Brigham Young University is a unique place. 98.5% of the students are Mormon (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints).
Before you can attend, you\’re required to sign the Honor Code. This commitment includes being honest, avoiding alcohol/tobacco/coffee, living a chaste and virtuous life, and following dress and grooming standards. But that\’s not why I\’m grateful for this university.
Attending BYU has blessed my life in many ways. Here are eight:
- Good examples. I first enrolled a few days after high school graduation. Having grown up in Southern California, with only a handful of Mormon friends, I enjoyed being around people who shared similar values.
- Mission preparation. Midway through my Freshman year, I took a break from school to serve a two-year mission in Oklahoma and Texas. BYU helped me get ready for it. I had great roommates who were also planning to serve a mission and several courses taught me how to prepare.
- Finding a great job. As an undergrad I was exposed to many different career paths. Several professors and classmates mentored me and helped me along the way. I found a promising, stable job at Lehman Brothers. Oh wait…
- Meeting my wife. I met my wife in a finance class. Calculating the present value of an annuity was all it took for me to win her over. Meeting her was well worth the cost of tuition.
- Affordability. And while we\’re on the subject of cost, you can\’t beat the tuition. I was able to get both my degrees without going into debt. (Big thanks to Grandma Hobbs for helping out with the first one.)
- Finding a great job 2.0. I came back to pursue an MBA with an emphasis in HR. BYU helped me get a job at LinkedIn, a company I absolutely loved working at.
- My book. I was inspired to write Not Your Parents\’ Workplace as a 2nd year MBA student. Several professors and classmates played a huge role in this. Part of the motivation for writing it came from an entrepreneurship class. I was supposed to start a business, and pitched my professor on writing a book instead. I think he thought it was a lame idea, but he approved it (thank you, Tom Peterson).
- Friends. Many of my closest friendships were formed at BYU. I met so many wonderful people who have enriched my life in many ways.
I\’m grateful for Brigham Young University.
#30daysofgratitude
