When I started this entry, it was Sunday night. I took out my laptop and just stared at the thing. A smile slowly creaked from the right side of my mouth as I asked myself, "what do I want to do on the computer now?"

This may be what many of you wonder when sitting in front of your computer. In fact, right now, you've chosen to spend your computer time checking out this site, probably one of many you plan to visit. But the reason I smile when I ask myself that question here on a Sunday night is that this is the first time Since May 25, 2003 where I have had no obligation after a full workday to pick up my laptop and start working again- this time on classwork.

Last Tuesday (err..maybe two tuesdays ago now) I logged into my University of Phoenix site to get the info on my next class and saw nothing on the list. Thinking it a bit odd, I called my academic advisor and asked what was up. He looked into my records, saw that I had met my credits and told me that I was done. Yea. Done.

Brian E. Korte, M.B.A.

No more classes, no more papers, no more last-minute team conferences with people all over the country. I no longer have to log in to class or present an analysis (...and this is no exaggeration here...) of Lithuania, as it pertains to the feasibility of producing steel pipes in such quantity as to satisfy a Lithuanian construction company who just won the bid from Ignalia's Nuclear Power Plant to form a pipeline to the nearby town of Visaginas.

(I nailed that assignment, by the way.)

I set out on a long journey in 2003 and on Tuesday, I came back from that journey with an MBA. This has been a long, long road.

I have made many sacrifices to ensure the completion of this degree. My coursework for U of P was performed throughout one of the most exciting chapters of my life-- that, of course, being the move to Richmond, the start of my independent life and the personal quest to experience all that this country has to offer.

Looking back, there were a lot of moments I was very proud of in my tenure with Phoenix. Some of these highlights included:

• I was able to travel the entire country while still persuing this master's degree.
• While working at TruSecure in Herndon, I had a 4.0 for six straight months.
• My worst class, Accounting, was re-taken. It was harder work the second time around, as strange as that seems, but I pulled off a B+ and redeemed myself.
• My final course was about being a technology consultant, a real-world scenario for me, and by far my favorite class.

I've hopped online and logged into class from more than half of these continental US states. Many of you heard me lament the fact that my trips and travels were cut short to work on assignments. While I didn't mean to whine as much as I am sure I did, there were some serious pain-in-the-ass moments... Among the most frustrating experiences were:

• Racing home early from riding a bike over the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to write a paper for Accounting
• In July 2004, when instead of preparing for a 48-hour roadtrip through Colorado, Wyoming, Yellowstone, Montana, Utah and Idaho, I was working on a "The Financial Ratio Analysis of Delta Air Lines"
• Enjoying my first night alone in Manhattan in December, 2003 by watching Phantom of the Opera, then cutting the beeautiful snowy night short to complete a paper on the "Practical Applications of Statistical Concepts to Business"

Bleh.

My course list went like this:

1. Managerial Communication
2. Human Relations And Organizational Behavior
3. Legal Environment Of Business
4. Marketing Management
5. Statistics And Research Methods For Managerial Decisions
6. Operations Management
7. Economics For Managerial Decision Making
8. Accounting For Managerial Decision Making
9. Finance For Managerial Decision Making
10. Information Management In Business
11. E-Business Principles And Practices
12. Strategy Formulation And Implementation
13. Project Management In The Technological Environment
14. Management Of R&D And Innovation Processes
15. Technology Transfer In The Global Economy
16. Applications Of Technology Management

and Bam! Two and a half years later, here I am. What does the future hold? Maybe I'll blog a bit about it in 2006...

Merry Christmas! Mwahh!!!