{"id":1727,"date":"2016-10-13T18:31:57","date_gmt":"2016-10-13T17:31:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/mba\/?p=1727"},"modified":"2016-11-29T02:25:58","modified_gmt":"2016-11-29T01:25:58","slug":"is-this-my-real-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.iese.edu\/mba\/is-this-my-real-life\/","title":{"rendered":"“IS THIS MY REAL LIFE?!”"},"content":{"rendered":"

Prelude<\/strong><\/p>\n

As I am beginning to write this note, I am on a short two-hour flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, Germany en route to the USA.\u00a0 Within minutes of taking my seat aboard the plane, I have already spoken two languages and have heard an additional three more.\u00a0 For the average person born in small town suburbia USA, this short journey in itself might be a dream; or perhaps, a very overwhelming experience.\u00a0 To be honest, I can\u2019t tell you how many times in the last year I have had to ask myself \u201cis this my REAL life\u201d?\u00a0 If you are one of my IESE classmates reading this, you know exactly that whirlwind feeling I am talking about!\u00a0 In a few short hours from now I will continue my journey back to the USA for the first time since leaving over a year ago, but why it has taken me so long to return?\u00a0 What has kept me here in Barcelona?<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Backtrack to August 5th<\/sup>, 2015<\/strong><\/p>\n

Last August, my husband Pat and I arrived in Barcelona with our yorkshire terrier, Bruin, and a few suitcases in tow.\u00a0 A year prior to that, we were visiting campus for the first time during our honeymoon.\u00a0 Six months prior to that, we attended our first IESE event, etc. etc.\u00a0 Committing to the MBA and selecting a school was not a decision we made overnight, and in fact it took a lot<\/em> of time, planning, and sacrifice to reach this point.\u00a0 Together we made the decision to attend the full-time MBA at IESE with the expectation that it would be among the most challenging, yet best two years of our lives.\u00a0 Now, we can\u2019t imagine what life would be like if we didn\u2019t pursue this unbelievable opportunity!<\/p>\n

\"Version<\/a><\/p>\n

In this picture, we just landed in Spain! In a taxi on our way to our flat! (August 2015)<\/em><\/p>\n

By signing up for this journey we knew what we were getting into; what we didn\u2019t know was where this experience would take us along the way or exactly where we would end up afterwards.\u00a0 I guess you could call it a big \u201ccalculated risk\u201d.\u00a0 Some of our friends, family, and colleagues really did not believe we were actually<\/em> going to do this.\u00a0 Yes, this is our REAL life and we are really<\/em> moving to Barcelona to do this, come visit!<\/p>\n

Fast Forward to the end of Year 1<\/strong><\/p>\n

Three long terms, hundreds of cases, many exams, and countless team meetings later at the end of the first year we had only begun to answer some of the \u201cwhat\u2019s next\u201d questions.\u00a0 What I can tell you for sure is that we both ended up in summer internships we never imagined when we first embarked on this journey.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I had spent all summer prior to the MBA working very diligently on exploring potential career opportunities.\u00a0 I was reaching out to all of my contacts, scheduling informational interviews, researching, and doing everything I possibly could to learn about and break into investment banking.\u00a0 In 2009, I received my undergraduate degree from Babson College in finance and previously held a job as an equity research analyst at a small firm, so I thought if I worked hard enough it was possible (despite also having prior roles as a software engineer, fund accountant, and product marketing analyst on my CV).<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This brings me to my next point — the MBA experience is not just about core academics or discussions held within the classroom.\u00a0 The process helps to uncover your strengths and weaknesses, personality type, interests, motivations, leadership style, etc. etc. among many other important factors that will play a significant role in your future personal and professional life.\u00a0 By discovering more about yourself in a safe environment like IESE, you are able to improve in areas where you feel you might fall short and excel in areas you prove to be strong.\u00a0 It is possible to \u201cbreak the mold\u201d here and try things you never thought of or that you were maybe afraid of before beginning this 2-year journey.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Reflection in Retrospect<\/strong><\/p>\n

The year-long process up until this summer took me through many phases and surely a lot of confusion and uncertainty about what I wanted to do in the future.\u00a0 A pivotal moment (one of many) came after I ended a call with a director at a top investment bank.\u00a0 It was at that moment, along with all of my other past experiences, that I realized while I loved many aspects of this career path, maybe I was chasing this entire time after something that in reality did not align with my personality and motivations.\u00a0 I realized I could still manage my own personal investments to fill this void of doing what I love, and that maybe this was my opportunity to try something different (again).\u00a0 After researching other industries, going on the Marketing trek in the Fall, and competing in a few case competitions I had finally settled on the next career track that I would explore.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The IESE Summer Entrepreneurship Experience (SEE) 2016<\/strong><\/p>\n

I decided to stay in Barcelona to participate in IESE\u2019s Summer Entrepreneurship Experience (SEE) Program and Pat returned to Boston to work within a different role for the private equity company he was at prior to the MBA.\u00a0 This was a challenge for both of us personally and professionally.\u00a0 We would spend the next three months apart focusing on \u201cfiguring it out\u201d and facing new individual challenges.\u00a0 For once, I was able to live my dream of combining all of my talents and passions into a single project. \u00a0As for Pat, he was able to transition into an accelerated role that also played to his strengths and would provide an opportunity to learn a new part of the business.\u00a0 These were challenging, but also very exciting times.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Under the guidance of the SEE \u201cBoard of Directors\u201d, Professor Hakan Ener and Professor & Business Angel Investor Luis Mart\u00edn Cabiedes, 7 teams in total spent the summer testing various business opportunities hands-on.\u00a0 Each week, we would meet on campus to give what many might relate to a \u201cShark Tank-like\u201d presentation to the Board.\u00a0 After which, they would provide comments to help us along in the discovery phase with the hope of validating the existence of a market and a business model that had potential by the end of the summer.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Throughout the summer, we learned to use critical tools such as the business model canvas, MVP, hypothesis testing, and more all based on the idea of the lean start-up approach.\u00a0 One of the biggest benefits of participating in the SEE Program however, was not just the direct feedback that your team received.\u00a0 Much of the feedback provided to other teams applied across the board, and it made for a great real-world learning experience.\u00a0 Near the end of the program after having listened to each other\u2019s presentations and the Board\u2019s feedback week after week, some ideas emerged as being more feasible than others based on the data collected throughout the summer.\u00a0 It is likely a few will even continue into a second year entrepreneurship course offered called Entrepreneurship: New Ventures (NAVEI), also taught by Professor Hakan Ener.<\/p>\n

\"Amanda<\/a><\/p>\n

Picture to the left: Team TRUE | NORTH photoshoot (July 2015)<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I am very grateful to have participated in this experience, and it truly is a once-in-a-lifetime chance for many.\u00a0 It is one summer where you can risk doing something you were always curious about, but never had (or made) time for. \u00a0Going into the summer, I thought that entrepreneurial ideas were so hard to find.\u00a0 Many people get stuck at this phase and never make the leap.\u00a0 If, however, you allow yourself to switch into this mindset, you begin to see that opportunities are all around.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

The life of an entrepreneur is certainly not for everyone; you have to be willing to venture outside of your comfort zone every day.\u00a0 It takes self-awareness, determination, appetite for risk, skills, and many other qualities, but how will you ever know if you don\u2019t try?\u00a0 Best of luck to the incoming Class of 2018!\u00a0 For any of you that are aspiring entrepreneurs, don\u2019t hesitate to ask questions \u2013 be curious, this is the time and place for you!<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Amanda McCarthy<\/p>\n

IESE MBA Class of 2017<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Editor’s Note:\u00a0As part of the NAVEI course under the guidance of Professor Hakan Ener, Amanda has recently launched the M.A.D.E. Collection; an e-commerce fashion and lifestyle brand curating collections of the best artisan designers from around the world, www.themadecollection.com. She and her NAVEI team, consisting of Kirk Lao and Patrick McCarthy, were recently selected to present in front of potential investors during the final session of the course.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Prelude As I am beginning to write this note, I am on a short two-hour flight from Barcelona to Dusseldorf, Germany en route to the USA.\u00a0 Within minutes of taking my seat aboard the plane, I have already spoken two languages and have heard an additional three more.\u00a0 For the average person born in small… <\/p>\n

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