Thinking about the MBA path while browsing old class photos

Staring at those EMBA sports day photos

I ended up scrolling through some photos from the Sungkyunkwan University EMBA sports day recently. It’s funny how these things pop up. People were smiling, wearing matching shirts, and looking like they were having a genuinely good time, which usually feels a bit forced at these kinds of networking events. But there was something about the whole ‘charity flea market’ vibe they had going on—the one where they donated 2.5 million won to a children’s cancer foundation—that made me pause. It didn’t look like the stiff, corporate networking I was bracing myself for when I first started looking into these programs years ago.

The reality of the tuition fee versus the actual gain

When I first started crunching numbers for graduate school, my brain was almost entirely focused on the cost. It’s not cheap. Whether you’re looking at an MBA at Yonsei or trying to compare it to a program at Ajou or even just considering an online degree to keep your job, the numbers are heavy. I remember talking to a friend who finished their program at SKKU and they kept saying the real value wasn’t the lectures, which felt a bit contradictory to the whole point of going back to school. You pay all that money—sometimes it feels like you’re paying for a social club—but then you realize you’re actually paying for the group of people you’re trapped with for two years.

Managing the Data Analytics Associate exam alongside work

I had this phase where I thought getting the Data Analytics Associate certification would make my resume shine enough that I wouldn’t need an expensive degree. I spent three months waking up at 5:30 AM to study before my shift. By the time I actually sat for the exam, I was so burnt out that I barely cared about the results. It’s one thing to look at the ‘success stories’ of people moving from Samsung SDS to major roles at other groups, but it’s quite another to actually live through the process of trying to climb that ladder. Sometimes the path, like entering a graduate school of education to pivot into teaching, seems much more straightforward in theory than in the office grind.

Professors and the disconnect of theory

I’ve sat in on a few seminars where professors from places like the Sungkyunkwan China Graduate School or Chung-Ang University would talk about the macroeconomy or tech management. They are incredibly sharp, no doubt. But sitting in those chairs, I often felt like the bridge between their ‘industry outlook’ and my day-to-day work was missing. You hear about ethics in AI or the complexities of the Chinese financial market, but then you go back to your desk and have to finish a spreadsheet that’s due in an hour. It’s a strange oscillation between high-level theory and the incredibly mundane reality of office life.

The uncertainty of where the degree leads

I’m still not entirely sure if the trade-off is worth it. I see people finishing their MBA and ending up in positions that look similar to the ones they left, just with a slightly better title. Then there are those who seem to jump into entirely new industries. I’ve looked at options like an American language training program as a way to just reset, but then that brings up the ‘opportunity cost’ conversation all over again. I suppose the lingering feeling I have is that no matter how much you plan for the next step, there’s always a part of the transition that feels like you’re just making it up as you go along. I haven’t clicked ‘apply’ yet, and honestly, the thought of adding another long-term commitment to my schedule makes me feel tired.