Women's Leadership Blog

MBA Series Part 2: Your Candidacy - Community Service/Extracurricular Activities

Business schools pride themselves on training future leaders, not just educating a bunch of people who know how to calculate an IRR and overuse the word “leverage.”  They look out for individuals who are concerned about doing great work and improving the world around them.  Some young business people feel that even though they have not prioritized “extracurricular” activities early in their careers, they will definitely emphasize these sorts of activities once they are more established.  However, more often than not, the patterns we establish towards community activities early in our careers remain fairly steady.  If you feel that your commitment over the last several years to outside causes does not reflect the balance you want to establish in your life…well, put your money where your mouth is and get involved.

 Leverage your interests

Why are extracurricular activities important to begin with?

• They show that an individual is multi-dimensional.  They demonstrate interests, passions, and personality.
• Being involved outside of work shows that you can balance multiple commitments.
• They can show that you have a larger view of the world – that you see what is happening outside of your office and you are interested in being involved and contributing in some way. 
• They make you a more interesting person – someone that can contribute to the diversity and vitality of a class and alumni network.
• It’s an opportunity to demonstrate qualities such as creativity, leadership, teamwork, communication skills, and initiative.

 

If you haven’t been participating in outside activities, look up a few opportunities on the internet and get involved next weekend.  It’s really as simple as that, to be honest.  Candidates who get involved even early in the year they apply will have a six- or even nine-month track record by the time apps are due.  Or, if you have been involved with outside activities over the last couple of years, consider stepping your activities up a notch.  

 

When thinking about ways to become more involved, don’t get hung up on traditional volunteer work.  There are many, many ways to become involved and highlight your unique contributions.  A good place to start is with your own interests and passions.  Think hard about what excites you, and how you can leverage those interests. 

 

 

 

 

Founded in 2001, Stacy Blackman Consulting has helped thousands of MBA applicants gain admission to the most selective business schools in the world.  The Stacy Blackman team, comprised of MBA graduates, former admissions officers and expert writers, editors and marketers, helps clients develop and implement a winning marketing strategy.  Stacy Blackman clients have a significantly increased probability of admission to top schools and are frequent recipients of merit scholarships.  The company is regularly featured in publications such as BusinessWeek, the Wall Street Journal and the Economist.   Visit the Stacy Blackman blog for daily news updates and admissions tips, and check out the company’s e-publications for more in depth school by school guidance.

Featured Leader - Ciji Saso: One Woman to Watch

Guest post by Kate Stence

Question #1: Tell us a bit about your background.

I’m the eldest of two sisters and grew up in the San Fernando Valley in Southern California. I attended the University of San Francisco and graduated with a degree in Psychology and a minor in Spanish. Afterward I took a few classes at Stanford Business School. This experience led to my interest in industrial psychology and helped me find my current job at Lucasfilm in their Training & Organizational Development department. Alongside this, I am an active volunteer and advocate for human rights. I am an AmeriCorps graduate, and have continued serving the community through a variety of non-profits throughout the San Francisco Bay area. My most recent work has been with C.E.O Women, HandsOn Bay Area, and FWL as a member of the events committee

Question #2: Why did you decide to work in the field of human resources, specifically training and organizational development? How does this compliment your work with women and girl rights?

I work in the field of Training because it allows me to be in an environment where the growth and development of individuals is the focus. By working in a creative company, I am encouraged to think about new and innovative ways about getting my job done, which I really enjoy. My work in the area of training and organizational development has taught me so much about being an effective leader and understanding the importance of strategy to move forward with and carry out my visions and goals. I have been able to take these skills and apply them in my advocacy and volunteer work with groups that are committed to social change and strengthening the lives of girls and women all over the world.

Question #3: What are the biggest work-related challenges you have faced? How did you overcome them?

One challenge that I have faced has been balancing my time between my full-time job and my work in the non-profit world. For a while it felt that my life was pieced apart and I was getting pulled in two very different directions. I have come to realize that what I do in the space of organizational development and training holds a lot of value for non-profits and leaders in the community. Reversely, the constant drive for change and out of box thinking that non-profits are so good at has been beneficial to my personal development. By making connections in these different areas of my life I have been able to find a healthy balance, and at the same time bring a new way of thinking to the very different spaces that I work in.

Question #4: Tell us about the mentors you have had in your life (male/female).

My Mom. She has taught me and continues to teach me everyday the importance of honesty, standing up for what you believe in, and being fearless about life. She cares about the world and has shown me the impact that service can have on individuals and families that are fighting poverty and the many other injustices that afflict our world.

Question #5: Anything you wish you had known when you were in the very beginning stages of your career?

 Speak your mind and don’t be afraid to ask questions even if no one else is.

Question #6: What are leadership qualities you value most in others?

Listening really well. Curiosity. Passion. A desire for change. Asking really good questions.

Question #7: What is your greatest achievement?

Completing over 300 hours of AmeriCorps service in one year while simultaneously working a full-time job.

Question #8: Who inspires you?
My mother and sisters. Margaret Atwood, Mahnaz Afkhami, Gloria Steinem—the pioneers of our world.

Question #9: Do you have a mission statement or a tenet that you try to live by?

It’s important to have a strong voice in the world, that it’s okay to be different and try something new. When you take a risk and step outside of the norm this is when real change can happen. Elizabeth Blackwell really captured this spirit when she said, “It is not easy to be a pioneer—but oh, it is fascinating! I would not trade one moment, even the worst moment, for all the riches in the world.”

Question #10: Do you have work/life balance?

Yes, work/life balance is extremely important to me. Having a multifaceted life brings so much opportunity for growth and development. My family, the relationships I have with others, my volunteer work, reading, traveling allow me to have a greater awareness of the world around me. Even having to consider whether you have work/life balance, I think, is a privilege. I am truly grateful about everything that I have in my life and will continue to do my part to advocate for a better world for those in need.

 

Kate Stence is a writer, editor, and an avid endurance runner for SoleMates/Girls on the Run International and Run for Congo for Women/Women for Women International. She recently completed South Africa’s 85^th Comrades Marathon, a 56 mile endurance event for SoleMates. Currently, she resides in Paris, France and is the Associate Editor and a Blog Columnist for the International Museum of Women. Check out her writing at Her Blueprint.

Impeccable Word

A guest post by Nancy Shields:

Don Miguel Ruiz states in his book The Four Agreements, “Be impeccable with your word, speak with integrity, and say only what you mean.  Avoid using the word to speak against yourself or to gossip about others.  Use the power of your word in the direction of truth and love.”  It is so refreshing when someone tells you they are going to do something and they actually do it.  I’m sure this can surprise you since we as a society are accustomed to people not doing what they say.  As a human, the word is a most powerful tool.  It’s the tool of magic.  But like a two edged sword, your word can create a most incredible dream, or the word can shatter everything around you.  

On one side you have the misuse of the word which creates hell on earth and the other side is the impeccable word, which creates love, beauty and bliss.  The word can set you free or it can imprison you more than you can imagine.  The incredible magic within you is all based on your word.  The word is pure magic that comes out of your mouth, or it can be black magic if misused.  I will tell you that is possible – it’s possible when practiced daily – if I can do it – you can do it – I am not better than you.  We are humans with the same kind of brain and bodies.  No excuses, you too can have the impeccable word.  

The word is the closest thing to us – we use our language to express ourselves daily – why not use it in a positive impeccable way.  Remember people may not remember you for very long, but they will always remember the way you make them feel.  This is accomplished by your word, your actions, your attitude.  Think of a person you know that tells you one thing and then never follows through.  I’m sure you get tired of all their idle chatter and probably you eventually distance yourself.  Now think of the person that tells you something and then follows through with what they say.  They are a delight to be around since you can trust their word.  The impeccable word - do as you say and say what you mean.

Remember, may the possibilities of today excite us ALL!

Author Bio:  I am a woman with a passion to inspire and encourage women to be better women for themselves and for this world.  I am creator/founder of a social networking website www.makegirlfriends.com where women can meet, share and inspire one another.  My blog can be found at blog.makegirlfriends.com.

Featured Leader - Molly Barker: On Being Our Best

Molly Barker, MSW and four-time Hawaii Ironman triathlete, founded Girls on the Run® in 1996. To date, she remains the Founder and Vision Keeper of Girls on the Run, a life-changing, experiential learning program for girls age eight to thirteen years old. The program combines training for a 3.1 mile running event with self-esteem enhancing, uplifting workouts. The goals of the program are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, and physical development. The mission is to educate and prepare girls for a life time of self-respect and healthy living. Please check out Girls on the Run at http://www.girlsontherun.org.

SoleMates is the adult charity running leg of Girls on the Run® (GOTR). The program gives girls the finest example of healthy living. Learn more at http://www.girlsontherunsolemates.org.

Question #1: Tell me a bit about your background.
I grew up in Charlotte, North Carolina. My southern roots influenced much of how I viewed the world as a young adult. I started running when I was fifteen years old. I also started participating in some very risky and unhealthy behaviors around the same time. In spite of the risks I was taking in my personal life, I graduated from college with a Chemistry degree and several years later with a Master's in Social Work. I competed at an elite level in the sport of triathlon, but discovered in my early 30's that much of what I was "chasing" wasn't attainable. I hit bottom at age 32. On July 7, 1993 while out on a sunset run I had an epiphany that eventually led to my developing the Girls on the Run program.

Question #2: Why did you decide to work in the field of women and girl rights?
I've always been interested in serving the underdog. Growing up in the South in the 60's and 70's, women were one of the underdogs. I couldn't understand why in spite of our intelligence, strength, and perseverance, we were unable to reach our greatest potential.

Question #3: What are the biggest work-related challenges you have faced? How did you overcome them?
At Girls on the Run, we talk a lot about the Girl Box. The Girl Box is an imaginary place girls go around middle school where we begin to morph into what we think we "should be" rather than staying true to our authentic selves. My greatest challenges have come from my own self-perceptions. Sure, our culture may box women in, but I have a choice to live life from inside that Box and all of its perceived limitations or I can intentionally live outside of it-choosing a path that honors the power I possess (in fact, the power that we all possess) which allows all of my gifts and talents to be utilized to their fullest capacity.

Question #4: Tell me about the mentors you have had in your life (male/female).
My mother was one of my greatest mentors.
When I was in fifth grade, my mother bravely stepped outside of her Girl Box and pursued a life that was authentic, alive, and honest. She began speaking up, standing up for her beliefs, and living!
My son, Hank, is one of my greatest mentors. He is a teenager and pursuing his dreams. He is fearless in his ability to be himself, in spite of the powerful (and often negative) influences of our culture's views of adolescence. My daughter, too, is full of life, radiant, and present.

Question #5: Anything you wish you had known when you were in earlier stages of your career?
I wish I had understood the importance of quiet time, reflection, and "slowing down." I had difficulty managing the perceived stress. Stress, of course, isn't real. Stress is the result of our own perceptions on what is going on around us, but I can clearly remember how stressed out I allowed myself to be in the early days of starting Girls on the Run. And as I write, I realize so much of our development as women isn't something we can force. It just happens through experience. As I always say, we don't know what we don't know. What I know now, certainly existed years ago, I just wasn't ready or yet able to see it.

Question #6: What are leadership qualities you value most in others?
I think there are two traits of key importance in leadership: Listening and being present. Leaders do not exist without the presence of others and so much of what creates a powerful leadership experience is being able to listen to those we serve as well as be present with them.

Question #7: What is your greatest achievement?
I'm in the process of accomplishing it, recognizing and achieving my greatest human potential.

Question #8: Who inspires you?
My children. I love them so much. I observe with joy in my heart how they are blazing a trail of their own. They see the world as limitless! They unconditionally love me and those around them. I seek to become more child-like and live life as they choose to live it!

Question #9: Do you have a mission statement or a tenet that you try to live by?
Yes, my mission is to inspire others to know and feel their worth.

Question #10: Do you have work/life balance?
I'm getting there. Stress is completely a perceived state of being. The quickest way to bring myself back to center in the work/life balance is almost embarrassingly simple. BREATHE. Breathing deeply gives me a momentary break from what feels like or appears to be chaos around me and pulls me right into center, then I am more capable of handling whatever is happening around me. On a larger scale, breathing deeply throughout the day brings peace and calm to my work/life balance that permeates everything I do, both throughout the day and throughout my life.

 

Kate Stence is a writer, editor, and an avid endurance runner. She has studied 18th Century Literature at the University of California Berkeley, feminist theory at Mills College, the French language at the Sorbonne, creative writing at New York University and the University of Iowa, as well as poetry at the Barnard Center for Research on Women. She recently completed the 85th Comrades Marathon, a 56 mile endurance event in South Africa, for Girls on the Run International and SoleMates. She will begin blogging for the International Museum of Women (www.imowblog.blogspot.com) as of July from Paris, France.

MBA Application tips: How to improve your candidacy

Guest post by Stacy Blackman Consulting

All aspects of the MBA application process will benefit from careful preparation. From your initial planning all the way to the interview, there is a lot to gain from investing hours up front. If you are planning to apply to business school in the fall, you may be wondering what you can do now to prepare. Aside from solidifying career goals and researching target schools, you can take several actions to improve your candidacy now that will pay dividends in the fall.

 

Community Involvement

Now is a great time to deepen or establish your involvement with a community organization. Consider roles that will allow you to take a leadership position and create real impact before September. Offering to organize an event is a great discrete activity that will allow you to work in a team, have an impact, and show results. For more information on various opportunities to get involved, visit our post on extracurricular activities.

 

Academic Enhancement

Whether you had issues with your GMAT score or your undergrad GPA, you can take action now to improve your overall academics before the fall.

 

If you took the GMAT once or twice and did not receive the score you think you are capable of, consider a prep course to enhance your skills and remind you how to solve those high school math logic problems.

An undergrad GPA hovering around 3.5 is generally considered fine. If your GPA is a 3.2 or below, or you majored in liberal arts, you may consider taking quantitative classes to enhance your academic profile. The MBA canon generally consists of Calculus, Statistics and Microeconomics. If you took any of those classes in undergrad and scored a C or below you should certainly re-take the classes now. Where you take the class is much less important than the course material and grade (aim for A's!!). The local community college is a fine option.

 

Leadership and Management Potential

Being promoted between now and the fall would be the ideal scenario, but you don't have to wait for your boss to act in order to enhance your overall leadership and management potential for business school applications.

 

Volunteer for that cross-functional team or project, offer to help your boss with a tough long-term goal, or get involved with employee groups at work whether through volunteering in the community or promoting diversity in your company. Letting others at work know you are interested in developing your people skills may uncover more opportunities to go above and beyond, and provide great material for your resume and essays.

 

As you prepare for application season, make sure you are taking action that lines up with your passions and overall goals. If you are preparing for your long-term future with excitement, you will be far more effective!

Please register for FWL MBA Application Workshop hosted by Stacy Blackman Consulting here.

Stacy Blackman MBA Admissions Consulting - personalized, comprehensive assistance with every stage of the application process.

Yoga and The Intelligence of The Body

Guest post by Jenny Clevidence:

Using the body's intelligence to help us understand our natural tendencies and how those translate into our way of leading and living.

What do our bodies tell us? Are we listening? Through movement of the body we can begin to listen, to calm our minds a little, and take notice. After years of self-development workshops, assessments, and being told that I need to be more this or less that, I felt lost. I began to not only look at the mind to create change, but to look at the body. When we can tap into the intelligence of the body and mind, we can develop a true awareness and ability to change.

Notice how in difficult situations or at times of happiness, there are certain sensations in the body. Maybe tension, sweaty palms, or a sense of rushing energy, or lightness occurs. This is the start of tapping into the intelligence of the body and something that can be explored in various forms of bodywork.

One way to begin exploring is through Yoga, it is a wonderful way to check in with what happens in our bodies when we are faced with certain situations on our mats. For example, when we begin to practice inversions like handstands, we may have a fear associated with going upside down. For some it is centered on the question, "can I trust my body to support me?" If we take this reflection off the mat and into life, we can see how this fear also comes up in our day to day, as trusting ourselves. How many times have we questioned our abilities, and then stopped before even trying?

On our mats we can begin to cultivate trust in ourselves by playing with inversions in supported ways. As we begin to trust our bodies and ourselves, this same trust is reflected off the mat. Coming in contact with the sensations, and reactions that occur in the body and mind provide us with a path to then cultivate change.

In June at Yoga & Leadership, we will explore this and other concepts as we engage in a challenging yoga practice (because life is challenging!) and conversation.

"Wherever you go, there you are...on and off your mat"

Jenny Clevidence
Integral Coach & Yoga Instructor
ro:ren collective
jenny@rorencollective.com

Graduate Studies or a Career? How Do Women Choose?

Guest post by Anna Miller

Not all of us know what we want to become early in life; in fact, there are stages we go through where we move from one ambition to another before we finally decide before or in college what we really wish to do with the rest of our lives. And even after we make this decision, there are other choices to make – do you need to continue with your education or are you ready to jump into a job? When you’re a woman, this decision becomes even more crucial considering that you have to weight your personal life against your professional one and try to balance the two equally.

Some women are happy being wives and full-time moms; they’re fulfilled by taking care of the home and looking after their families. Others need to achieve some level of professional success even before they can think of settling down. They usually take a break from work during their pregnancies and come back in a few months or when they feel their children are old enough to cope without them. And yet others prefer to immerse themselves in their profession without thinking too much about their personal lives; for these women, career success is an important life goal.

Grad school is a choice for those who are career oriented – if you want to become a doctor or a lawyer, you must apply for graduate studies and dedicate a good portion of your life to academia. But some aspiring professionals prefer to test the career waters before they go back to school to earn a graduate degree. For example, if you want to do an MBA or any other advanced business degree, it’s best to have some work experience under your belt.

Another deciding factor is money – it’s not cheap to earn an education these days. So if you’re struggling under a mountain of debt because of outstanding student loans, you’re likely to work for some time, pay off your loans, and earn enough to put yourself through grad school.

Also, women find that online education works well for them when they’re trying to juggle their personal and professional lives. Most of them don’t want to put their personal lives on hold just to pursue an education or a career – they prefer to do both simultaneously either because they’ve met the right man or because they feel their biological clocks ticking and want to start a family before it’s too late.

The choice of grad school or a job depends on:

• Your choice of career – some require you to apply for grad school immediately after your undergraduate degree while others allow you the freedom to work for a while before you decide to earn a master’s degree to further your career in terms of a promotion, raise, or both.
• Your personal preference – you may decide to stay in academia for a few more years rather than find a job.
• Your finances – you may be averse to taking out another loan to finance your graduate degree, so unless you’re able to find a scholarship, it’s best to start working so you can pay off your debt and start saving up for grad school.

This guest post is contributed by Anna Miller, who writes on the topic of online degree. She welcomes your comments at her email id: anna.miller009@gmail.com

 

 

Authenticity

A guest post by Pat Obuchowski:

"How desperately difficult it is to be honest with oneself.  It is much easier to be honest with other people."

~Edward F. Benson

To be authentic is defined by dictionary.com to be trustworthy, honest, genuine, real. It is a particular way of dealing with the external world, while being faithful to our internal selves and our ideas rather than external influences and ideas.

The word originated in the early 1300's from the Latin autheniticus meaning "one who does things himself".

Some of my work involves coaching emerging leaders. These are leaders who are new to their specific leadership position and the primary work with these leaders is to help them find their own leadership style while being fully authentic. Being real.

According to Eric Fromm, behavior is considered to be authentic if it results from a personal understanding of its drives and origins, rather than merely from conformity with the perceived wisdom of the society.

Light Walk by H. Koppdelaney

It's not easy being authentic in today's world. It is a difficult state to achieve due to the social pressures that surround us to "fit in", "be like...", and "live like...".

Not being authentic means projecting a persona that conflicts with your true character. This is like putting on an actor's mask and playing a different character than the one that is truly you. It shows up in your not saying what you feel. You may project a "know it all" persona, while in reality you need to learn so much more. You may have a continuously reproachful air when in reality you have a soft disposition. You may be a leader who believes in showing no emotions when you really have a tender and kind heart. There are numerous ways we mask our authenticity.

What a tragedy to live behind this type of mask. We can go through our entire life not knowing we wear a mask, or fearful of removing it as people will see the true person behind it.

Authenticity requires continuous self-exploration and self-knowledge. This is a lifelong process as we are always changing. This self-exploration alters our relationships with other people. People like us to stay the way we are. Changing is hard, but once we begin the journey of self exploration, there is no going back to being inauthentic.

The most dynamic leaders we have are those who lead by their core values and make known who they want to be in the world and what legacy they want to leave. This type of leader is consistent in their behavior regardless of what situation they find themselves in.

"To contact the deeper truth of who we are, we must engage in some activity or practice that questions what we assume to be true about ourselves." ~A. H. Almaas

You may get people to respond to a request (especially if their pay is involved); but only when you establish deep, human, emotional connections with people will they go out of their way to accomplish the difficult tasks needed to get exceptional results. If you're not authentic, you're less likely to establish those connections.

Authenticity is a state of being. You can't fake it and don't ever try to. People will know.

Here are a few questions to reflect on when taking a look at how you are being authentic:

• Who was your childhood hero and why?
• Who had the greatest impact on you as a leader and in what ways?
• What past mistakes have impacted you for the better as a leader?
• What do you most want to be remembered for as a leader?
• What is the legacy you want to leave?
• What advice could you most use right now as a leader?
• When is leadership fun for you?
• What was your very first leadership experience?
• What skills are you still using that you learned from this experience?

Meditation by H. Koppdelaney

I'm not talking about anything new here. Authenticity has been a source of leadership throughout history. Socrates stated, "the unexamined life is not worth living." A Roman statesman once said, "A good speech is a good man speaking well," meaning that the audience needs to perceive the speaker as authentic.

The art of leadership is the art of simply being you. Communicate your authenticity with passion in all situations and it will bring you many rewards throughout your career and your life.

"We need to find the courage to say NO to the things and people that are not serving us if we want to rediscover ourselves and live our lives with authenticity."~Barbara de Angelis

Step into authentic leadership and play a Bigger Game in your life...don't wait...model leadership...the World needs us to do this.

Lead strong!

Pat

 

 

About Pat Obuchowski:

Pat Obuchowski is the CEO (Chief Empowerment Officer) of inVisionaria, a WBE certified and ICF credentialed Leadership, Business, and Team coaching organization.  She currently serves as a Global Board Director for the International Coach Federation, the largest professional coaching association in the World.

Web:  www.inVisionaria.com

Linked In:  http://www.linkedin.com/in/patobuchowski

Twitter: Pat_Obuchowski

4 Reasons Not To Be An Entrepreneur and Why You Should Ignore Them

Overcoming Your Fears: The Entrepreneur's Journey

 

So you want to be an entrepreneur, right? That was my life dream. It was my solution for "having it all": a successful professional, personal and family life. These were my motivations. What are yours?

 

Like many entrepreneurs, I had major fears before taking the plunge. Having the entrepreneur’s dream, and making it a reality are two different beasts. There are many mental roadblocks that can inhibit you from taking the plunge: 

 

I’m not sure about my idea. What if I fail?

 

Failure is what happens when you stop trying. No idea is perfect. Ideas evolve much like people. They grow, change, and need to be nurtured to blossom.  Too many people think the idea is the key to entrepreneurial success. In reality, the idea is just the starting point.  The challenges come with the journey that follows.

 

When I started Marry Me Live, I was a true idea romantic. I quickly realized that business success could not rely on the idea alone. Execution and evolution is the key to business prosperity. Although we are still true to the original mission (enabling everyone to attend the wedding regardless of geography), everything else about the business has evolved and changed in one way or another. 

 

It is such a big risk. Is it worth giving up job security?

 

We all say we want to be an entrepreneur when times are bad.  The question you need to ask yourself is “Would I still be willing to give up my job when times are good?”

 

Entrepreneurship isn’t for everyone.  There is risk. There are ups and downs.  It takes a certain mindset to stay positive when things look bleak. If the entrepreneurial drive is stronger than the benefits you receive at the best of times, it is time to re-evaluate your situation.

 

Look yourself in the mirror and determine if your current position is getting you closer to your entrepreneurial dream. If the answer is “no”, staying in your current situation is the “bigger” risk. 

 

I'm scared. How do I get over my fear of “taking the leap”? 

 

You are likely reading this article because you want to take the leap. You are halfway there. You’ve done your research. If you have not done your research, start by talking to entrepreneurs. You will realize that they are not super humans, but everyday people like you and me. Those individuals took the leap because their passion for their business overtook their fear of failure.

 

Still not convinced? Do something that scares you just a little bit everyday.  Talk to that handsome stranger in the elevator, go skydiving, sing karaoke in a very crowded bar, whatever it is that gets you out of your comfort zone. 

 

When you realize you are still alive and breathing, you may be closer to taking that leap after all.

 

I cannot afford to be an entrepreneur! How will I finance the business?

 

If you are passionate about being an entrepreneur, you will find creative ways to make it work.  It could be a part-time job, friends and family investment, small business loan, or being a full-time employee/nights and weekend entrepreneur.  

 

Keep in mind that you may not be able to afford your current lifestyle. Being an entrepreneur takes sacrifice. But, when you have the vision, the sacrifice is worth it.

 

These are a just a few of the many thoughts that I’m sure are swirling around in your head. After reading this, if you still think you want to be an entrepreneur, the best advice I can give you is to not over-think the process!

 

The biggest hurdle of all is keeping your fear of the unknown in check. The entrepreneur’s journey is risky, but it is that same risk that can make your dream a reality. You will never feel completely prepared, but that is what makes the journey so thrilling. Once you realize this, taking the plunge is much easier than you think. So step back, relax and jump!

About the Author:

Stacy Yamaoka is the co-founder of Marry Me Live, a live wedding streaming and wedding webcasting service enabling wedding couples to share their wedding LIVE with family and friends around the world. Stacy Yamaoka is also the Director of College Mentorship for Future Women Leaders.  

Trends in Online Education

A guest post by Shannon Wills:

There’s no doubt that the Internet has given us a host of benefits and made the world a much smaller place than it is. We are now connected to every nook and corner of the earth, and information is no longer exclusive to a privileged few. One area where the World Wide Web has made significant contributions is online education – what started out as distance education where students were sent their study material through post and took their exams remotely has now bloomed into a full-fledged business that allows people to earn degrees from the comfort of their home.

The trends in online education have been changing since the time degrees were offered entirely online – earlier, there was a stigma attached to these degrees with employers and society refusing to accept them as equal to regular degrees that were earned in traditional institutions. The existence and rampant success of diploma mills that churned out fake degrees for money also did not help any, with people hesitant to accept even genuine online degrees as the real deal. And this meant that it was only those who had no other option left who turned to online schools to pursue an education.

Today however, there is a vast difference in how people perceive online education, especially since prestigious institutions like MIT have also jumped on this bandwagon and started offering its lessons online through its OpenCourseWare project. So we see the difference in the kind of students who enroll for online courses:
    •    While it earlier attracted mostly stay-at-home moms who had no time to attend regular college and for older men and women who felt out of place on campus, online education today is the choice of busy career men and women who look to these degrees to help further their profession and climb up the career ladder.
    •    Also, because of the recent recession, online education has become the savior of those who need to learn new skills to find better jobs, those who do not have enough money to afford a regular college education, those who wish to hold on to their jobs and also earn a degree so that they can further their careers, and for those who have been laid off and who seek to use their time constructively and in a cost-effective way.
    •    Veterans and others from the armed forces are turning to online education to help them gain skills to re-enter the mainstream workforce and fit better when they leave the army because of injuries or other reasons. They are able to learn from any place in the world, and when they leave the armed forces, they have a degree that will help them go places in the work world and also help support their families.

There’s no doubt that online education will continue to evolve and grow, and one day, it will become the norm rather than the anomaly.

This guest post is contributed by Shannon Wills, she writes on the topic of Online Engineering Degree . She welcomes your comments at her email id: shannonwills23@gmail.com.