I did it. My Master of Business Administration degree is in the bag after two very long years. It ranks as one of the toughest things I’ve done in my life, if only for the sheer stamina it takes to see the degree through. I gave it everything I had and in the end, it was worth it. In thinking about what the degree really gave to me, I came up with 6 things . . . it gave me,

1. the confidence to face challenging business situations based on the intense practice I've had over the last two years.
   
   
2. the ability to better understand areas of business that were not as familiar to me - accounting, economics, strategic management.
   
   
3. the understanding that it's almost all about value. The more efficiently you provide loads of value the better you are, the more desired you are and the ore you make.
   
   
4. exposure to a huge pool of really smart and experienced professors. A huge thanks to a few professors that really added to my MBA experience,
   • Donald Samelson (Accounting/Finance)
   • Paul Hudnut (Strategic Management): Blog | LinkedIn
   • Hunt Lambert (Management) - LinkedIn
   • George Zsidisin (Supply Chain Mgt)
   
   
5. the understanding that my wife and kids will do just about anything to help me succeed. I really couldn’t have done it without them. I owe most of my success to them.
   
   
6. a book shelf full of very expensive business and management books.

My aim was to round out my skills as a professional and give me a good base to work from to head into more senior roles. It did the job. If you're looking to get your MBA, do it, so I can sell you my books.