected that.  While I still am doing the very best I can, the thing that I’m realizing is that this program is relentless, and so I have to figure out how to do my best in all of my classes, rather than focusing all of my time on one class or another.

This is one of the things that has been different about the MBA program compared to the MDiv – in the MDiv, 9 hours is considered full time.  9 hours.  Seriously, I have no clue how some people who don’t work and have no family struggle while only taking 9 hours a semester.  In the MBA side, I think that I could argue that you complete the equivalent of 9 hours of credit by just after halfway through the semester (if you count the partial classes you’re still working on).  But this program is relentless.  In the MDiv program, you work the best you can, but in reality, you could easily take a class “off” or skip a day.  Maybe it’s just because I don’t have a business undergrad degree, but I feel like I would be sunk if I were to miss a day of class in the MBA program.

It’s relentless.

Seriously, it never stops.  There are two papers that I know I have to do by the end of the semester, and I have no clue when I’m going to do them – I keep waiting for when the professors let their feet off the gas, and it hasn’t happened yet.  At this point, I’m not overwhelmed, but I’m definitely whelmed.  Good and solidly whelmed.

All of this to say that it’s a different world on this side of campus.  Tons more math, tons more cases – I almost wish we read more cases in the MDiv, as I’m starting to see the value in the idea that experience is the best teacher, and sometimes vicarious experience can help real experience.  But it’s a whole different world than theology.  I’m almost missing the days reading Thomas Aquinas…  Wait, no I’m not.  It’s not that crazy yet.

I unintentionally took a long weekend this week.  We had Thursday off, which I used to work on some school work, before starting to feel bad.  Friday, still bad.  Here it is Saturday, and I’m feeling marginally better.

Now, I could’ve done all my work I needed to, but I’m worried that homework in a feverish haze is not the best idea (although clearly blogging is acceptable – I blame the feverish haze).  Instead, I got to take some unintentional “mental health days.”  You know, those days when you go see a movie for no good reason, go to the zoo, eat froyo, then go home.  That’s right.  Except for me, this weekend involved none of the above.  What it did involve – not thinking about school.  I now understand why normal people aim to work really hard for five days a week, then learn to enjoy themselves the other two.

It would just be nice to not have to feel sick to come to this realization.