thisguy310 wrote:
I've had a variation of this same mental debate. I just turned 27 last month and will be starting in a 3 year part-time MBA program this fall. So work during the day, school at night, rinse/repeat for 3 years. It is scary to think that there goes my 20s and social life and when I'm done I'll be older (not saying 30s bad at all!) as well as in $100k of student loan debt.
But more so how I view b-school is that it's an investment. That in this life time there's so much to do and so much to experience and that if you sacrifice now for just 2 or 3 years you can potentially be set with the right skill sets and network that will open countless doors for you for the rest of your life.
It's not really an age thing, but a state of mind. Actually, come to think of it, age is a great thing. While I had my share of fun in my 20s, the only thing I miss about it is my metabolism. Otherwise, the 30s (and hopefully beyond) have been far more interesting and meaningful. Sure, what one finds "meaningful" changes, but then again while I'm sure you may reminisce about playing with your toys as an 8-year old, there's other things you find more fun now at your age than you did as a kid.
I know folks (some of whom are MBA alums) who act as if their life is over. And they're in their mid- to-late 30s. The "it's too late too..." "I'm too old for..." and a generally defeatist attitude that would shame many 60 year olds. It's kind of sad.
And there are those who continue to find ways to reinvent themselves, to try new things, to see the glass as half full - even if they have to balance more responsibilities (work and family). In other words, they don't see their responsibilities as an excuse.
It's a self-fulfilling prophesy really. If you feel that your best days are in your 20s, then they certainly will be your best days unfortunately. If you see yourself as full of youthful exuberance and see the glass as half full now - it's not like that will change as you get older unless you believe it to be.
The 20s is a weird time for many people. It's the time where you've just stepped out of childhood, and everything about adulthood seems new. You'd like to think you're all grown up (and/or that the rest of your life will be in cruise control based on what you do today), but hopefully learn down the road that there's no such thing -- it's not that cut and dried, and more often than not, it's less about "plans" and more about making the most of all the surprises that you face (and there will be plenty...).
The 20s tends to be the time where you have the most hope but also the most insecurity/indecisiveness because you simply haven't had enough experience to really know yourself. Of course it's not like when you hit 30 you all of a sudden know everything, but with more experience living as an adult through many situations (work, friends, family, relationships, your values as it relates to an imperfect world) you begin to be more comfortable and familiar with who you are - including your flaws and things you may not have wanted to admit to yourself when you were younger. The flipside of that is you start to care less about how you're perceived, which gives you more freedom to make choices that are best for you rather than how it looks to others, or whether it will "set you up for the rest of your life." I remember so many of us in our 20s would constantly talk about "the future" and plotting (implicitly or explicitly) what our lives will be based on our choices today. And then after a while, that stops when the weight of the present forces you to just take things One. Step. At. A. Time.
You're still in your 20s. Your adult life is just getting started.
Here's another way to put it. If you're worried about "missing out" on the "fun" you'll have in your 20s -- don't. Because when it comes to the main regrets people have about their 20s -- having "more fun" or "less fun" is rarely what comes to mind. Sure, some may wished to have traveled more, started a band, hooked up more, went clubbing more on weekends, etc. but they're rarely things that eat away at you. The real regrets come with the *people* in your life -- friends, exes, family members, colleagues, etc. - certain episodes where you wished you hadn't treated them a certain way, or the way you behaved, or the way you handled the situation. And those issues aren't really age specific anyhow.
You don't need to be in your 20s to do a lot of the "fun" things you may have in mind. If you want to travel lots, there are MBA classmates of mine I know who did precisely that by taking sabbaticals. The "treadmill" you think you're getting on in you 30s and beyond is just that - it's only there if you imagine it (again if you think your life is over or you can't do XYZ because of your age, then you won't and can't do it; if you think you can, you will). And more importantly, the choices you make now aren't as precious or life-changing as you think they may be, because life is rarely a linear progression anyhow. It's a virtual guarantee that you'll have no choice but to spend most of your energy handling the surprises that come your way as you go through school, get a job after b-school, and so forth.
I can certainly understand that fear of making the "wrong" choice, but hopefully that fear will pass with time.
Again, don't take this whole journey too seriously, or you'll end up with an ulcer or one of those super-neurotic types that you'll inevitably run into in your b-school program.