Hittin' the books

A lot of people have been asking me lately (not on the blog, but in "realtime") about the IMC Master's Program I'm in. I'm just finishing up my third class and am about 1/4 of the way through the program so far, so at this point, I actually feel like I've had enough experience to comment on it.

I have to admit that originally, I probably did not start school for the best reasons. When I applied last spring, I was at a strange crossroads in my life and felt like doing something drastic, and at that point it was either shave my head Britney-style or go back to school. Even though it was a decision made out of desperation, it was one of the best decisions I've ever made.

At first I was extremely skeptical. I'd never taken an online class before and figured that "real" grad students probably took "real" classes, rather than entire business school programs over the internet. Was I ever wrong! The professors are the actual PhD professors from EMU's business school. There are about 15 people in my cohort, and I'd say that the vast majority of them are not only very intelligent but also well-established in their careers (which range from newspaper reporter to director of research at a network TV station). I also figured most people in my class would be local, but I was wrong about that too (at least half are from different states and we even have one classmate in Dubai).

Most importantly, I am LEARNING a lot, especially because most of my classmates already work in Marketing (I don't). The weekly class discussions are lively and interesting, and I actually trust most of the people I have to work with in groups. (In undergrad, I always did most of the "group" work by myself. You fellow perfectionists know how it rolls. Hee hee.)

The online format is perfect for me -- if I had to go to an actual class, it would take me twice as long to get a degree, given the constraints of a full-time job. Paying tuition is a bit of an issue, but thankfully my company reimburses me for about half, and so far, Brad and I have been able to (barely) dredge up the rest on a semester-by-semester basis. There's nothing wrong with taking out loans, but in this economy, the idea of having more debt freaks me out. We will if we have to, though.

It's a lot of work, typically at least an hour or two a night, and even more when I have a big assignment due. But it's manageable, and it's also actually work that I'm interested in and that applies to my career and/or my future career.

In summary, the program rocks. I'm so happy I made the decision to do this, however misguided it may have been.