6 Years ago, as a second year MBA Student at UNC Kenan-Flagler, I decided to create MBASchooled. At the time, I was constantly getting asked by friends and colleagues about what business school was actually like, and was looking for a way to answer the question and share the knowledge with others. Fast forward 6 years, 400+ articles, a book, a podcast, thousands of conversations about business school with students, alum, administrators and others, and teaching and training thousands of MBA students what I’ve learned over the years later and I can’t feel anything but gratitude and humility for what I’ve been able to build with the support of others.
If I could name one thing that I’ve learned from this experience it’s this: investing time and energy into something meaningful with great people is one of the most invigorating and exciting feelings you can have in life. MBASchooled has given me many of these.
Thank you to the MBASchooled Community!
Furthermore, I’m grateful to the thousands of people who have contributed to making MBASchooled and MBA Insider what it is. I truly believe that the knowledge that comes through MBASchooled is an indicator of the countless lessons, expertise and insights from the community. Without it, there would be no MBASchooled!
And specifically, over the past year, it really has meant so much. As those who are close to me know, I am an extrovert and thrive off of being around people, which has made this last year challenging for me. But having a creative (and highly digital) outlet has given me an outlet to engage with others, and build something that gives me energy and joy.
While the numbers of posts, accolades and awards are humbling and exciting, the people that I’ve met, the relationships I’ve made, and the immense joy and meaning that I’ve got from investing time and energy to creating something that I care about and with great people is truly the best part. Through MBASchooled, I’ve not only gotten to forge great personal and professional relationships, but extend and grow existing ones. I often say that many of my podcasts are just regular conversations I have over text message, IG DMs and gchats, and Twitter conversations.
I’m a product of 10 years of Jesuit education which taught me that your single most important goal in life is to figure out your talents and gifts and then to use them in ways that benefit others. MBASchooled has allowed me to do that, and if you’re someone who has been on the journey with me, for 1 year or 6, I just want to thank you for your support.
What’s Ahead?
As we look into 2021 and the road ahead, here is what we have in mind for MBASchooled:
- Community Community Community – As I said previously, the community is what makes MBASchooled what it is. Expect more from our MBASchooled Community this year in terms of being featured in and driving content, events and engagement. You’ll begin to see more from our MBASchooled Ambassadors, and hear more on our MBA Insider podcast from some of our active MBASchooled community members who are eager and willing to share their expertise and stories. You’ll also see some of them running events, hosting podcasts, and authoring articles!
- Content and Curation – One of the pieces of feedback I get from readers and listeners is that while you love the content (and you want to see more of it) what you also want is help cutting through the noise – “how do I find the right article for x?” is one of the most common requests that I get. This year, in addition to the content lineup, we’ll also focus on rounding up and sharing the best content on topics that we know are important to you, whether that’s from us, or from someone else. Oh, and if you’re not subscribed to our newsletter, make sure to do that today!
- Minding the Gap – Now that we’ve been in business for six years, we have a keen sense on some of the common pain points that occur throughout the MBA lifecyle. The 3 that we are going to focus on addressing this year are 1) how do I prepare for the MBA? 2) What happens after the MBA Internship and 3) what is life like after business school?
- Audio! – I launched the MBA Insider Podcast in March 2020 right at the start of COVID-19. After running off 73 episodes in the first 9 months I’ve gotten much better at recording and producing these podcasts. Expect us to spend more time investing in podcasts, and experimenting with segments, series, and other types of things on the podcast. If you have any suggestions for guests, topics or ideas, please email me and I’m all ears –> al at mbaschooled.com
If there’s anything I’ve learned from this experience it’s that being able to do interesting things with good people can take you really far in life. It’s allowed me to create something that is incredibly meaningful, and I’m excited for what’s to come.
Here’s to another six years!
Al