Change in Plans

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Together we have coached, cajoled, and encouraged each other, through midterms and group projects and homework, through accounting and economics and statistics among other classes, all with the eye to the goal: "Starting as a team, and graduating as a team."

Everyone knows that as 2008 rolled into 2009 the economy did not improve. Similarly, my employer's financial situation did not improve, suffering record losses for fiscal year 2008. In the spring there was another round of layoffs. This time, I was not one of the lucky ones.

My plan had failed. Suddenly, I was without work, enrolled in an expensive EMBA program with no corporate support. My initial concerns—that of learning accounting or balancing full-time school with full-time work—seemed like luxuries compared with what lay ahead: balancing school while also managing a full-time job search.

Sticking It Out

My husband and I sat down and considered the options. I could continue with the EMBA program with its premium price. I could transfer to a full-time day or evening program, which would undoubtedly be less costly. In the end, we decided that I would stay with the EMBA program. The EMBA class schedule would undoubtedly be more attractive to a new employer, but most important, I didn't want to miss the camaraderie and support of my fellow Phoenicians and the rest of my EMBA class.

Several days later I found myself in the career counselor's office, facing the question: "Why did you decide to study for an MBA?" It occurred to me in that moment that my answer had changed from the confident assertion I had made at the beginning of the program. I had expected the MBA to fill out my skill set and give me the tools I needed to go where I wanted in my career. What I had underestimated was the broadening of my skills and world view. I had always been so confident that I would be an EHS executive. Now, after just a year of my program, I could see there were many more options before me. I'm no longer convinced that I will finish my career as an EHS executive. There are so many more possibilities.

I had thought originally that I would be considering the possibilities at the end of my program. After reflection, my current situation has just moved up the time frame. I am in the middle of a full-scale, full-time job search. I am taking time to consider all the options and being selective for what positions I apply and interview for. I am finding this process to be as much about self-discovery as it is about searching for a full-time job.

In hindsight, it's rather amazing how much my paradigms have changed in a year, the first of my MBA program.

I can't wait to see what I learn in my second year.

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Megan Lum is enrolled in the Executive MBA program at the University of Washington Foster School of Business and is expected to graduate in 2010. Halfway through the program and as a result of the economic downturn, Lum lost her job as a senior environmental manager at Weyerhaeuser Company—not to mention the funding for her education. But she found another job at Pacific Gas & Electric Company in San Francisco, where she's been since January 2010. Lum has an undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from the University of Windsor in Canada and is seeking a full-time job while completing the program.

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