Better the Devil You Know...
In the weeks leading up to my arrival at OSU, I was filled with a potent mix of anticipation and anxiety.
The anticipation came from the nerdy schoolboy in me jumping for joy at the prospect of being back in a classroom. "Imagine all I'll get to learn!" "I wonder what interesting people I'll meet!" "I can't wait for football games!"
The anxiety came from my inner skittish recluse pulling his hair out at the prospect of being back in a classroom. "What if I can't keep up with what they're teaching?" "What if people don't think I'm interesting?" "I don't even like sports!"
I suppose this anxiety would be a little more palpable if I explained my background. I graduated with a Bachelors of Fine Arts from the University of North Carolina School of the Arts' School of Filmmaking in 2014 with a focus on film directing. I moved back home to Youngstown, OH after graduation where I did a mix of videography, editing, volunteering at a ballet company, participating in community theater both on- and off-stage and working a variety of part time gigs. I decided an MBA was the right choice after my experiences told me that my passion for film had grown to all arts. I decided I wanted to be the guy who could talk to the stuffy suits as well as the airy artists.
No time in a big corporation. No use of what math skills I had. No sports. Does that anxiety make sense now?
Fast forward two weeks and that potent mix has been replaced with something much more powerful.
Coming back to school has felt more like a coming home. I had been to OSU only twice before, but within 48 hours, I felt like a prodigal son returned to his joyous father. Being here has felt like digging an old baseball glove out of a dusty attic and finding that it still fits after all this time (sports!).
I don't know what a pivot table is or what exactly a consultant does, but orientation at Fisher has made me feel like I'm going to be the best businessman the world has ever seen. The faculty and upperclassmen have not been stingy in telling me how hard I'm going to have to work to make it through the next two years, but without attending a single class yet, they've managed to make me feel like I've learned a lifetime's worth of information.
Adoration has replaced anticipation and until class starts, the anxiety still exists. Now, though, I know better what I'm getting myself into. I know who to turn to for help. I know what boundless resources I have at my disposal. I know who Urban Meyer is (sports!!).
I feel I'm staring into the abyss and the abyss is staring back, hungry. You know what I have to say to it, though?
Bring it.