“Maintaining your relationships, connecting with others, taking time to fuel your passions is top priority”.
Anna Grue, MBA(L) Candidate (Class of 2023)
Anna Grue, MBA(L) Candidate (Class of 2023)
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Having recently completed her CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) designation, Anna Grue is currently training for a half-marathon while pursuing her Master of Business Administration degree. Anna provides some insights on how she manages to keep studies, work, and life in balance.
Anna shared her recent accomplishments and her current plans; as well as what she hopes to gain by completing Dal’s MBA. Anna, exemplifies how the CEGE program’s blended/online learning model is synonymous with work-life balance.
Anna Grue
I began the part-time MBA program at Dalhousie in September 2020. I was nervous and unsure what to expect. Several years ago, I completed the education portion of my CPA (Chartered Professional Accountant) designation, graduating in early 2018. My educational experience while studying for my CPA was difficult, but extremely rewarding. It was very accounting (financial and managerial), finance, and assurance focused – as you would expect. I decided to enroll in the MBA program afterwards to fill in any knowledge gaps I had in my field – specifically around leadership, and corporate sustainability and ethics. To develop my leadership skills, I felt that the MBA program at Dalhousie would give me the required learning and experience to boost my career and obtain my goals.
I am almost half-way through the MBA program right now and have learned some valuable lessons regarding time management and work-life balance. I work full-time, I volunteer with Big Brothers, Big Sisters, I am training for a half marathon, I have hobbies I enjoy, and wonderful relationships (my partner/friends/family). Adding school into the mix has been challenging but is doable – the key for me has been fighting the urge to procrastinate (it’s a tough one!). I allot time for my studies every week and if I stick to my schedule, I find I can get all required work done in advance which ultimately reduces my stress level. Things become unmanageable when they are left to the last minute.
I can not emphasize the importance of work-life balance enough. Maintaining your relationships, connecting with others, taking time to fuel your passions is top priority. Schedule it in, make space for it – you are less likely to suffer from burn-out in the long run. I am starting to see more organizations prioritize a work-life balance model, certainly the MBA program at Dal promotes a happy balance and accommodates your unique schedule with most of the learning online and at your own pace. With new graduates and leaders emerging from the program every day, I hope this balance will become more commonplace and acceptable.