Why the MBA” is a question, I have asked myself several times. As I started to work in corporate America, I saw getting my MBA as a tool for advancement. My professional goals were to climb the corporate ladder as quickly as possible, and to make lots of money along the way. Getting my MBA was the tool that would help me accomplish my goals. A fifteen year break from school would put this goal on hold. Fortunately, the companies I have worked for showed me that it takes more than a piece of paper to build a successful company. How quickly I had forgotten how I went from a caregiver in a group home to running a network of group homes, or how I went from a front line employee with my present employer to a management position in a year’s time. These accomplishments are
Unfortunately, I continue to mature, and find myself in a position to make a statement to my children, and to myself. Most who know me would say that a message from me would be about athletics, and the importance of being the best that you can be athletically. That is not the message thatI want to give to my kids. I do want them to be the best that they can be, but not on a basketball court but in the classroom. I have accomplished many things both athletically and professionally. However, I realize now that those accomplishments were hollow. At any time, my basketball coach could have taken my scholarship or chose not to play me. The State of Rhode Island could have come to my office and relieved me of my duties because I did not have my degree. (The position required