August 12, 2015 / By: Trina Cui

MBA: More than an academic symbol

Personal Interest, Accounting, Human Resources, Students
gridaccent
Back To List

The future is uncertain. The best way to manage the future is neither to hold back on yesterday nor to keep today, but to create the future.

How? My answer is to invest in yourself.

Still, feel too vague and general? Let's think about how Mainstreet creates a future for each of our buildings. Immediately after we acquire any new property, Mainstreet reviews the condition of the building and starts to invest manpower, capital infusions, and fixture upgrades to create value that is the best match for that building. Eventually, each property would reap its future potential with a brand new image.

Think differently with the same logic, if you were a building, what would you invest in yourself to become a better you? If you were a stock, would you bet on yourself? So how do I invest in myself to make a better me? That was the question I asked myself when I planned some of my long term goals. One decision I made was to pursue an MBA. It is more than another academic achievement. It is an opportunity to review myself. You should ask yourself some key questions before starting an MBA, or any type of learning.

  • What do you want to do with your life?

Discovering what you really want to do with your life isn't an easy task for anyone. However, if you do not know where you are going, you will never get there. To simplify this question, you can ask yourself where you see yourself in five years. It could be as simple as "I want to move to a bigger house in five years!", or "I want to read 100 books over the next five years!" The beauty and power of this review is to give you focus on what will bring you more happiness in the future.

  • What do you have?

Like the way Mainstreet reviews the condition of each building before investing in it, you should also review your strength and weakness before investing in yourself. Knowing what you are strong in and where you need assistance can help you advance your personal life and nurture your professional performance. Once you have identified your weaknesses, it is time to leverage them into strengths.

  • What do you need?

After discovering what you want and what you have, it is apparent what the gaps are. Gaps are valuable as they alert us that it is time for a change. Wherever you discover a gap in your life is where your potential and possibilities are lining up for liftoff. More importantly, it is time to take action and make decisions on what needs to be invested in yourself to bridge the gaps in your life.

Everyone will identify different gaps in their life. To me, exploring teamwork management in highly fast-paced and dynamic environments – like the way Mainstreet operates – interests me the most at that time of my life. The team-based approach can foster a more creative approach to problem-solving in a very dynamic environment. However, people are challenged to collaborate, almost daily, in service of efficiency, quality, and innovation goals. Therefore, a program designed based on team-based learning approach would best suit my needs. It was one of the main reasons I chose the MBA program at Queens University.

Learning is a life-long journey. It keeps you abreast of changes and prepares you for the uncertain future. However, there can be no learning without action and no action without learning. Therefore, I always prefer to rephrase an MBA to

Motivation

Becomes

Action

Rather than limit it to Master of Business Administration. Understand what you need and take actions! Get your own version of an MBA and become a better you!

 

Mainstreet Equity Corp. is a publicly-traded (TSX: MEQ) residential real estate company in Canada. Mainstreet currently owns and operates properties in Surrey, BC; New Westminster, BC; Abbotsford, BC; Calgary, AB; Cochrane, AB; Lethbridge, AB; Edmonton, AB; Fort Saskatchewan, AB; and Saskatoon, SK.

Mainstreet provides affordable, renovated apartment suites to Canadians, and is committed to creating real value without diluting shareholder interests.