The LBS Baptism of fire.

We were approaching five years as an organization and it seemed that the annual margins were dwindling gradually. The fear of the popular saying that many start-ups do not survive the first five became real. This initiated extensive conversations with a few of my mentors on changing the tide. After a few discussions, one of my mentors revealed “Most of what you need can be got via an MBA, I will suggest LBS”. As a well-trusted mentor, I decided to commence my journey towards the Lagos Business School.

The application was straightforward only to find out that an exam and interview would follow suit. The results suggested to me that the course would be as I imagined and as expressed in the information shared as “Part-time”. The good news of my admission offer was well-received as I prepared for my brush-up classes which finally revealed that the “Part-time” was referring to our normal lives which was going to be absent for the next two years. Hence, we braced up for the jolly but bumpy ride.

An interesting mention out of the courses was data analytics which I had taken an interest in lately. And just like every other of the courses, it always seemed easier until you dive in. I immediately had to take solace in the data analytics club to aid class knowledge gained. As we progressed in several of the courses like the Analysis of Business Problems, Corporate Financial Accounting, etc., it became clearer by the day that the knowledge of business I had acquired in my few years of business, was grossly inadequate to take the organization to the next level.

The case study approach to the courses gave practical insights into all the courses and made it easy to apply to real-life scenarios but did not eliminate the tough and time-consuming nature of the delivery of each assignment or coursework. This made it essential for all to leverage each other’s strengths to forge ahead while making a family of each group. The knowledge so far has already made a significant impact on the way I approach problems, communicate, analyze, and interpret accounting information. The rich contributions from the diverse collection of professionals in each study group have made learning so much easier and interesting but most importantly hopeful. The technical glitches associated with the learning terrain in this part of the world have not entirely been absent and even though at the least possible, have a few times created anxiety. The faculties have been supportive, and willing to engage to ensure everyone is carried along like the military forces who never leave any man behind.

A couple of weeks from our first-semester examination with another five to go, I can categorically say that the Knowledge gained so far has been transforming, and the relationships developed have been inspiring, Networks already established are of inestimable value. The process undoubtedly has been laborious but rewarding. I would agree with my mentor who said “This will be your best investment yet”.

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