An EMBA? You can handle it

I remember attending a negotiations class when I was just one year out of undergrad.

As an icebreaker, we were asked to share a “challenging experience” with the rest of our table. A woman at my table shared that she had recently completed her EMBA: she had a big job and five young children at home. I heard her story and thought she was insane.

Fast forward about 10 years, and here I am: a mom (of three, not five), a wife, a manager and an EMBA student. My advice would be this: do not write this off because you assume you can’t handle it. 

Yes, it is a commitment. Yes, it adds something to your already full plate. But I am here to say it is manageable and you will reap benefits you don’t even anticipate when you sign up.

For me, that has come through the people I’ve met and the relationships I’ve built. When all is said and done, this will have been one of the most challenging times of my life — but also, by far, the most rewarding. I would do it again in a heartbeat and I would encourage other women to do the same.

Maggie O’Brien ’16
Managing Director, Wealth Management, BMO Financial Group
Maggie works for BMO Financial Group and has held leadership positions in the bank’s Commercial Banking and Risk Management divisions. She is currently managing director, BMO Wealth Management, where she oversees a team of professionals dedicated to serving the needs of high net worth individuals, families and organizations. She is married with three children ages six, five and two.