“It’s a shame that we become so focused on getting a job after the MBA when it’s about so much more than that.” Someone said this to me recently, and it stuck.
Of course, most people do an MBA expecting a return on their investment: a better job, higher pay, a new industry or geography.
But there’s so much more to an MBA, and particularly an IMD MBA. This is a year of self-discovery and leadership.
Last weekend, a group of us tested that theory on the River Aare, floating from Thun to Bern. Picture this: 30-degree heat, a parking lot full of Swiss families inflating luxury dinghies with electric pumps, and then us, armed with supermarket pool floaties. The river was also moving about two hundred times faster than expected. Unperturbed, we found ourselves a secluded part of the riverbank and set to blowing up the floaties. By the time we’d finished (twenty minutes and three near-blackouts later), we were already questioning life choices.
It was time to jump. The cold water hits and we’re instantly 100 meters down the river. Somehow, we manage to regroup and join in a flotilla. After all the fear of being swept away or looking foolish, we found the magic: glacial blue water, warm sunlight, the beautiful Swiss alpine scenery gliding by, and, of course, great company. Sure, we hit rocks, currents, and the occasional existential panic, but isn’t that the point?
Coming back from summer break feels the same. Peak job-hunting season has us all splashing around, wondering if we’re keeping up with everyone in the bigger, fancier boats. “What if I don’t find the right job? What if I can’t stay in Europe?” The current is real, and it’s fast.
Then there are the rapids of the classroom. Our elective Dramatic Resources module this week pushed us into improv, voice coaching, and owning a room. Imagine a group of future executives learning to breathe like actors before an interview or to explain their life stories using a matryoshka doll. At first, it’s mortifying – you’re certain everyone’s watching you flail – but then you realize you’re still afloat. You come out stronger, more confident, and maybe even ready to enjoy the next rapid.
And between the rapids? Calm stretches. My wife, Cassie’s birthday this week was one of those: trivia in the city, swimming and drinks at the lake, time with friends. A reminder that this whole year isn’t just about career acceleration, it’s about the life you’re building alongside it. Those pauses matter just as much as the adrenaline.
The returns of the MBA will come. We can see that from generations of alumni. But the real win is leaving here with a sharper sense of who we are, what we’re good at, and where we want the river to carry us. The job titles and paychecks are just extra cargo.
So yes, the hunt matters. But the bigger lesson is this: don’t do the MBA for recruiters or prestige. Do it for yourself. If you can leave Lausanne knowing how to ride the current, bumps and all, then you’ve already won.
