My MBA saga continues

[Ava]

So now I have 2 tests and 2 papers due in the next 10 days.
My second test for Operations Management is November 6. I have decided to take Wednesday and Thursday off again for the test. My manager doesn't know it yet. He'll find out Monday when I talk to him. It makes a huge difference to be able to relax, sleep well, and re read stuff before taking the test. After getting an 80 in my first test, I am confident I will nail this class. But it all comes down to studying a lot and reminding myself I have to keep working hard at this class.

Also, the schedule for next semester has been posted.
There are a couple of issues I would like your opinions on.
The only mandatory class I still need to take is on the schedule, so obviously I am going to enroll.

Question one; I have to do the final project. I have to submit a one page summary of my project to the program director in order to be able to enroll.
I've been raking my brains and I am interested in the following project, let me see what you think.
I live in a very economically depressed area. Talking to people around here I noticed they are not financially savvy at all. So my project would be to implement a non profit program where I would teach people financial basics at the local library. It would focus on financial stuff such as opening a bank account, opening a 401k and/or IRA. I would also cover other areas that I personally think have a lot to do with a person's financial success, such as getting a GED, learning a trade, getting a driver's license, preventing STDs and unwanted pregnancies, etc. What do you think? I think it's doable and I would enjoy putting together a plan for this. I want to present it to the director before open enrollment (about 10 days)

Question two; I am going crazy right now with a full-time job and four classes at school.
I only need one more class and the final project to graduate. But (there's always a but) there are two electives I'm interested in taking. They are both related to my area of work, so I see them as a possibility of learning something useful for me and also would make me a more desirable candidate when I job hunt again. Besides that, they can help me bring up my final GPA. It was great but went way down when I failed Statistics.
On the other hand, I'm reluctant to keep living the same sort of situation I'm in now; lots of classes, lots of stress, etc. Would you take the two extra classes or not?

Whatever I decide, I'll be so glad when this is over. I've been an adult student for way too long (since 2007) and there are many personal things I have postponed in order to get my MBA. I am more than ready to start the next stage of my life.
My manager said he's going to organize a party for me when I graduate. That will be cool.

[swamp]

When you say "not for profit program" you are saying you would be setting up a not for profit corporation.

You need to term it as volunteer program.

I think the plan is overly broad and you should stick to the financial advice.

[justme]

I think you need to think of your schedule more carefully. You're already taking off four days this semester for classes and you'll still have finals left. Are you going to adjust your vacation down the four+ days you've taken? Or make your manager though it out for those extra days you take without pay? I do not think I'd be happy with an employee doing that and would probably not be flexible at all the next semester.

[Ava]

Oct 25, 2014 15:47:17 GMT -5 swamp said:

When you say "not for profit program" you are saying you would be setting up a not for profit corporation.

You need to term it as volunteer program.

I think the plan is overly broad and you should stick to the financial advice.

Yes, it would be set up as a volunteer program, not a corporation.
It is broad. 
The idea is to focus on the financial stuff, but do something light regarding other issues surrounding poverty. I think having no marketable skills or children you can't support makes it way harder to climb the financial ladder.

The non financial stuff would be just a little segment, and the focus would be in the financial stuff.
I am actually very enthusiastic about doing this!

[mmhmm]

If it were me, I'd put those elective classes off. You've got enough on your plate and you admit to stress. You need to let down, do what you have to do to graduate, and worry about the electives later when you've had some rest and been able to live life more freely for awhile.

The project sounds good and I think it would be a wonderful thing to do. As Swamp said, though, be careful not to make it too broad. People tend not to absorb as much when there are too many things coming at them at once.

[Deleted]

This really isn't as critical as it probably sounds.  Most people don't take off from work to take tests.  Two days off is a lot to expect your manager to cover with short notice.

My point is that I wouldn't take extra classes.  That sounds like more time off and more money.  Get on with your life, which I think involved relocating.

[Ava]

Oct 25, 2014 15:53:27 GMT -5 justme said:

I think you need to think of your schedule more carefully. You're already taking off for days this semester for classes and you'll still have finals left. Are you going to adjust your vacation down the four+ days you've taken? Or mange your manager though it out for those extra days you take without pay? I do not think I'd be happy with an employee doing that and would probably not be flexible at all the next semester.

Yes, I know this doesn't sound good from my manager's perspective.
I cannot change my vacation days because I bought the airplane tickets months in advance. Even if I could, I wouldn't do it, to be honest. My vacations are sacred to me.
I was planning on taking days off without pay by the end of the year, because I don't have many hours left.

When the new semester rolls around it will be 2015 so I'll have a chunk of vacation days available. But the only reason I am taking days off now is because of the one class that is the continuation of Statistics and it's very difficult for me. I don't think I will need to take days off next semester. 

Besides that, even tough I appreciate my manager as a person, I am going to start looking for another job immediately after I get my MBA. I don't have any interest in staying with the same company, either. I'm going to change jobs and change company.

I try to do a good job but at the same time I'm not interested in scoring "extra points" since this isn't a long term thing for me.

[Ava]

Oct 25, 2014 16:00:11 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

If it were me, I'd put those elective classes off. You've got enough on your plate and you admit to stress. You need to let down, do what you have to do to graduate, and worry about the electives later when you've had some rest and been able to live life more freely for awhile.

The project sounds good and I think it would be a wonderful thing to do. As Swamp said, though, be careful not to make it too broad. People tend not to absorb as much when there are too many things coming at them at once.

Thanks for the good vibes!
Those two electives are a "now or never" kind of thing for my last semester. I am done with the program in May once I present my final project.

[justme]

Oct 25, 2014 16:07:11 GMT -5 Ava said:

Oct 25, 2014 15:53:27 GMT -5 justme said:

I think you need to think of your schedule more carefully. You're already taking off for days this semester for classes and you'll still have finals left. Are you going to adjust your vacation down the four+ days you've taken? Or mange your manager though it out for those extra days you take without pay? I do not think I'd be happy with an employee doing that and would probably not be flexible at all the next semester.

Yes, I know this doesn't sound good from my manager's perspective.
I cannot change my vacation days because I bought the airplane tickets months in advance. Even if I could, I wouldn't do it, to be honest. My vacations are sacred to me.
I was planning on taking days off without pay by the end of the year, because I don't have many hours left.

When the new semester rolls around it will be 2015 so I'll have a chunk of vacation days available. But the only reason I am taking days off now is because of the one class that is the continuation of Statistics and it's very difficult for me. I don't think I will need to take days off next semester. 

Besides that, even tough I appreciate my manager as a person, I am going to start looking for another job immediately after I get my MBA. I don't have any interest in staying with the same company, either. I'm going to change jobs and change company.

I try to do a good job but at the same time I'm not interested in scoring "extra points" since this isn't a long term thing for me.

I'm saying nothing of extra points. I'm strictly speaking of not getting on the manager's shit list. Specifically getting on it enough that you don't have a job before your finish your MBA. I'm guessing your current company hasn't paid any money towards your MBA?

[Ava]

Oct 25, 2014 16:03:24 GMT -5 @southernsusana said:

This really isn't as critical as it probably sounds.  Most people don't take off from work to take tests.  Two days off is a lot to expect your manager to cover with short notice.

My point is that I wouldn't take extra classes.  That sounds like more time off and more money.  Get on with your life, which I think involved relocating.

I generally don't take off for tests. This is a special situation for me because I find that particular class too difficult. I really don't see those two elective classes involving more time off work.

Taking two extra classes would mean more money, though,  because I would be full time instead of a part time student for my last semester.

Yes, relocating is one of my projects after I finish the MBA. It's a big project, I'm very enthusiastic about it. But it's not the only one. There are many other things I want to do. At this point, when I have a possible date for graduation, I start thinking about my life after the MBA program and I'm very excited about it!

[mcsangel2]

First of all, full time status in graduate school is 9 credits (3 classes), so the fact that you are taking four classes AND working full time is mind blowing. I'm surprised you are continuing with this courseload, knowing that if your GPA drops under 3.0 you will be kicked out of the program.

However, I thought it might come back to bite you, and it seems it might be. Ava, taking all this time off while expecting to take all those vacation days to go home is really, really, really not okay professionally. You've lived in the U.S. for awhile now, you know how the work culture here frowns on excessive time off. Does your boss know you are still planning to take all those original planned days for your vacation? He might be surprised.

I feel like you are risking losing your job by trying to get it give a little, to squeak by in school. I understand, I've been back in school since 2010, and I have about 6 more years to go before I finish with my undergraduate degree. But that is because I can only go part time, because it is imperative that I work full time and that nothing interferes with my job.

If you need to work to live, work needs to be your first priority. If you don't need to work full time, you need to either quit or get a part time job so that you can concentrate on school.

Trying to do both means that neither will be done well.

[Ava]

Oct 25, 2014 16:10:12 GMT -5 justme said:

Oct 25, 2014 16:07:11 GMT -5 Ava said:

Yes, I know this doesn't sound good from my manager's perspective.
I cannot change my vacation days because I bought the airplane tickets months in advance. Even if I could, I wouldn't do it, to be honest. My vacations are sacred to me.
I was planning on taking days off without pay by the end of the year, because I don't have many hours left.

When the new semester rolls around it will be 2015 so I'll have a chunk of vacation days available. But the only reason I am taking days off now is because of the one class that is the continuation of Statistics and it's very difficult for me. I don't think I will need to take days off next semester. 

Besides that, even tough I appreciate my manager as a person, I am going to start looking for another job immediately after I get my MBA. I don't have any interest in staying with the same company, either. I'm going to change jobs and change company.

I try to do a good job but at the same time I'm not interested in scoring "extra points" since this isn't a long term thing for me.

I'm saying nothing of extra points. I'm strictly speaking of not getting on the manager's shit list. Specifically getting on it enough that you don't have a job before your finish your MBA. I'm guessing your current company hasn't paid any money towards your MBA?

No, they haven't. They may give me 2k after I finish this semester. 

Our job is not really all that sensitive to us being there at a certain time, because we don't work directly with customers. As long as the job is done within a certain time frame it doesn't matter at what time or what day we did it. I don't think my days off so far have affected my manager.
Anyway, I've made it so far into the program that I have to finish no matter what. I have an emergency fund that would allow me to survive for about 6 months. I have been saving for a long time in order to move after I get the MBA. So, even if I don't have a job by the end of this year, it's still doable for me. Then I won't have money to move but that's another story.

[mmhmm]

Considering the money issue, are the two extra classes something you could sail through with your eyes closed? Could you, in other words, test out of them without taking them? If that's the case, they're extra credit for no real effort. That's a good deal. If, however, they're going to stress you to the point where the class you need to graduate becomes more difficult to manage, it's not worth it, IMO.

[mcsangel2]

Oct 25, 2014 16:14:21 GMT -5 Ava said:

Oct 25, 2014 16:03:24 GMT -5 @southernsusana said:

This really isn't as critical as it probably sounds.  Most people don't take off from work to take tests.  Two days off is a lot to expect your manager to cover with short notice.

My point is that I wouldn't take extra classes.  That sounds like more time off and more money.  Get on with your life, which I think involved relocating.

I generally don't take off for tests. This is a special situation for me because I find that particular class too difficult. I really don't see those two elective classes involving more time off work.

Taking two extra classes would mean more money, though,  because I would be full time instead of a part time student for my last semester.

Yes, relocating is one of my projects after I finish the MBA. It's a big project, I'm very enthusiastic about it. But it's not the only one. There are many other things I want to do. At this point, when I have a possible date for graduation, I start thinking about my life after the MBA program and I'm very excited about it!

This is not a special situation - this is the second time this semester this has come up, and the semester is only halfway through.

[justme]

Be aware that if they do give you any money you'll more than likely have to pay it back. Most companies have at least a 1 year policy but I've known others that have it a few years long.

[Ava]

Oct 25, 2014 16:20:07 GMT -5 mcsangel2 said:

First of all, full time status in graduate school is 9 credits (3 classes), so the fact that you are taking four classes AND working full time is mind blowing. I'm surprised you are continuing with this courseload, knowing that if your GPA drops under 3.0 you will be kicked out of the program.

However, I thought it might come back to bite you, and it seems it might be. Ava, taking all this time off while expecting to take all those vacation days to go home is really, really, really not okay professionally. You've lived in the U.S. for awhile now, you know how the work culture here frowns on excessive time off. Does your boss know you are still planning to take all those original planned days for your vacation? He might be surprised.

I feel like you are risking losing your job by trying to get it give a little, to squeak by in school. I understand, I've been back in school since 2010, and I have about 6 more years to go before I finish with my undergraduate degree. But that is because I can only go part time, because it is imperative that I work full time and that nothing interferes with my job.

If you need to work to live, work needs to be your first priority. If you don't need to work full time, you need to either quit or get a part time job so that you can concentrate on school.

Trying to do both means that neither will be done well.

I know. Maybe I should have done the MBA part-time. It's almost done now. I had a great GPA until I failed Statistics.
I'm doing well in all classes now, including the difficult one. But also consider I have no dependents and I do have a friend that comes every Sunday to clean the house, do laundry, and help me cook for the week. Otherwise, I don't think I could do this.
A part time job would be great now but it's not easy to find one in this industry. Again, I'm almost done so I don't intend to change anything right now.

My manager is aware I'm still going on vacation. He's ok with that.

I know what the work culture is here in U.S. but I cannot get used to it. What is more, I have no intention of getting used to it. I expect it to gradually change as more and more people get burned at work. I am very upfront about my vacation needs with employers and they have always accommodated my requirements so far.

I have a new coworker who started about a month ago. She's always there early, and she leaves an hour late. She has a long commute and two teenagers at home. I know she stays late because I stay late two days a week to compensate for the two days I leave early for classes. She told me she stays late because she has things to finish. I don't want that life. I am done at 5 and I leave. Whatever is not finished will be done the next morning. That's my policy and I don't intend to change it. I'm very upfront about this and I haven't had any problems with management so far. If I ever have a problem, I would look for another job.

[Ava]

Oct 25, 2014 16:22:14 GMT -5 mmhmm said:

Considering the money issue, are the two extra classes something you could sail through with your eyes closed? Could you, in other words, test out of them without taking them? If that's the case, they're extra credit for no real effort. That's a good deal. If, however, they're going to stress you to the point where the class you need to graduate becomes more difficult to manage, it's not worth it, IMO.

You are right. 
My plan is to enroll, and then I have a few weeks to withdraw with no consequences. I wouldn't get a refund though. Besides, these two classes could be very useful to me in my working life.

[Ava]

Oct 25, 2014 16:22:36 GMT -5 mcsangel2 said:

Oct 25, 2014 16:14:21 GMT -5 Ava said:

I generally don't take off for tests. This is a special situation for me because I find that particular class too difficult. I really don't see those two elective classes involving more time off work.

Taking two extra classes would mean more money, though,  because I would be full time instead of a part time student for my last semester.

Yes, relocating is one of my projects after I finish the MBA. It's a big project, I'm very enthusiastic about it. But it's not the only one. There are many other things I want to do. At this point, when I have a possible date for graduation, I start thinking about my life after the MBA program and I'm very excited about it!

This is not a special situation - this is the second time this semester this has come up, and the semester is only halfway through.

I mean this particular class is a special situation. This is an ongoing issue through this semester, but only this class is the problem.
Really, this would be way easier if I could take the class with another professor, but he's the only one who teaches this and it's a mandatory class.

[Ava]

Oct 25, 2014 16:31:03 GMT -5 justme said:

Be aware that if they do give you any money you'll more than likely have to pay it back. Most companies have at least a 1 year policy but I've known others that have it a few years long.

I didn't know that. Thanks for the information. They don't say anything about that in the "Tuition Reimbursement" page. 
I can give them the money back if that's the case.

[justme]

I am very upfront about my vacation needs with employers and they have always accommodated my requirements so far.

That's all well and good, and most employers are ok with that. It's when you take MORE time than what you are given that employers have a problem. Unless you've explicitly told your manager you're still taking all the days off at the end of the year, I would think there's a damn good chance he's expecting you to cut your vacation short since you've already used several of your vacation days. 

[Ava]

Oct 25, 2014 16:37:16 GMT -5 justme said:

I am very upfront about my vacation needs with employers and they have always accommodated my requirements so far.

That's all well and good, and most employers are ok with that. It's when you take MORE time than what you are given that employers have a problem. Unless you've explicitly told your manager you're still taking all the days off at the end of the year, I would think there's a damn good chance he's expecting you to cut your vacation short since you've already used several of your vacation days. 

He knows I'm still taking the days off for vacation at the end of the year. I told him I would take them because I had already purchased the ticket and changing it would be too expensive. He said ok.

He also kind of knows I'll take more days off for this particular class because I told him weeks ago, when I had my first test that I would take more days. He just doesn't know the exact days yet.

Honestly, I don't see why this is such a big deal. Nobody has to cover for me the days I'm gone. It's only two days and they assign me the same workload, I just have to organize myself when I come back and keep working. Also, when I'm at work I concentrate on it and I don't do text messaging, Facebook, etc. That's why I don't fall behind.

[mcsangel2]

Oct 25, 2014 16:43:44 GMT -5 Ava said:

Oct 25, 2014 16:37:16 GMT -5 justme said:

I am very upfront about my vacation needs with employers and they have always accommodated my requirements so far.

That's all well and good, and most employers are ok with that. It's when you take MORE time than what you are given that employers have a problem. Unless you've explicitly told your manager you're still taking all the days off at the end of the year, I would think there's a damn good chance he's expecting you to cut your vacation short since you've already used several of your vacation days. 

He knows I'm still taking the days off for vacation at the end of the year. I told him I would take them because I had already purchased the ticket and changing it would be too expensive. He said ok.

He also kind of knows I'll take more days off for this particular class because I told him weeks ago, when I had my first test that I would take more days. He just doesn't know the exact days yet.

Honestly, I don't see why this is such a big deal. Nobody has to cover for me the days I'm gone. It's only two days and they assign me the same workload, I just have to organize myself when I come back and keep working. Also, when I'm at work I concentrate on it and I don't do text messaging, Facebook, etc. That's why I don't fall behind.

It's a big deal, because if they allow YOU to take more vacation days than those you are allotted, they have to let EVERYONE else take more vacation days. It matters, even if they are unpaid. If they don't, it hurts morale and makes your manager look like he is favoring you. If they do, the department runs short staffed and risk work (not just yours) not getting finished on time.

[mcsangel2]

Oct 25, 2014 16:31:03 GMT -5 justme said:

Be aware that if they do give you any money you'll more than likely have to pay it back. Most companies have at least a 1 year policy but I've known others that have it a few years long.

At my company, it's 2 years (if you leave the company within 2 years of finishing a degree that the company contributed to, you have to pay it back).

[mmhmm]

Some employers do have flexible hours if your physical presence isn't required to get the job done. Ava may work for such an employer.

[Ava]

They are somewhat flexible. I have a coworker who lives really far. To avoid peak commuting times, he's allowed to come in early and leave early.

I am allowed to leave an hour earlier two days a week and stay two hours later two days a week due to my school schedule.

So, yes, there is some flexibility there.

Good for us if they have to let everyone have some flexibility in their schedule. What's the problem with that? We don't deal with customers and our assignments have to be completed within a two week time frame. Why shouldn't we enjoy some flexibility?

[emma1420]

I'm glad that you are doing well in school. I echo others that I would focus on my job and finishing the program rather than adding electives to your course load.

In terms of your current employer, I would just be careful not to burn any bridges in case you need to use your current employer as a reference. Because even if your current boss is willing to give you time off now, he/she could give you a negative reference. And, I've found unless you are a rock star many employers won't hire you if you want too much vacation. I treasure my vacation also, and one of the reasons I stay with my current employer because I knoe I will be hard pressed to find another employer who will allow me to take 2 weeks off at Xmas every year.

[milee]

Oct 25, 2014 16:31:08 GMT -5 Ava said:

Oct 25, 2014 16:20:07 GMT -5 mcsangel2 said:

I know what the work culture is here in U.S. but I cannot get used to it. What is more, I have no intention of getting used to it. I expect it to gradually change as more and more people get burned at work. I am very upfront about my vacation needs with employers and they have always accommodated my requirements so far.

I have a new coworker who started about a month ago. She's always there early, and she leaves an hour late. She has a long commute and two teenagers at home. I know she stays late because I stay late two days a week to compensate for the two days I leave early for classes. She told me she stays late because she has things to finish. I don't want that life. I am done at 5 and I leave. Whatever is not finished will be done the next morning. That's my policy and I don't intend to change it. I'm very upfront about this and I haven't had any problems with management so far. If I ever have a problem, I would look for another job.

What type of job do you plan to do when you get your MBA?  Just curious because most executive level positions require more than a 9-5 work day.

If a 9-5 work day with large amounts of vacation is important to you, you might want to aim for a job at a not for profit or possibly certain types of government work, because it will be tough to find management level positions in private industry that accommodates that schedule.

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

The problem isn't that they have flexibility, the problem is that you are needing to take off more time than your cohorts.  Even coming in early and leaving early because of a commute, they are still getting in all their hours.

When I worked and went to school, I was in at 6:30 am, and left at 3.  I put in my hours before class so I didn't have to stay late another day.  After I finished my classes, I continued that schedule, because I discovered I got more done in an empty lab from 6:30-9 than I did the rest of the day with other people demanding my attention.

You have a lot of untouchables and YOU need to compromise.  

[The Walk of the Penguin Mich]

I know what the work culture is here in U.S. but I cannot get used to it. What is more, I have no intention of getting used to it. I expect it to gradually change as more and more people get burned at work. I am very upfront about my vacation needs with employers and they have always accommodated my requirements so far.

The thing is, you are working your way into a job that you MUST get used to it.  If you want to punch a clock, then why are you going for an MBA?

[Ava]

I am doing an MBA because I need the 150 credit hours to sit for the CPA.

Since I have to get those extra 30 credits, I rather get an MBA instead of taking some random classes.

I am also learning a lot with the program.

I don't intend to be an executive, I plan to continue being an employee with no direct reports. Working in government or a non profit would be ideal for me.
Right now I work in banking and the hours are pretty reasonable.