My Big Brother's going back to school.

Amanda, my fiancé, and I have been planning our wedding for a while now. We are only a few short months away and I can tell it’s starting to stress us both out. We eat, sleep and breathe wedding details. There is always an appointment or meeting or scheduled event that we are dealing with. All this planning for one day of our lives! So I was glad to get a call from my brother Eric last week, it was a nice distraction, well until I heard the news. The guy just got laid off from his job and he’s always been the dependable one in the family. Eric had plenty of work experience, but that still didn’t save him. Seriously, I expected my bro to be more shaken up by what happened; the guy had eight years of work experience. But what he told me next kinda surprised me… he told me that everything happens for a reason. Okay so now what? Eric admitted that he’s been putting off his MBA goals because he didn’t want to deal with the GMAT test. He was never a good test taker, believe me I remember, and so he kept pushing out his “get-back-to-school” date all because of his GMAT. But there might be some hope for my big brother after all; his work experience may actually be the answer to bypassing the GMAT.

I was even more surprised when he said that he is considering moving out of state! He has lived here all of his life and now he is thinking of moving away. He has some buddies who are living in Indiana; a few of them are actually going back for their MBAs right now. And he could work with one of them while he starts MBA program. I’m sure the pay will suck, but at least he will be getting more work experience. He said it should be enough money to cover MBA classes and help chip in with rent. Hopefully enough to cover his Thursday night beer and wings ritual too.

He started researching universities in Indiana and came across some pretty good options. The counselor told Eric that with his work experience he might be able to skip the GMAT test and dive right into his coursework for his MBA. Now that is great news! She further explained that their web site would give an outline regarding MBA classes, requirements and initial deadlines so my brother can start looking ahead and getting a game plan together. He is going down there in a couple of weeks to meet with a counselor face-to-face, My brother wants to discuss his MBA options, figure out the GMAT waiver, and hopefully come up with a reasonable tuition plan as well. The counselor should also be able to outline a sample MBA class schedule, explain the GMAT waiver in detail, plus I’m sure their conversation will include specifics for his undergrad GPA and work experience.

As I continue sweating the wedding details my big brother is starting to get his nose back in the books for his MBA. Though I’d never admit it, I do admire Eric. He gets laid off and instead of focusing on the negative he is actually going to take all of his work experience and start up his MBA and hopefully beginning the next chapter for him.

One Year out of Architecture School.

I am nearly one-third of the way through my IDP credits. Just two years left and I can call myself a licensed architect in the state of Michigan. Some of my buddies that went to other universities in Michigan are just now graduating with their Architecture degree. Architecture school was great, but I am glad to be done. I can't imagine taking four years to get my Bachelor of Science in Architecture degree and then another two-years to get a Masters in Architecture. Not so sure my fiance can imagine having to wait another year to get married either.

I researched all of the great Architecture schools in Michigan to find the best 5-year Architecture degree program in Michigan. I knew I wasn't going to leave the state since out-of-state tuition can be killer. Another important aspect for me was finding an accredited Michigan Architecture school. I wasn't going to spend five years in an Architecture school and not get an Architecture degree that would be highly regarded by my future employers.

The three studio levels at my Architecture school were pretty intense. It was at least 12 hours a week of design work. It was great to have some real hands-on experience, but we definitely worked our butts off. Structures was nearly impossible for me. I think every Architecture school is that way. It was just not my strong suit, but the professors were great and I got through it. I am dreading the Structures test for IDP. I am gonna have to study all my old notes.

I never really finished my portfolio after graduating with my Architecture degree. I was fortunate to find a job rather quickly so I kind of just let it go. In moving into our new apartment, I came across a few printed copies I started with and it really made me want to go back through my work from Architecture school and finish my portfolio. Things are going great with my job, but Michigan's economy is suffering and it can't hurt to be prepared.

For my Architecture school graduation, my parents had ordered a frame to put my diploma in. It took a few months to actually receive it and then again, with the move to the apartment, things got shuffled around. Amanda actually found it when she was organizing the office this past weekend, so I took the time to pull out my diploma from Architecture school and put it in the frame. It's the first picture we actually hung on our walls.

I actually thought of visiting the campus of my Architecture school the other day. I really respect the professors I had and it would be nice to update them on where I am working. I think it would be a nice trip to take Amanda around campus. We weren't dating very seriously when I was in Architecture school so she never really got to see what I did there.