Reflections Of The COVID Class: 10 Career Lessons For MBAs

5) Live In The Here-and-Now: “Where do you want to be in five years?” should permanently be removed from all interviews. If any of us were to go back five years and project where we would be now, we wouldn’t even be close. The world, our work, maybe even some of our dreams have fundamentally changed, and how we view ourselves into the future and in our future careers has shifted along with it.”
Sam Yoder, Indiana University (Kelley)

“The pandemic has demonstrated how vulnerable careers are to unexpected, uncontrollable forces. I operated in the hospitality industry when the pandemic struck and saw the changes and challenges it threw into people’s lives. Having the agility and boldness to pivot, to me, are now key career skills that I need to continue to work on. With so much in flux during the pandemic, it felt much more natural to follow a drastically different path – I’m sure it helped me make the leap from blue chip into entrepreneurship!”
Maddie Forman, London Business School

6) Set Realistic Parameters: “The pandemic has exposed the true value of balance, both from a personal-professional perspective as well as a within-work perspective. That’s to say, not every single thing is THE MOST IMPORTANT THING at any given moment! I now put more emphasis on learning as much as I can about a task—no matter how big or small—before I commit to it so I can properly prioritize. I have always been someone who fully commits to whatever I am doing. In the early part of my career (especially when I was a journalist and working odd hours), I thought that attitude meant doing whatever it takes to get the job done as fast and as well as possible. While the quality of work is still of utmost importance, I’ve found myself over the course of the pandemic growing more confident in saying, “No, that timeline isn’t reasonable” or “That deadline needs to be pushed back a week” –something I have not ever been able to do before! I also believe that the pandemic has changed my perspective of how careers really do differ from person-to-person.  This has shed light on the fact that conversations around expectations and working hours usually ought to come first with a new team or colleague. I am grateful to have realized this now, so (relatively) early in my career!”
Pamela London Fox, University of Minnesota (Carlson)

7) Don’t Miss Your Opportunities: “I still have the same career aspirations, but the pandemic gave me more options in the cities I want to reside in. Many industries are shifting to a remote or hybrid work model. Talent and capital aren’t just concentrated in New York or San Francisco. I am seriously considering moving to emerging tech hubs such as Austin or Miami, where I can get more bang for the buck!”
Sophia Weng, Stanford GSB

“When the pandemic hit, I realized that (1) a majority of jobs can be done from home and (2) a majority of people that lost their jobs managed to land on their feet and start something new. So why are we all so married to the idea of the corner office job? I decided that there are more important things to explore in life, and so I quit my job, took on a volunteering role for Women in Tech as a Director of expansion, and started travelling around the world while working remotely for six months (I visited Ukraine, Russia, Ghana, Tanzania, Morocco, and Lebanon — 10 European and nine LATAM countries).

Now, I see a career as something fluid. Not that there is more opportunity to work from home. However, that place where we spend time is no longer dictated by the employer only – and KPIs don’t have to be strictly financial. We want to experience mindfulness and impact. Long ago, a career stopped being about settling into one company or choosing one path. When the pandemic came and brought all the digitalization and disruption, this idea of experiencing a variety of careers paths was pushed even further. What’s to come looks exciting.”
Andrea Derman, IE Business School

8) Recognize What Leadership Really Is: “While the pandemic has not changed my career goals, it has changed my view on the role of a leader. Two years into this pandemic, we are now living in an era of burnout — teams are exhausted and have had to navigate seemingly endless uncertainty. It has never been more important to have an excellent leader at the helm to motivate teams to overcome obstacles and drive growth. While I am grateful for the coursework at Booth that has helped me to develop hard skills, I have realized that my soft skills will be even critical as I step into more powerful leadership roles in the coming years. The pace of change in the world will only continue to accelerate and firms need more compassionate leaders who can lead through disruption.”
Amira Khatib, University of Chicago (Booth)

9) Connect With Great Empathy: “A positive effect of the pandemic I did notice was that I was able to see my colleagues in a different light – people have become more compassionate as a result of seeing colleagues in their homes, interacting with their children, making their private lives more of a natural part of their professional lives. Maybe the pandemic has allowed us to blur this line in the positive sense – instead of only bringing work into our personal lives, we become more comfortable bringing the personal space to the professional.”
Katharina Klohe, IESE Business School  

10) Don’t Settle: “The pandemic has changed my view of a career in two ways. First, it has expanded my mind regarding what I thought was possible from a geographic perspective. It’s now easier than ever to connect with clients, employers, and colleagues from across the globe thanks to the rise of Zoom and the work-from-home culture. Second, it has made me value and desire work-life balance more than ever. Prior to the pandemic, I didn’t consider my health (both physical and mental) a top priority. Now, I know that health must come first in order to be my best self on the job. Burnout is real, and we all function better when we’ve taken time to be healthy and well-rested.”
Annabel Reeves, Southern Methodist University (Cox)

 

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