Great EXMBA Weekend, again!!

08-jul-07 at 00:39
11 comments

It is again saturday night after a friday and saturday of classes at the EXMBA at IE, and I´m sitting at home absolutely thrilled about the experience. How is it possible that it feels so good to sit in a class for more than 12 hours during a weekend in July, after a whole week of work and study?? How is it possible that I come home exhausted and envigorated at the same time, ready to take out the notes and case studies for the next two weeks, and counting the hours until next friday of classes? Am I sick? Should I get some professional advise? Not really, it is just a great combination of work, challenge, learning from great professors, and being surrounded by talented, brilliant and sweet people. We all have the image of business executives as sharks, single minded money-making machines,....but here I am, surrounded by executives, and for the most part (with just a few, small, irrelevant exceptions), they are friends and it feels so warm and safe to be with them. I feel I can be myself, I can express my ideas and I can be absolutely wrong without fear of being penalized or laughted at, or humiliated...I can take chances, I can make mistakes, I can be obvious, or predictable, or boring....and I am accepted....I know this might sound corny, but it feels like family. And this is a business school?? Yes, and a very fine one!!!!!!!!

I struggled with the decision to apply for this MBA for a long time, and I am almost terrified in retrospective (it´s stupid, I know) when I think I might have not applied, or I might have not been accepted. I would have missed all that I´m now enjoying so much! I would not have learnt all that I´m learning! Most important of all, I would not have met people who are now a very important part of my life.

When I began this MBA, I used to wish for the day I finished it, for the day of graduation...Now, I don´t want it to come, I don´t want it to end. I´m enjoying the journey, I´m loving (almost) every step of this 14-months long marathon, and the finish line feels sadly too close now....

I know life would take each of us on different routes, and I know I will only get to see some of them (with luck) every now then, and that is too bad. But that is life too....I´ll just try to enjoy every minute of their company. I´ll struggle everyday to deserve what is being given to me. I am very, very lucky.

11 comments

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I´m totally agree with you. It is incredible, my wife says that I only know to talk about the EMBA. It´s inmersive.

I´ll will link my blog with your post when I comment my experience in EMBA.

Yes Felix, now that you mention your wife, the EMBA it is quite hard on the family. I´m lucky to have full support, but still sometimes, I know it is difficult for loved ones to understand that we are not around. Or that we are around, but too busy to play around with the kids, or simply chat or watch tv together. But I suppose the ability to organize the scarce time is also part of the learning process.

Hi Alvaro:

Hi Alvaro:

What can I say?

What makes this experience unbelievable is people like you.

You have always been there supporting with you effort to the rest of the group.

I have not words of gratitude to thank you for the times you have been there explaining me every single thing I didn’t understand at two o´clock a.m., six hours before the exam. (By the way: thanks Alvaro, José Luis and Fernando, I wouldn’t have done it without you…)

Alvaro: Every day I learn things from you. Your contributions to the class are worth hearing. I would not miss any!!

You are a very interesting guy (please don’t get me wrong J!), good student, good professional, good husband and father, and above all, one of the best people I know.

You deserve all you wish in life.

Be aware because the best of Alvaro is still to come!!!!

Dear Gisbi, thank you for your undeserved words of praise. Still, they sound very good, and they mean a lot coming from you. I have printed them out, and I will show them to my boss,... I could really use a pay increase :-)

gisbi replied to Alvaro Navarro’s comment:
Jul 11, 2007
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Hi Alvaro. I hope it works!!!! if you get a salary increase, do not forget to invite me :-)

Estoy develado en Nueva York y he pensado que una buena manera de quedarme dormido es entrando a tu blog, y en efecto, funciona... :)

Thanks a lot Jose Luis, it is great to see that someone finds my blog useful....Sweet dreams.

Hola Alvaro,

Estoy a punto de comenzar el Executive MBA del IE.

Estoy admitido y estoy esperando los últimos detalles para la formalización del mismo.

Tengo 32 años y mi background es IT. Ocupo una posicion de mando intermedio en una multinacional farmaceutica.

Cual crees que es el mejor momento para hacer este master? Que es lo mejor que te ha aportado profesionalmente la consecucion del mismo?

Tengo claro que mi vida va a cambiar y que tendré que dedicar gran parte de mi tiempo libre al Master (esta asumido). Hablamos de 4 , 5 , 6 horas?

Mil gracias por tu ayuda y tus consejos por adelantado Alvaro

Un saludo

Hola Alvaro, enhorabuena por haber sido admitido al EXMBA. Intento responderte desde mi experiencia.

Tu edad, 32 me parece perfecta, yo lo empecé con 36, y ojalá lo hubiese hecho unos años antes. Lo mejor que me ha aportado el máster son los buenos amigos que he hecho, gente preparada, muy interesante, con ganas de mejorar y hacer cosas, nada apalancandos en su "area de comodidad". Y no lo digo por el "networking" del que tanto se habla, eso será un añadido que probablemente venga de quien menos te lo esperes.

El Máster te pondrá de vez en cuando al borde de tu paciencia o tu resistencia, y otras te parecerá muy fácil. Sé que es un topicazo, pero le "sacarás" tanto como estés dispuesto a "meterle". Asegurate que tu entorno familiar/amigos saben en lo que te estás metiendo. Te dirán que te apoyan, seguro, pero será peor de lo que imaginas,....a veces parecemos abducidos,...jeje

Algunos de los profesores han sido realmente buenos (Urgel, Alvarez de Mon, Rumchiski), pero otros no han estado al nivel que uno esperaría del IE. Prepárate para sorpresas muy agradables, pero también para alguna decepción.

En fin, no quiero aburrirte. Personalmente ha sido muy enriquecedor (profesionalmente aún no lo he "amortizado), y es una experiencia muy bonita.Si vienes de IT creo que es un complemento perfecto a tu carrera, pero tampoco te creas todo el ´"marketing" que inevitablemente rodea al tema de los ranking y demás. Disfrutalo. Me das mucha envia!!

Si necesitas alguna otra información, o cualquier cosa, me tienes a tu disposicón.

Un saludo. Alvaro

Hola Alvaro, me gustaría hacerte una pregunta:

tengo 25 años, he estudiado publicidad y relaciones públicas y tengo un máste en Marketing y Dirección Comercial. Actualmente trabajo en el departamento comercial de una empresa de servicios, como ejecutivo de cuentas.

Para el próximo año estoy pensando en cursar un MBA. He preguntado a varios amigos y he recibido distintas opiniones; por un lado me han dicho que soy muy joven para hacerlo en el IE, que me espere unos años. Por otro me han dicho que es una excelente inversión y que voy a aprender muchísimo.......

Tú que opinas??

Muchísimas gracias!

Antonio

Great EXMBA Weekend, again!!

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