How To Go Back To School After 20 Years?
- Dec 15, 2022
- 4 min read
Updated: Mar 6, 2025
Written by: Katja Fritz, Executive Contributor
Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.
My Experience as a Business Leader, Founder, and Mother Pursuing an Executive MBA. Through the Ivy League Brown University and IE Business School. Thinking of going back to school? Just do it!
By sharing my experiences as a student in a demanding, full-time Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) program, while also a business leader, founder, and mother, I hope to inspire those with similar aspirations to pursue their goals.
Business Leader in Organizational Strategy
I am an expert in organizational strategy and am passionate about helping companies grow around Environmental Social Governance and a human-centered approach. I turn struggling businesses into profitable organizations, or I build them from scratch. Like many businesses, mine slowed considerably when the pandemic hit. In this disruptive moment I reflected on my priorities in life.
Ivy League
For me, it has been a lifelong vision to attend an Ivy League University. I graduated from high schools in the U.S. and in Germany, and always dreamt of doing it, but never pursued it. My parents were raised in a world where the differences of local universities and Ivy League Schools were not commonly appreciated, especially for women. When I was growing up, traditional gender roles still dominated in Southern Germany, and I knew I would not get the support needed to be an international student. Later, once I was out of school and advancing my career, it never seemed like the right time to go back.
The IE Brown Executive MBA experience
The slowdown in business during the pandemic created an unexpected opportunity for me to pursue my dream. Out of an intrinsic motivation I applied and was accepted as a student in the IE Brown EMBA, a joint program run by IE Business School and Brown University. Its hybrid design combines virtual classes and residential periods in Madrid, Spain, and Providence, Rhode Island (USA). The program offers a holistic approach that teaches key business skills, while also addressing challenging aspects of our global society. It covers crucial topics like climate change, social disparities, and how to lead people, teams and organizations.
Even though I received a significant scholarship, which mirrored my own impression of this being a good fit, many of my friends and family still struggled to understand and empathize with my motivation. They questioned my reasoning and the value of the pursuit after 20 years of leadership experience. The fact that I was a working mother often created doubt and even reproach – several times I was openly accused of neglecting my kids.
Undoubtedly, it was a tough program for me and my family. My kids are still little. Although my husband took over the majority of childcare, while working full-time, the kids still missed their mom. On countless occasions throughout the program, while I was writing forum posts, attending virtual classes, or writing academic papers, at least one of my kids was sitting on my lap, regardless of whether I got up extra early or was burning the midnight oil. This was true of many of the mothers in the program but watching other women leaders do the same thing I was doing was also a source of support and motivation. Despite the struggle, I was accomplishing a goal I had my entire life and setting an example for my children to do the same when they grow up.
MBA Graduate as a Business Leader
It was worth it! This accomplishment was a valuable experience that completed my life in such an enriching way. I am thankful for the broad spectrum of knowledge that I gained in classes like Financial Management, Leadership, and Climate Change at the Intersection of Business and Society. I am also grateful for the network of executives that expanded my horizon. Over 40% of my global EMBA classmates were women. To work in teams with people from over 15 countries, with different and often opposite mindsets, was enriching and, at times, challenging. This challenged me and broadened my perspectives.
Undoubtedly, it was tough, but it was worth it. Despite the resistance I experienced in my role as a studying, working mother and entrepreneur, I am impressed by the positive feedback from those who have similar plans and aspirations, while also accepting of those who don’t or feel opposed to it.
By pursuing my dream, I offered proof that it is possible. So, I shout out to all of you who have these kinds of plans: Just do it! Don’t let the timing stop you – there is never a convenient time. Do it now!
How to make it easier to go back to school after 20 years
Dedicate exclusive time for self-reflection and self-care every week. Meditation, Yoga and Sports help to balance high workloads.
A mindset of work-life integration – blending work, school and family. Don’t see them as separate entities but rather as a healthy set of compromises.
Build a network of trustees that you can rely on in tough times. You’re expanding your network significantly with the MBA. But in tough times you also need your inner circle you can rely on.
Follow me on LinkedIn for more info!
Katja Fritz, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine
Katja Fritz is a global business leader with a focus on organizational strategy and a passion for helping companies that want to grow around an Environmental, Social and Corporate Governance. Through a transformational journey, she builds the leadership, talent, policies, and culture needed to support these strategies.
She has proven success in turning struggling businesses into profitable organizations. She has also built organizations from scratch.
Katja Fritz is an MBA from Brown University and IE Business School and has 18 years of leadership and consulting experience. Following her passion for establishing a coaching culture in organizations, she is certified as an ICF Business Coach. She founded her Consulting Firm for Organizational Strategy in 2016. Today, she lives with her family in Berlin, Germany.
Follow me on LinkedIn for more info!
