First Day of Classes

The System and Design Management (SDM) program at MIT is an interesting program. It blends both business and engineering courses and it's targeted for people with more years of experience than a typical MBA candidate. I discovered the SDM program by accident while doing research on MBA programs. It sounded perfect for me: one year instead of two, emphasis on management AND engineering, lower cost than typical 2-year MBA at one of the Ivy schools. And, on top of it, I would finally get a chance to go to MIT (I had dreamed of attending MIT as an undergraduate, but my parents couldn't afford the tuition back then - we had just emigrated to the US and a one-year tuition fee probably cost as much as my dad's salary for an entire year).

Well, here I am twelve years after I finished my undergrad. I finally made it! I must admit, I was as nervous as a schoolboy on the first day of classes. What will school be like? What would the people be like? Will I fit in? Will I enjoy this whole experience? The night before, I tossed and turned all night pondering these questions. Finally, the morning arrived to put me out of my misery.

Walking into the Tang center I noticed the sign at the entrance and tried to imagine all these bright minds coming to MIT to learn not how to build better rockets, but how to become better leaders and managers. Can leadership really be taught? Or is it in us already and just needs to be awakened and stirred? I guess we'll find out...