Hi y’all! It’s me, Shell the blogger behind The Closing Belle.
That statement is kind of a lie.
First, I suppose I can’t really in all seriousness still call myself a blogger. I’m embarrassed by the length of time that has passed since my last post (nearly half a year). (I can explain.)
Second, I’m not really going to be the closing belle anymore. Yes, I am still female. Yes, I am still working in financial services. So yes, for the time being, the pun still holds. [In case you didn’t get a chance to read my bio, it’s a play on words - the closing bell is rung at 4pm at the New York Stock Exchange to signal the end of the official stock trading day, and belle means girl. As a female in financial services, and a lover of all things punny, it really STRUCK (pun intended, of course) a chord with me.]
I’m still a female human in finance, but only for two more days. Then, I’m leaving the investment management field for at least 2 years — and potentially, forever. In two days, I’m gathering all the stilettos kicked under my cubicle (assuming that my colleague J hasn’t decided to hide them again - this is a recurring theme but a story for another time), sticking that slide rule back in my purse (just kidding - we totally don’t use slide rules anymore!) and making my grand exit from the professional life to go back to school.
I’m pursuing my MBA for four main reasons: (1) the optionality that comes with the degree, particularly in higher management positions, (2) a chance to do corporate recruiting all over again and land in a more direct, transactional role than asset management - which I have always wanted to do, (3) a GPA reset to compensate for my undergrad grades (no regrets there - I took challenging and graduate level classes and would do it again in a heartbeat), and (4) make life-long friends (some might read “business connections,” but I truly do mean friends). I don’t have many real-life friends. I guess it comes with the territory of being on YouTube in all my free time.
I’m excited to go back to school.
It’s not all puns ’n roses, though. A lot of disappointments have also come with this decision. I was in a great long-term relationship with someone I love very much, and that relationship has ended largely because of the distance that my MBA would necessitate. I’m giving up my job and firm - both of which I really enjoyed and paid an income - to pursue this rather expensive endeavor. I’ve downsized to a 70 sq. ft. bedroom with no closets to be close to school and save on rent.
So really, it has its ups and downs.
I hope to capture as much of all those ups and all those downs as I can through this blog. I plan to revamp it and instead of having a focus on working life and products that I love, I will share my MBA experience with you guys.
xoxo,
the closing belle
