In pursuing an advanced degree, there's always a balance to strike. A balance between excelling academically, staying grounded in the professional world, and growing as a person. When I arrived at the Heller School, I had three clear goals: 1) Excel in my classes and earn strong grades. 2) Succeed in my U.S. Army ROTC program and grow as a leader. 3) Continue developing professionally and build my resume.
These goals weren’t meant to be tackled one at a time; they needed to happen simultaneously, without exception, until I got to the position I most desired to be at (if I ever do). Nonetheless, achieving this has required a delicate and exhausting balance of time, energy, and resources. That's time spent working, studying, and fulfilling ROTC obligations. To say it's been a sprint since starting at Heller would be an understatement. That said, I want to share a vulnerable moment of an example of when I got the balance wrong.
For context, I currently work at Heller Admissions (where I’m writing this now) and also as a Research Assistant at the Schneider Institutes for Health Policy and Research. About three weeks ago, I took on an additional research job at MIT. At the time, I knew I was practically at my limit (working every weekend and running on little sleep), but I like to say “yes” to opportunities and was optimistic I could make it work.
Almost immediately, however, I noticed a decline in my ability to manage school, ROTC, and other work obligations. Every spare moment not devoted to immediate deadlines, assignments, class attendance, was now swallowed by work. I really do mean every spare moment. Sleep was already minimal, but now it was only when I fell asleep while working. On top of that, I was called away for two of the three weekends since starting Army ROTC field training.
I eventually realized two things: I wasn’t growing in the new position, I wasn’t enjoying it, and I was not being respectful to the professor's (the supervisor, and someone whom I sincerely respect) project timeline. So, I made a personal decision to leave the project.
However, this decision led to something really meaningful. In preparing to speak with my supervisor, who once again had just hired me and was investing time into my onboarding, I had the chance to apply the dialogue and negotiation skills I’ve been learning in class. I came up with a plan to turn this into something positive. Since my departure would require them to re-open the hiring process (delaying progress on a strict timeline), I took the initiative to find a replacement. I immediately thought of another Heller student and friend who was not only a perfect fit but also genuinely excited about the opportunity.
In the meeting with my supervisor, I pitched the idea—and it worked. We avoided a tough “resignation” conversation and instead had a really collaborative, open dialogue. We left the meeting with a lot of mutual respect, and I felt like I not only preserved respect from this professor but gained a lot for admitting that I was not the fit for the job and its timelines.
We both certainly got some relief, as I got time back to focus on school, ROTC, and projects I care more deeply about, and they got a motivated new team member. We ended up spending some time together just conversing about life, about my ROTC training, and about the processor's research plans. We agreed to keep in touch and update each other on how our careers unfold.
This experience reminded me that growth doesn't just come from saying "yes" to everything. Sometimes, it comes from knowing when to step back. And stepping back is not failing, as long as you’re growing, and I’ve learned that as someone who set a goal to grow as a leader was a significant learning moment to take initiative and to also create an opportunity for a dear friend and fellow Heller Student.
Future students: set your goals and hustle for them. Just don’t lose sight of balance. Check in with yourself. Make space for what matters most. Keep moving forward in the way that serves you and those you care about, best.