So what did I get in Graduate School?
Posted on | June 12, 2009 | No Comments
I got accepted to Northwestern University. I wrote a big check. I did all the work. Graduation is next week. What did I learn?
Graduate school is a great experience. Being blessed enough to attend Northwestern University and learn with some of the smartest people in the world has been a dream come true for me. But after all of the classes are done, the projects are completed and assignments turned in… what are the key learnings for all the time, effort and money?
- A New skill set that allows me to think differently. Strategic, Analytical and Execution focused thinking has given me a new lens on the world. I see things differently. I see them at a 360 degree perspective.
- Relationships. I have forged wonderful relationships with professors, classmates, alumni, administration and others. The purple blood of Northwestern runs strong and it will be with me forever. This is a “cash flow in perpetuity” to use some fancy grad school finance language…
- Confidence. Not that I did not have confidence before, but my personal brand is now enhanced by having the Northwestern Credential. So maybe it is not self confidence but “external confidence”?
- Organizational development makes sense. I have a much deeper understanding of how strategy, vision, goals, objectives, blah, blah, blah work together with people, culture and climate to make it all happen.
- Innovation. This is a big word but I understand innovation principles, the models to develop innovation and how to organize for execution. This was a pie in the sky term before and it is a reality with a framework and process for me now. This is where the most fun and excitement is!
My experience in graduate school was truly life changing for the better. I have new friends, new ideas and a new skill set that will help me be a better person, employee, employer and leader in the 21st century.
If you have the opportunity to attend graduate school, DO IT!
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About Coley
Coley Perry is a 15 year veteran of the sales and marketing grind. Most of his experience is in and around the intersection of sales, marketing, change management, technology and business process helping clients solve business problems through innovative solutions and consulting. He has built sales teams, go-to-market strategies, demand generation engines and sustainable revenue streams. Currently his passion is focused on the convergence of sales, marketing and technology. He wrote a lot of checks to Columbia College and Northwestern University but learned the most from The “Second City” Training Center in Chicago where he studied the Art of Improv.
