MB-Eish Part 8: 26

**"Eish" is a South African slang term expressing surprise, dismay, anger or frustration.** 

As I mentioned two years ago, I have joined the droves of engineers who have sold out to the dark side: Banking (and more recently, the elite league of the dark side: Asset Management). To make myself more comfortable in my new, murky surrounds I have decided to do an MBA part-time. This is the eighth in a series of posts about my MBA experience.

I have a friend who always asks me how I am more than once when we talk. At first one could think she did not hear the first answer. Or that the second and third try are just superfluous. But I think the truth is she accepts that the first answer will be a superficial one; that she has to ask a few times until I've run out of fluff and actually tell her how I really am. She happens to be a doctor, so maybe it's some kind of technique they are taught... who knows. 


In a similar vein I've been asking myself what I've learned from this MBA. What have I gotten out of it? What am I taking with me? The first answers that bubble up are superficial: useful contacts, a new job in a new industry, a femgineer's guide (read dummy's guide) to basic finance, economics, strategy... But as I keep asking myself the same questions over and over I have to admit it's been deeper than that. As much as I expected to gloss over the touchy-feely personal development stuff, it's gotten in under my skin. 

I feel like the things that were important to me two years ago are no longer as important. I feel a lot smaller. Humbled. 

Instead of feeling like the polished MBA graduate I thought I would be by now, I realize that we have just scratched the surface. What I know is a fraction of what there is to know, which makes me shudder to think of how little I knew before... What I know is a fraction of the collective knowledge within a group of individuals. What I can create or produce on my own is an adequate but monotone shadow of what can be born out of the collaboration of folks who recognize that they are equally yet differently talented. These realizations are part of what I am taking away.

If this were a conversation with my friend she would not be finished yet with asking her question. There is more to say! (But it would be prudent to sleep at this point)

Fortunately, I have 26 more days to keep asking.