Fear

David Gerken

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Change Your Mind Change Your Life

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I got an MBA (Masters in Business Administration) from Georgetown University in 1993. What motivated me to get an MBA? I can sum it up in one word: Fear.

How so? I was working in Washington, D.C., first as a legislative assistant on Capitol Hill and then running my own lobbying firm.

My fallback MBA

But if the Washington/politics thing didn’t work out, wouldn’t it be smart to have an MBA as a backup? If I got knocked flat on my butt someday, wouldn’t it be “prudent” to have that business credential in place?

The answer to both questions, in hindsight, was and is a resounding no. Going to business school was a complete waste of time, money and energy. What it revealed was a lack of confidence I had in myself.

And so it is with so many in our society today. Do parents want their kids to go to the best college they can because they truly believe that will give junior the best chance at happiness or because they think it will give him the best chance at not starving to death someday, alone in an alley?

Fearful parents

Do these same parents convince their kids to major in business instead of history, which is what they have a real interest in, because they…