Work-life balance and the EMBA

posted in: Compass | 0

Lillian Zagoya-Lopez (EMBA 2016) has found it possible to study for her EMBA almost anywhere… at any time!

Very often I’m asked how I manage to study in a different country whilst keeping a full-time job. It is certainly not easy, but the EMBA has taught me that I actually had more time than I thought. So where and when does EMBA study happen? Everywhere and at all times: in between meetings, during lunch, after a swimming session, in a plane, at the airport, just before a concert or party, in the middle of flamenco rehearsals or whilst getting ready for a date.

My life hasn’t stopped because I’m studying, but the EMBA has definitely enhanced it. An added value of this programme is that you become – if you weren’t already – very skilled at prioritising. A cloud of tasks to complete becomes a single stream of ‘one thing at a time’, where ‘done’ is better than ‘perfect’.

If your personal and/or professional life is booming, or if you’re under a thunderstorm, your EMBA studies continue. A WhatsApp channel functioning 24 hours a day can always give you a smile, and is the perfect place to express yourself or ask for help. For me, it’s a window to a happy world right there in the palm of my hand.

How Diana Henderson (EMBA 2016) studies…
… and introducing Tucker, Brooke Bornick’s (EMBA 2016) studying companion

FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is probably the worst of feelings to have since starting this life-changing adventure. When you join the class, you want to know every bit of gossip, go to every party and participate at every event. However, sometimes this is not possible and you remind yourself that you’re an adult and that you’re supposed to deal with this feeling better. You’ll make sure to get involved next time!

SUPPORT is the amazing feeling of having a crazy idea that someone else in the class believes in. Whether it’s creating a new company, getting a new job or going to an event dressed as hipsters, someone will be there to encourage you.

NERVES are what you feel before an exam having not studied for many years. You arrive at the School for some last-minute revision, before raising your head to discover the entire class is doing the same. All those successful professionals are just as scared as you, and you smile thinking of how an exam can look scarier than managing large teams, or even millions of pounds.

SMILE is what you always wear each time you visit Cambridge, and what I definitely wear when I remember that I have 10 months more to go before this adventure is over.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.