The conferment of an MBA
This weekend my roommate, coworker, and Russian friend Eldar received his MBA from the University of Nevada, Reno. Many of his friends (myself included) were there to watch Eldar graduate – alongside the other MBAs, graduates from the College of Business, and masters students from colleges across campus – from Social Work to Bio Molecular Engineering. Soon, Eldar will be working full-time for Amazon (where he’s worked as a finance analyst for the last few years).
I personally have another year before I graduate, and I watched the ceremony with a mixture of envy and relief; as much as I want to finish school I enjoy the sense of belonging that comes with campus life and my steady job as a graduate assistant.
The pressure to find a job after graduation touches everyone, and while Eldar has one lined up, others are busy scrambling to secure employment in this economy. The weekend’s ceremonies – especially the variety of majors among the graduates – reminded me of an ongoing argument I’ve had with family and associates regarding the usefulness of a college education that is not directly related to a specific field.
While I’m currently working on my MBA, my undergraduate education was a Bachelor’s in English from the US Naval Academy. Most people forgave my choice of majors because I was guaranteed employment in the Navy after I graduated, but I’m not sure I would have done it any other way. You see, I love to read and write, and my favorite classes at the Academy (in which I feel I grew the most as a person and as a student) were my English classes. When I hear people criticize “less applicable” subjects like English, I wonder how much we limit ourselves when we choose a field of study simply because of the job opportunities afterward, rather than our interest in the subject itself.
I doubt highly that I would have done nearly as well as an undergrad had I chosen a major in which I had less passion and enthusiasm. And while I understand the hesitation against the spending of government funds to subsidize students who study “less than applicable” subjects, I generally think that people who go to college should be able to study what they like – regardless of future prospects. It’s their choice.
English, as an undergraduate major, provided me many opportunities to hone my rhetoric and composition – skills I use everyday in the office, especially in working on blogs and social media. I pride myself on my ability to communicate ideas clearly and precisely, and as I’m often witness to situations in which problems occur because of misunderstanding and poor communication, I respect those who take the time to thoroughly relate their ideas. Liberal Arts – for all their “foofiness” – force students to write, and write, and write – which should be translated as “think, and think, and think.” Such exercises result in clarity of thought and word – extremely important skills in all of life, especially business.
I’m always impressed by how well Eldar communicates in English – he’s obviously dedicated countless hours learning our language. In fact, he writes better than some of my fellow MBA students – which makes me wonder about the amount of time and effort we, as a country, place on teaching our youth to think, and to clearly express those thoughts in writing.
Applicable majors are all well and good, but don’t discount those who have a passion for their subject, and who subsequently excel because of their passion. Nor should we discount those who place value on clear thought and word, lest we truly become the MTV generation.
