One year ago, I was sitting in a graduation gown, holding a degree I never imagined having. Truthfully, I still can’t quite believe it. And yet, here I am. Still a little confused, still a little everywhere… but somehow, more at peace with it than ever.
When I was in middle school, I wanted to be a Graphic Designer. In high school, I was convinced it was International Relations. After 3 years working post-college where I majored in Management & Communication Studies for Non-Profit Organizations I was torn between International Trade and Industrial/Organizational Psychology. If the 20-year-old Cinta could see me now, she’d probably be very confused. Honestly? She wouldn’t be wrong. But I think I’ve stopped fighting the confusion. I’ve just gotten more comfortable living in it.
I’ve come to accept that my interests are pretty random—though if you squint, there’s a pattern. And all of them have shaped how I think, how I work, and how I craft.
I use the word “craft” intentionally. I believe everything we do is a manifestation of how our head, our hand, and our heart move together. So no interest is wasted. Every curiosity has been a clue to who I am.
Now, with more than 10 years as a Consultant, doing everything from sales, business development, teaching, coaching and mentoring, building businesses from scratch, managing financial records, making financial statements, running marketing campaigns, creating assets, collaborating with KOLs, making content, editing content, shooting content… even building websites and landing pages…I sometimes wonder: does being a jack of all trades mean I have no skill at all?
But then again, if what I produce is excellent work, doesn’t that make me the real MBA? Master of Bisa Apasaja. LOL. I literally just invented that term!! 😂
Anyway. As this writing is a rendezvous of my MBA journey, I wanted to reflect on whether or not the journey is worth it. Sorry to you all readers, you have to spend 5 minutes just to spot the “Why” in this article. Anyhow, you’re awesome! Thank you for reading up to this line of paragraph.
So… was taking an MBA worth it?
Actually, let me reframe that. Is taking post-graduate studies worth it, at all?
The Long Way Around
I once wrote a carousel about this on Instagram. To my surprise, it reached 36K views, the highest traffic I ever get (even though it is not intentional, of course, didn’t I say it was a surprise?!) Maybe… because this question sits quietly in a lot of people’s minds. I said that… going back to school, for me, it’s worth it. I think, until now, my answer is still the same. It is worth it. Let me explain to you.
First of all, my whys. It took me 10 years after my Bachelor’s degree to go back to school. Part of that is because, well I am very “zigzagy.” I like different things. Different kinds of projects. Different kinds of problems.
It was only after almost 6 years in a consultancy that I realized: this is the battlefield I want to be in. I use the word “battlefield” deliberately. A career isn’t just an identity—it’s a space that forges you. My current battlefield has served me well, both in its challenges and in the skill curve it demands.
Do I think going earlier would have been better? Honestly, I don’t know. And I’ve stopped asking. I can’t predict the future. Humans are, famously, the worst predictors of what will happen next, even professors struggle with that. So why spend energy haunting myself with a question I can never answer?
A decision is a decision. As long as I made it consciously—calculated, deliberate, mine—then I’ve made the right move. Whatever comes after is a mix of effort, life’s greatest mystery (a.k.a. luck), my parents’ and husband’s prayers, and factors I can’t possibly count. So why force myself to answer whether it was good or bad?
Ten years might have been exactly the gap I needed. I came back to school mature as a professional, ready for a break from full-time work and hungry for a fresh lens. Going back to school gave me all of that (and more).
During my professional years, I had already lived so much of what an MBA teaches. Which made me think: maybe being “T-shaped” is just my nature. Wide enough across many things, deep enough in the specific thing that is uniquely mine — in my case, consultancy skills? (which, yes, also consists of many other “general” skills. LOL).
So taking an MBA wasn’t about starting over. It was about becoming Cinta V2—the upgrade.
After my post-graduate studies, I became more self-aware. More resilient. At 30, I’m still craving challenges, not avoiding them. The MBA gave me permission to dream again. Something I think many of us quietly lose in the daily grind of adult life, especially in a world that often feels too heavy, too fast, too much.
Going back to school lets your mind wander and your heart ponder. You question everything…. and yet you still have the gut to try, to push your limits. (Writing a thesis is truly a testament to dedication. Ehem.) You discover a version of yourself that is daring, disciplined, and quietly beautiful.
On Growing (and Dreaming Again)
Before I enrolled, I made a promise to my husband that I wanted to see the world differently. I was scared of becoming someone who thought they knew everything, while actually knowing very little. That quiet arrogance terrifies me more than anything.
Going back to school will 100% make you feel like you don’t know many things…and that you never will master everything. And somehow, that’s a gift. It makes you respect knowledge. It makes you respect research, the slow dedication of academics, the professors who have given their lives to understanding one thing deeply.
Learning is a slow process. And in a world where everything moves fast, you need that slowness — to pause, to reflect, to redirect your sense of purpose. To find answers to old questions. Or better yet, to find better questions for your life.
I know…I’ve been quite abstract here. But I think that’s what’s deeper than anything else. The things that matter most often are.
I’ll happily mention that after graduating, I managed to increase my income and I’ve built a small business that sustainably gives impact to the people I work with. However if you notice, I didn’t start with this, because it’s not the most important part of the story. In a time where having a job at all is already a luxury, I don’t take it lightly.
But here’s what I really want to say, to anyone reading this who’s on the edge of a big decision about going back to school:
It’s a space to reshape your mind — to gain wider, deeper perspective, reframe how you think, and be challenged in the best possible way. And the people you meet along the way? If you’re lucky, they become friends for life.
So, is it worth it?
For me — with my zigzag, my chaos, my curiosity, and my craft — yes!***
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