First Night of Organizational Behavior and Change

This past week was our first week back from Spring Break!  The first part of the week, I actually took two days off and took advantage of the fact that I had nothing to do.  Little did I know that rest was needed, when my husband contracted a terrible stomach bug that landed us in the hospital for an overnight stay.  We were discharged from the hospital on Sunday, I took another half a day off on Monday to make sure he was alright, and after my first full day of work, I headed to class to see about our first day of Organizational Behavior and Change. 

Dr. Green is our professor, and this is our first full 4 hour class.  Up until this time, we have had one class from 6-8 and another from 8-10, so I was a little nervous to see how one class for a full 4 hours would go.  I think the class in general has had a few nerves about this class, because towards the end we will be switching up our "groups".  These groups were the ones we were originally assigned to, and each week, we sit together as a team.  Many of us have developed wonderful friendships and a familiarity of how group projects work together.  I know I am going to miss my group, but also look forward to continuing this process and growing to learn how to work in a new team.

The night went GREAT!  Dr. Green is a delight, and engaged the students as an expert in her field, and light up the room with her wonderful sense of humor.  She did a great job of establishing expectations, and was the first professor we have had to actually ask us of our expectations.  This Cohort has great expectations, and I think it is a great way to engage this group of students by ensuring we are all starting out on the same page and understanding the values of the professors and students.

During the class, each current group will present a chapter each week to the class.  I do find that when you are learning new material, the opportunity to teach that material only helps me to learn it better.  So you know it was lucky team 1 that got the opportunity to present the very next week. 

A side bar- Collaboration is a buzz word currently and a highly valued skill set.  This program values collaboration and generally expresses that value through a group project in every class you have.  Generally my group has had time and ability to make meetings work, however, with one week turn around, you would be correct in assuming this is the one time my group had two of its members on vacation.  Its something you just have to work around, and find strength in other means of communicating rather than in person work groups.  It may have been work to push this project through, but I'm going to be happy to have it over with!

See my posting this week about what our group has got cooked up for our "teaching/learning" experience!

2/3 of the way done with Semester II

This week was a wild ride. We finished out both of our ten week classes in Critical Thinking and Accounting, and are taking a week off before we head into Organization Behavior and Change. I'm really looking forward to having one class to direct all my attention to, and really dive into the concepts. I've already read two chapters in preparation for next week's class, and I'm really excited about the overlap with Psychology, so I'm hoping this class, unlike Accounting, will be able to relate to knowledge I already have.

Speaking of Accounting- we have survived! The final was fifteen questions long. We were allowed to answer the ten of our choice and the remaining five would be extra credit. I attempted to answer all fifteen, and it took me a full three hours. Most of the other students didn't take as long, but at the end it was me, and about a fourth of the class there at 11PM trying to wrap it up. It turned out to be a great effort, as I got an A on the test, resulting in an A in the class. Not bad for not knowing a single Accounting concept prior to the class! The feeling of accomplishment can't be matched. I worked very hard for that A, and even a week later I'm so proud that the hard work has paid off.

A couple of weeks ago, I also mentioned that I would be doing an article in Austin Woman Magazine. The magazine is out now, and I've had requests for a link to the online copy, so here's a link. www.austinwomanmagazine.com/Articles/2011/03_MAR/58_WomenofWilliamson.html

What non-Business majors can expect coming into the Concordia MBA

There were many reasons that the Concordia MBA was the right fit for me when I began the application process a little over a year ago. I'll list a few, but not in any kind of order

• The Cost- This is an affordable program.
• The Non-Profit Marketing Outreach- I work for a nonprofit, and I didn't want to learn business if it was going to remain only useful in an ivory tower or for only use as an entrepreneur. I needed a program that spoke the language of real life issues and problems and could translate in the nonprofit arena.
• The Program Length- This program is 6 semesters long. I started in Fall of 2010 and will complete this journey in August of 2012.
• The Program Schedule- Meeting one night a week made the most sense for my busy schedule. I knew that school would likely take an extra 20 hours in the week, and working full time and being married, I knew I could either spend more of those hours in a class room, or do more at home, and at least be on the same couch as Matt.

• The Accessibility to Non-Business Majors.

I want to spend a little time to expand on this concept. My undergraduate work is a Multidisciplinary B.A. in Theology, Psychology and Spanish. The closest I ever got to Accounting before now was in my Calculus class, and let me tell you- that's not exactly apples to apples. I was committed to expanding my education, but with my husband in grad school full time, and me working full time, I just wasn't sure I could put myself through the stress of a year of pre-reqs before even being accepted into the program. Concordia does not require prerequisites, and I am thankful!

I will give you a little insight into what that means for me as I've been going through the program. I will tell you, there were times when I honestly questioned if not having the pre-reqs was a mistake. This coursework is by no means easy. This is not an easy degree. This is not the program for the slacker or someone just looking for an official document to have framed and mounted on their wall. This program is work- hard work. I will have my degree framed and mounted, but because I will be proud of what I accomplished to get it.

For example, in the first semester is a Marketing Management class. I have some students in the cohort, who have full time jobs and degrees in Marketing. I've never had a class. So while they were taking a class in Marketing, my experience was a little more than that. I had learn a whole new realm of terminology, and it took a little more work for me to begin fluidly using that terminology. I will say that I learned a great deal, and put the strategise I learned into practice, but the road for me to get where my fellow classmates were was a little longer and steeper.

Another example is currently in Accounting. A majority of my class has had much more experience with the subject, and often times the professor assumes that we've all had the class in undergrad and are capable of having discussions that take it to the next level. I'll be honest, this is the hardest I've ever had to work for an A. And this earned A, feels so good. Course we'll see the final results of that after next week's final!

Concordia does support the use of Ivy Software. I've used this for both Economics and Accounting. The program comes with a small binder with chapters to cover. Along with it is a CD to use in your computer along with the text. You can pre- and post- test to see your progress after taking the course work. The software can be done in a week or two, depending on how quickly you want to move through it. Do be aware that while it refreshes terminology and gets your brain spinning in the right direction, this is not a full class in a mini session. I would say the Ivy Software created a foundation through the first two chapters of Accounting, and was helpful a little further through Economics. Its a great place to start when preparing for a class you've never had before, but you'll still have some work ahead of you to keep up in these class sessions. Classes generally in these core competencies are 10-15 weeks. Its a bit like drinking from a fire hydrant. Anything you can do to prepare ahead of time, you should do. Then, hold on for the ride. It's work, but like removing a band aid, its over with quick enough.

I certainly don't want to scare anyone from pursuing Concordia if you don't have a business background in your education. If this is your passion-then you can do it! There's hard work ahead, especially if you come from a background as diverse as mine. But I came to Concordia because I wanted to stand on my own two feet. I want the confidence of not only knowing exactly what I'm talking about, but to even position myself as leader in that discipline. It may be hard work now in this journey, but I know when I walk the stage at graduation, I'll be on my own two feet.