Becoming a student again

Well, I’ve just completed my first couple of weeks back at Uni – as part of my MBA - and I have to admit that I’m pleasantly surprised with the way things have gone so far. Having had the obvious concerns about leaving the workplace and returning back to study I have been relieved with the pace of things at the AGSM.

Whilst I do still harbour some anxieties - my biggest fear, that of turning-up to find a class full of people with whom I had little / nothing in common has proved to be far from the case. Most importantly, the “make-up” of the group has impressed me with a strong contingent from Australia, UK, India & North America. However, I feel the male:female ratio (currently 6:1) could be improved somewhat.

There is plenty of hard-work to come but so far we have had a gentle introduction. The first week (“O-week”) brought a series of presentations on the course structure, an introduction to the campus & city and plenty of ‘networking’ opportunities – otherwise known as beer drinking! Unfortunately, the City Challenge (a treasure hunt around the CBD) was timed to coincide with the wettest day of the year so far – not the most pleasurable experience.

Week 2 – the start of our Foundations of Management - has brought a number of sessions on reflective practice and although I would admit to not been the most reflective or self-aware person on the planet I have thoroughly enjoyed the week and hope to put some of my learning into practice during the rest of my career. Most enjoyable was a session where the group came together to ‘make music’ – West African music at that. Awesome.

The next couple of weeks bring more focus on general management skills before we start the first of our core modules in Economics, Accounting, and Organisational Behaviour. Looking forward to it all.

Also pleased to report that I passed Level I of the CFA professional exams – encouraging since my study period was spent travelling around NZ & SE Asia and only 39% of people passed!