It is during these breaks that I find I have plenty of time on my hands, and I find myself mentally regressing to those lengthy Pennsylvania winters during my undergraduate days when the outside world was a snowy cauldron and all that existed was the glowing light of my laptop screen as I struggled to fill my seconds with some semblance of productivity. The one thing I find myself feeling now that I did not feel back then is guilt.
The MBA goes by really, really fast. For those of us who have left successful careers behind, it is difficult to spend even a single moment doing nothing. Absolutely critical is organization. This is something I have learned the hard way. An average MBA student, with ambition coursing through their veins and limited financial resources would find their brain filled, with fears, doubts, uncertainties, ideas, and can-do. And yes – classes aside, there is plenty to do. If you want to find a job in fifteen months, you better start laying the seeds down right now.
Networking in Vancouver is not difficult. During these weeks that I have been idle, I must have sent a hundred emails. To hit the jackpot, it is absolutely essential that you throw out a wide net – and not give up. My first sources was alumni networks – both from my undergraduate, Lafayette College, and from UBC. The second was people from my own country – who might have come here, impoverished, with shining eyes and excess baggage, like I did – and unearthed success.
And one thing one must always remember – if you want it, you must ask. If you don’t ask, you are not going to get it. It’s as simple as that. It is absolutely mandatory that you be fiercely committed and appropriately aggressive as soon as you start networking. And that basically translates into not taking no for an answer. It also does not translate into going around begging people for jobs or pleading them to have a conversation with you. Confidence is your rapier. Your previous experience is your ammunition – use it, wisely. You are not asking for jobs, you are offering your services. Quid pro quo.
And those breaks – yes, they can be deceptive, lull one into a false sense of security – why can’t I have fun? Why can’t I go out and party every night or play video games or catch up on my Family Guy or Desperate Housewives? Well, you can. But once school and classes and homework and readings and BCC events come rushing at you, you will be holding your head, bleeding regret.
Hurriya Burney is a full-time MBA student with Sauder, specializing in Finance. She has three years of experience in Asset Management and Banking and has lived and worked in the United States, Asia, and Europe. Her most recent position was as a Corporate Relationship Manager with Barclays Bank Plc.
Hurriya Burney can be reached at hurriya.burney@yahoo.com
