How I Learned To Embrace The Unknown With An LBS EMBA: Anna Hyclak Part 1
Anna has followed in the footsteps of some of the world’s best and brightest in becoming an LBS alumna. As a former Googler, Anna faced the difficult challenge of juggling her EMBA and her tech role during the pandemic. Lendwise is proud to have supported Anna in her life-changing journey and achieve a dream milestone.
In the first of a five-part series, Anna will tell us how she learned to embrace the unknown with an EMBA from LBS.
I used to believe in 5-year plans. I had my entire life mapped out: the ladders I wanted to climb, the paths I wanted to take, and the goals I wanted to meet. But if you had told me in 2019 that within the next 5 years, I’d leave my job at Google, move to London to start working for a startup, transition from a design role into product management, and complete an Executive MBA programme at the London Business School, I wouldn’t have believed you.
Still, that’s exactly what happened. And now that I’m on the other side of it, I often get asked: What’s next? What’s the plan from here? But it’s because of these experiences that I don’t have an answer for them. The truth is, if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the past few years, it’s that you shouldn’t make a 5-year plan. It’s great to have an idea of where you want to go, but if you’re too rigid about your expectations for the future, you may overlook some of the incredible opportunities that cross your path.
This is where some people have the wrong idea about what you can get out of an MBA programme. It’s not a blueprint for your career; it’s a perspective shift.
An LBS EMBA experience
During my time at LBS, I learned a lot. I took amazing classes with amazing professors, read interesting case studies, and participated in simulations of real-world business scenarios. For a Global Business Assignment, I travelled to San Francisco where I got the chance to consult with a self-driving car company and listen to panel discussions about AI and machine learning and building innovative companies in your garage. I built an incredible network and met people who are now some of my closest friends. In the end, I came away with a toolkit of theories and mental models that have made me a stronger and more strategic leader.
But ultimately, my biggest takeaway from the EMBA programme has been a newfound confidence in myself. I know now that I can take on any challenge that comes my way, work my way through any problem, seize any opportunity, and always land on my feet no matter what happens. I don’t need a 5-year plan because I trust in the process – and my ability to navigate any new situation I find myself in.
New job in a new country? Sure, I’ve done it before.
Immerse myself in a subject I’m not familiar with? I managed to learn how to do weighted average cost of capital (WACC) calculations this year.
I can, with full confidence, handle anything thrown at me. Join a founding team, take on a non-executive director role on a board, or move from the corporate world into the non-profit space? I have people I can turn to, both professors and fellow classmates, who’ve done it all.
If you go into the EMBA programme thinking that you’ll come out of it with your life fully figured out, you won’t. If anything, things might be murkier than they were before. But that’s okay. That’s part of the journey. And if you’re like me, you’ll gain a new appreciation for living in uncertainty and embracing the unknown along the way.
Funding your Executive MBA course with Lendwise
With one exception: knowing how you’re going to finance your degree. For me, it made sense to take out a loan with Lendwise to supplement the scholarship I received from LBS. You may have a different plan. But if you’re interested in learning more about taking out a loan to give you the freedom to focus on your studies (and still enjoy your life) while you’re in school, you can learn more about Lendwise’s *options.
Representative Example: Assumed borrowing of £30,825 over 120 months at 12.73% APR representative. Monthly cost of £509.26. Total amount repayable of £61,199.65. Interest rate of 11.62% p.a.(fixed) and total fees of £925.00. Available for loan amounts between £5,000 – £100,000.
(Representative Example date: October 2024)
*Credit is subject to status and loan approval is not guaranteed. Over 18’s only. T&Cs apply.
