What time is it anyways…

Hani Rachidi, TMMBA Student

The TMMBA has started to stretch my time more than I had initially anticipated. From my first couple of months in the program this is my typical week at bottom of the post. I imagine from talking to a sample of colleagues this is the norm and a larger range of min to max hours invested exists but I would say no more than +/- 8hrs.

The time invested, though, does not reflect the real learning returns. The study of Business is so fluid and so dynamic. I found that I can learn one concept in five minutes and a whole other in five weeks. The richness of the curriculum and the caliber of the students in the program have met my expectations so far. Since practicing the concepts in this program in the real world make the learning stick and refine it I am starting a measure that I will update through each blog post. I am calling it the Relevance Factor. It measures how relevant the learning in each course is to my job. Two components will make up this factor:

1. T – Aided in thought processes or discussions at work – did it get me to an answer faster or more thoroughly
2. I – Implemented a concept or learning from the program to my job

So far I have implemented Feedforward (a concept introduced by Prof Greg Bigley on giving/receiving feedback) in my workgroup. 1pt for I.

So far I have used learnings in Rev Recognition from an Accounting perspective to understand at a more fundamental level a project that I am working on in the Rev Recognition space. Understanding the pros and cons of recognizing revenue in either a time of sale or amortized manner (over a period of time in increments). 1pt for T.

Relevance Factor = 2

The schedule:
Mondays – Team Meeting 1 to 3hrs
Tuesdays – Preparing for Wed class 2 to 4hrs
Wednesdays – Attending class 4hrs (incl dinner and after class chats)
Thursdays – Attending review session 1 to 3hrs (incl team quick synchs or after class chats)
Fridays – Preparing for Sat class (only every other week) 1 to 3hrs
Saturdays – Attending class 8 to 9hrs (incl breakfast and after class chats)
Sundays – Homework usually due or Preparing for upcoming week 1 to 4hrs

Range of hrs spent 18 to 30hrs (when week incl Sat class)