From an Ivey MBA Candidate’s Wife

My wife (Geeta) recently wrote up a blog entry for the Ivey MBA Student Blogging website on a what it's like for a partner supporting an MBA candidate. I thought she did a fantastic job in portraying a realistic picture of what's its been like for her. Here it is.

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I was so excited when I found out my husband (Sacha) got into the Richard Ivey School of Business to do his MBA. More than anything I think I was excited knowing that we were going to be moving to London for a year. Both my husband and I were born and raised in Ottawa and never lived anywhere else. This was going to be a great opportunity to move somewhere different and expand upon our horizons. I was also thinking that being away from our family would bring us closer to each other.

I think I was more excited than my husband was about the prospect of meeting new people. As soon as we moved to London I got to work making new friends. I tried to find about the Ivey Circle – a group built by the partners (of the MBA students) for the partners. I couldn’t find anyone that knew anything about it (all the people that used to run it had left in the past cohorts), so I decided to start it up again. It was a really great opportunity to meet new people in a new city. It’s nice to have a group of people to hang out with when your partner has a 24 hour report due or when they have exams to study for. I hope that the Ivey Circle continues when we all leave with our partners since it’s been a really fun, and interactive way to get closer to people in the same situation.

When we first got to London I was a working woman. My job was one that you could take up anywhere as long as you had your laptop with you. I had been working at Nortel for over 11 years (the last few years as a Project Manager) and I wasn’t really enjoying my time there anymore - but my husband and I had a deal. The deal was that I would keep my job while he did his MBA and then after that I would quit and go into Event Planning like I had been wanting to for the past 6 years. It was a great plan, but one I was worried wouldn’t materialize because making a career change is not easy to initiate. Anyway, as fate would have it I got laid off (after surviving 24 rounds of layoffs at Nortel) shortly after we had moved to London.

I have to say that this sudden change in our lives, not to mention in our finances was a stressful time for us. Add to the fact that Sacha was in school day and night didn’t help the situation either.
After a lot of anxiety and not having Sacha there to talk to all the time, I decided that this was the best thing that could have happened to me. I embraced it and within a few months signed up for a number of Event Planning volunteering opportunities. I even got an opportunity to help plan the first Canadian MBA Leadership Conference at Ivey. Now I’m well on my way to transitioning into my new career and I am very excited about doing Event Planning full time!

These past 6 months have had their ups and downs. It’s always a strain on a relationship when you don’t get the time to be around each other all the time. During the times that I’m busy with friends or an event, I find it easy to be in London. During the times when I don’t have much going on, I find it hard being without my family. It’s tough to be home all day and not get any interaction with people. I guess the key is to keep yourself really busy. I found it a real treat to be at home in the beginning, but after a while there are only so many books you can read and only so much television you can watch ;-)

We always knew that Sacha would change as a person due to his MBA. It really is a personality challenge as well as an academic one. Being a part of this Ivey MBA “bubble” as they call it, has really brought out the social side to my husband. I like that but at the same time I realize that it takes time away from “us.” I used to get a lot more quality time with my husband and now I get time with him and his friends when he does have free time. I like the group thing too but after a while a little alone time is needed. We both find it much easier when his school work is lighter, but we have to make a real effort when school is demanding.

I know Sacha has learnt a lot about himself during his MBA program but I find that I have learnt a lot about myself too. I’m learning, for the first time, that when I don’t have a lot of interaction with people I really miss it. I learnt that when I like what I’m doing as a career I’ll put a 150% into it and that I can get so motivated. I’ve learnt that I was in the wrong career and I am so proud of myself for making a change now instead of regretting it for the rest of my life. I’ve learnt that I love meeting new people and making new friends. I’ve learnt that I really do miss family when I am not around them. I’ve learnt that whatever it takes, Sacha and I will work it out. But most of all, I’ve learnt that moving to London, getting out of our shell, was the best investment we made in ourselves.