How I earned my MBA for under $20k without a traditional bachelor's degree or scholarship.

"Have you ever thought about pursuing a Master's degree?"

I was asked this question during each performance review from 2012 onwards at multiple US companies. At the time, only five years into my career, my insecurities on the subject led to me smiling and politely responding with "I've thought about it. Maybe one day." What I found fascinating was that "Associate Degree" was clearly displayed on my resume when I had applied to each of these jobs. This insecurity simply didn't exist for the first five years of my career in Australia. Yet, when I moved back to the USA in 2012, the absence of a 4yr bachelor's degree really began to vex me. I am American, but you may not think that based on my LinkedIn profile. First, a bit of context as to why I may look Australian on paper.

Like many Americans, I grew up in a working class family, unsure whether I would go to college unless I was prepared to take on a lifetime of debt. I also wasn't super clear on what I wanted to do with my life. All I knew for sure was that I found school to be fairly boring and irrelevant at the time. One of my high school teachers once told me I was his smartest C student. I didn't feel the need to study and yet, I could still pass. The reality was I wasn't challenged. I enjoyed my art classes and daydreamed of the day I would move to Australia. My goal became to graduate high school early and take on more hours at the LoveSac and Hollister to save up my $8/hr & $5.25/hr in hopes it would be enough to move abroad. I took on dual enrollment and summer school community college classes which allowed me to graduate high school a year early. I also learned quickly that at $231 a week pre-tax, it was going to take a while to afford that plane ticket.

One day while at work I received a call from my older brother Keith, who owns a successful business, asking "What are you doing with your life? Going to work at the mall forever?" That thought made me ?? . I recall our conversation ended up with me on google and him asking "What do you like in life? and where do you see yourself? - type that in the search bar". You may be wondering what came up when I entered "travel, people, Sydney, tourism, degree"?

The International College of Management, Sydney in Manly, Australia. At the time it didn't feel realistic, but boy, what a nice thing to daydream about.

Turns out the exchange rate in Australia was roughly $.58 to every US dollar in 2005/6. Then I did the math - Australian Bachelor's degrees take 3 years vs. 4 years in America to complete and minimum wage was much higher - in fact, triple what I was earning at the mall. When comparing to a degree at Arizona State University, it wasn't even a toss up. I was moving to Sydney. I was going to ICMS. I was extremely fortunate to have my mom's support and she ensured I could financially make the move and not need to go into debt for the first two years of my degree. It's worth noting the total cost of each year for my undergrad was roughly $20k/year, supplemented by the dual enrollment credits I had earned during high school and working two jobs in Sydney while also studying full time to help pay for my rent and living expenses.

Then 2008 happened. It felt surreal to see the economic bubble burst from a far. My entire family was worried. My mom had worked extremely hard to build her boutique retail store for over two decades and wasn't sure how the financial crisis would impact our life. The exchange rate also changed drastically, now hovering around $.72 to every US dollar. My Australian life was in jeopardy. At one of my jobs, bartending at CBD Hotel, I had met another American named Brad. Each Thursday he and his workmates would stop in for lunch. We became friends and one day he asked "what are you going to do when you graduate?" Long story short - Brad hired me on as a recruiter. I made the decision to forgo my final third year of studies, take the associate degree and begin my career.

Not having a bachelor's degree didn't phase me then. I went on to work for well known companies in Sydney, including my first internal people operations role at Hilton Hotels. They loved the fact that I went to a Tourism and Hospitality University and I received an amazing reference from my old manager at Four Seasons Hotel, where I was working food and beverage in the Club Lounge while studying. Remember, it's a small world, so leave each role with positivity and grace.

Life went on. My partner and I decided to give Los Angeles a go before deciding where to settle down. We said we would give it 12 months. That's when the panic of the four year degree set in. I began to apply for roles back in the US. There was very little interest in my experience and the lack of a bachelor's degree often meant I couldn't pass the automated application screen. I was fortunate to meet Kathy Dodge at ATI, who needed someone to manage the HR and office services team and took interest in my tourism and international experience. She hired me over Skype. I moved back to the US on a Monday and began work that Thursday. Fast forward a few years, I found myself in a variety of interesting experiences related to my education. I was privileged in my ability to use the international experience as a differentiator and get into interviews for creative companies and startups, who often had less rigorous hiring processes and the dreaded auto-rejection due to lack of four year degree. However, occasionally during a job search I would get down to the final rounds and background check and be declined under the basis that a four year degree was required, even when I was upfront about my education during the application process. It was frustrating and eye opening. I recognized that starting my career in Sydney and having five years experience was the only reason I could get in the door for an opportunity. Imagine trying to get an opportunity without any experience - it would have been nearly impossible!

I went on to meet others with similar stories to mine. Often they were immigrants, self-studied or were fortunate enough to gain experiences through their networks that would open doors for them. I remained ashamed of my educational background. I dreaded educational requirements in hiring. It wasn't until Google and some other well regarded tech organizations lifted educational requirements for some roles that I began to feel this was no longer something considered taboo. It reinforced broader understanding from progressive organizations that higher education is a signal to potential performance and success in role, but not a guarantee.

Fast forward another five years. I began working in startups and saw the interesting and sometimes questionable business strategies and practices first hand. My colleagues would often say "well this is an amazing MBA case study." I would smile and in my mind thought, what might I be missing out on? From a people operations lens, I felt confident, but I knew that without the advanced business acumen, I wouldn't be fully able to partner in a strategic way with the Co-Founders and leadership teams who needed that support. I always figured that getting an MBA would be too far fetched as it would require finishing the bachelor's degree (2yrs in the US or move back to AU for a 1yr program) before even becoming eligible to apply. Then I began to research. Interestingly enough, while America requires a bachelor's degree prerequisite, Australia does not. In fact, Australia's vocational educational lean meant that the barriers to entry were far less and the value of experience and past education are highly regarded.

When applying to Southern Cross University (SCU), I wasn't sure what to expect. I had watched videos from parents who were working full time and enrolled in SCU's MBA program. I asked myself "how could it be possible?" while wrestling my three year old off of my head and attempting to read the brochure. Apparently, it was. I submitted my application. Part of the application process included sending past transcripts for my associate degree as well as the job descriptions from my past five years of work experience. Not only was I accepted into their MBA program, they also gave me advanced standing in 8 of the 16 units. Advanced standing is recognition of past education, work and life experiences specific to the learning outcomes of the unit. Amazing! ?? Roughly $16k saved just in recognition of past experiences. I appreciate that the Australian system isn't always looking for ways to monetize learning and recognizes accumulative experiences.

In November of 2019, I began the program. It wasn't too bad. Seven week sprints, each with 3-4 assignments. Mostly self-study, with recorded/live lectures and text in addition to online learning materials. It was intense, but the sprint method with breaks in between each unit made it manageable. My first unit I got a Credit. Back to being a C student. But online self study certainly had an adjustment phase. Once I figured out the right approach and balance with being a mom, wife, boss, employee, friend and now, student, I went on to receive mostly Distinctions and High Distinctions with the exception of the unit following the passing of my older brother AJ. Sometimes a Credit is just fine when coping with what life throws your way - remember to be kind to yourself.

When looking back, my motivation to complete my MBA was part insecurity (personal need for those letters on my headline) and part reflection. It was wonderful applying the past decade of work experiences to frameworks and theory. Not sure having the knowledge at the time would have changed the outcomes, but it is amazing to have so many experiences to apply to the theory. The best part? I feel I managed to work 'smart' throughout the process of obtaining higher education.

Here's the breakdown:

Cost: AUD$2500/unit x 8 unit = approximately USD$16k after materials and a favorable exchange rate throughout 2019-2021

Time: 150 study hours (recommended) for every 7 week sprint. The reality? 2-3 hours of study each week during evenings and weekends via lectures and readings plus 15 hours in assignment work. Total 35 hours ish deep focus time every seven weeks. Totally manageable with a full time leadership position, being a mom, wife, daughter, friend and occasionally building in some self-care time.

Note - Studying did not require taking a break from work / lost wages (which is required from many US MBA programs). To put this into perspective, my earnings during the MBA would be the typical amount of debt taken on to earn an MBA from a top University in the US. Instead of finishing the program in six figures of debt, I am able to focus on saving for my daughter's education.

This was extremely important to me personally. I still recall a conversation with my older brother AJ. Similar to myself, he didn't quite know what he wanted to do with his career. He thought he wanted to be a teacher, until he graduated and realized he was much more interested in psychology. He went back to school and became a doctor. I surprised him in Minneapolis for his graduation and we went to his favorite restaurant. I had to ask... "as someone who has been in school your entire twenties and early thirties, and knowing we don't have family money - how much debt are you in?" He smiled cheekily and said "approximately $243,000... and I bet about $40,000 of it was spent at this very restaurant." The food was pretty amazing. I almost spit out my wine and we laughed, but in all seriousness, he was looking at 10 years of aggressive payments. He was business savvy and not only started his own practice but built a beautiful office where he leased spaces to other psychologists. Moral of the story is that no way is the right or wrong way, but for those daunted by the US system, there are creative alternatives.

My guidance for those COVID grads debating whether or not to have a gap year, start a business or study. There is no right answer. If I did it all over again, I wouldn't change a thing. Personally, I don't see front loading education as the only way to get ahead in life and I truly believe my MBA would have had less meaning without the 10+ years of practical experience to apply to it. Don't go into heaps of debt for a degree you don't think will pay off. Go abroad if you can (post COVID) - with the right visa, you can study, work and get invaluable experience that will be a differentiator for you back here in the states later. Lastly, don't overlook the opportunity. Often folks have a number in mind for their first salary. Don't let that drive your early career decisions. For the first five years of my career I saw a low salary without decent benefits. It's been the past five years that have truly shaped and accelerated my earning potential, without expectations to choose work I hated or give up work I loved in order to earn more. Do what you enjoy, but remember that even jobs you are passionate about will have 10% of work you dislike. No job is perfect, even if you work for yourself. Without the bad, you won't know what good looks like. Lastly, if your first job is at an amazing company, don't take it for granted. Not all companies care for or invest in their people. After hopping around (a lot!) I can say when you find the right environment and right opportunity - it's rare, so appreciate it. Have gratitude for each experience that shapes what "right" consists of for you.

This C student will be graduating with Distinction once borders open back up ?????