After my MITx journey, I'm finally taking on something I've dreamed about for a while: an MBA.

Let's rewind to 2017. Fresh out of school and stepping into the real world, I immediately ran face-first into a massive wall.

Everything I'd learned in school and from books told me the same story: if a service is good, if the features are solid, if it's beautiful and well-designed— success will follow. Simple equation. I believed it too. (In my defense, I was in my early twenties. Cut me some slack.)

And honestly? Every successful service I'd seen was beautiful and well-made.

But what I actually experienced in the real world? Completely different story.

No matter how beautiful or well-crafted a service was, if its vision didn't align with the company's direction, it wouldn't even get the chance to succeed.

Here's a perfect example.

For a new service, I went through the whole process— defined features, gathered requirements, and created a comprehensive solution blueprint. As a fresh graduate, I threw myself into it with massive expectations and starry-eyed dreams. Day and night, I obsessed over every detail. Even in a less-than-ideal development environment, I gave it everything I had and finished the build.

D-1 before official launch.

I was absolutely buzzing with anticipation about the impact this would have.

What I got instead? Launch cancelled.

...Why?

Turns out, management didn't approve it. And their reasoning was sound, actually. Classic startup concern: cannibalization— the risk that the new service would weaken the existing one. I get it. I really do. But still... wouldn't creating something better ultimately help the company?

As a newbie, I didn't have the standing to push back. And just like that, the service died.

That day, I learned something new.

All that work I poured my heart into? It was never really mine. My job was to create beautiful things— but only within the boundaries of what aligned with the company's vision and direction. No matter what I built, it would only work if it fit the company's values.

From that day on, I started studying management and business strategy more seriously. Later, after hearing stories from a colleague with an MBA, I thought: maybe I should learn this stuff properly.

Think about a waterfall. People gather at the bottom, admiring how beautiful and majestic it is. But in the end, the beauty of that view is determined by how much water flows from above— from the source.

I wanted to reach that faucet.

As I learned more about MBA programs, I decided it was finally time to make this dream real.

Now, let me be honest about my situation. I'm not great at math. My English isn't exactly stellar either. Never studied abroad. And money? Haha, let's not even go there.

So I went searching for a school that could understand my less-than-ideal circumstances and still help me grow.

Sure, prestigious programs with big names are tempting. But deep down, I crave something practical.

After comparing and analyzing multiple schools, GIES Illinois iMBA emerged as my savior.

Online classes. A practical focus rather than pure marketing theory. English instruction. An inspiring growth story. A solid curriculum. It gave me the exact same feeling I had when I chose my undergraduate school.

"This is it."

So here I am, taking on this challenge.

I know exactly who I am. A nobody with nothing, and honestly, not the sharpest tool in the shed.

But I'm going to try anyway. I want to become the faucet at the top of the waterfall.

(Of course, I might not make it... imagine how embarrassing that would be...)

Let's do this.