How I Graduated With Zero Debt

With 2013 quickly approaching, this is the certainly the time of year that people around the world are creating New Year's resolutions. Since "manage debt" and "spend less, save more" are some of the most common resolutions, I thought that this would be an ideal time for me to outline how I graduated from my MBA with zero debt. I hope that my story enlightens you and teaches you that it is possible to obtain a high quality education without sacrificing your financial status.

It is thanks to the Canadian education system that I was able to do the unthinkable. Though I have heard that many American MBA students can go up to $230,000 in debt to obtain the same degree as me, I was able to benefit from the lower priced schooling in Canada. As an American who resided in Montreal for eight years prior to beginning my Master's degree, I had established Permanent Residency in Canada, particularly in Quebec. Though students were recently protesting tuition hikes in Quebec, Quebec still maintains the lowest cost for education in Canada (and this is of course significantly lower than American schools).

Since I knew that I wanted to take advantage of the low education costs in Quebec, I applied to HEC Montreal for my MBA. Not only was the program one year, enabling me to lose only one year's worth of salary and pay less tuition, it was a public institution (not to mention a well-ranked school). Though McGill University recently privatized their MBA program, HEC Montreal has steadfastly remained public. Therefore, I paid local Quebec fees (as a Quebec resident) which totalled approximately $7,000 for my entire MBA studies.

Because I had previously saved enough money to cover these tuition costs, as well as my living costs for the year, I was able to graduate from my MBA with zero debt. For those of you who might have financial worries and/or dreams of obtaining an MBA, I hope that my story has demonstrated that it is possible to get an MBA and live debt-free.

Go Tell It on the Mountain

Although my office was technically closed yesterday, four of us were there to get work done during this quieter time. So I spent the day working alongside three of my officemates from a startup called ChowNow. We even celebrated Christmas Eve together (pictured below), enjoying dinner and holiday music well into the night.

As I promised myself I would, I spent Christmas day away from work revelling in the beauty of the great outdoors. I felt like a true Californian as I jogged along the beach and hiked the Santa Monica Mountains today. The landscape was unlike anything I had ever seen before and it's hard to believe it's all right in my own backyard. It was truly a magical Christmas.

Winter in Wonderland

I am told quite frequently that I resemble Ellie Kemper from The Office, so I thought it was about time that I create a side-by-side image of the two of us. This is my holiday gift to my blog readers. You're welcome!

Since I last posted, I have been keeping up my busy schedule of work and networking events. During the past couple weeks I've attended the following:

• Silicon Beach Holiday Party
• LA Tech Happy Hour
• Startup Holiday Mixer
• Putting the "User" Back in User Experience

These events have helped to shape my understanding of the LA tech/startup community and given me an opportunity to meet countless people. Now that it's holiday time, it's kind of sad to see my calendar so empty until well into the new year.

Though there are Christmas decorations all around, including the above display at Santa Monica Place, it doesn't quite feel like December here. There are sunny, clear skies nearly every day, which is why I asked my Montreal friends to show me their snowy apartment view on Skype today. While I miss the snow and I feel confused about the season, I am so happy that I made the move to LA. I'm looking forward to spending the next few days enjoying all that I have around me.

Hollywood and Hackathons

My new life in LA has been a whirlwind of work, networking events, friends, and fun. As for work, we had our remote employees in town this week, so my focus was on making their time in LA productive and enjoyable. I am happy to say that our team-building activity on Thursday at the UCLA Outdoor Adventures Center was a huge success and I strongly recommend it for any company in the area.

This has also been a crazy time of networking events! I had two days this week with two events in one day and today was officially the first time in two weeks that I did not have an alarm waking me up. Even my last weekend was spent at a hackathon (photo above), where I was learning and observing the entire time. I'm already looking forward to my next hackathon experience! These past couple weeks have been exhausting, but truly amazing. I attended all of the following, in order:

• How to Successfully Build and Sell Your Startup 
• AngelHack Fall 2012 LA
• Content Marketing/PR for Start-Ups
• Health 2.0 LA Happy Hour
• Launchpad LA + Streetcraft LA Pop-Up Shop
• 3rd Annual LA Tech VIP Holiday Party Presented by Jason Nazar
• An Evening with Robert Greene

What has been great about participating in so many events is that I've already made many new friends. The startup community in Silicon Beach has started to feel much like the one in Montreal, in that I see a lot of the same faces.

It's hard to believe, but I've also had time to do things outside of the tech/startup scene, as well. One of my new friends works at Fox and got me a ticket to see Hitchcock on the studio lot. Also, knowing my love of film, he brought me to see Arbitrage at the Aero Theatre, where there was a Q&A with Richard Gere after the screening. I suppose my life of Hollywood and hackathons is not too shabby.

Down to a Science

It is amazing how influential my one week as a volunteer at C2-MTL truly was. It led me to my current job and helped me to develop strong business contacts and friendships. In fact, I have kept in touch with many of the people I met there, including neuropsychologist Dr. Rex Jung. When he sent an email saying that he was featured on Nova Science NOW's "How Smart Can We Get?" I had no idea what a treat I was in for!

If you watch the program via the link above, you can find Dr. Jung from about the 25-minute point until 30 minutes in (Note that the entire show is 57 minutes long). It was great to learn more about his work, but it also gave me even more of a reason to be happy that I learned to juggle many years ago. Watch the video to find out why! Also, the program delves into the human ability to be a calendar calculator, a talent my own mother possesses.

Lastly, the show focused on anxiety and stress, especially during test-taking. The act of journaling before an exam or any stressful situation is something that every MBA student can easily adopt and the amazing result is that it can boost the final score by two grades, on average. Now that I am working in the stress reduction space, it is especially important for me to note all of these anxiety-reducing tactics.

Giving Thanks

I have now completed one and a half weeks (the half due to American Thanksgiving) at my new job as Operations Manager at bLife. I'm happy to report that I absolutely love my position and the employees are great to work with. There are many fun aspects to my role, including planning our business trips and team-building activities. I also feel so honored to be working in Silicon Beach, the heart of LA's startup community.

As I settle into my new apartment, I'm looking forward to the stage when I'll be hanging artwork and coordinating the final touches. In fact, my friend Shane Turner who is an artist in Montreal will be creating a painting for me, which he hinted at in a recent interview with 102.7 FM, LA's number one hit music station.

I have been keeping in touch with other friends in Montreal, too, especially members of my MBA cohort. As a matter of fact, the video above was created by a classmate from my MBA who launched a video editing business. You'll see clips of me peppered throughout the video! Canadian Business also released "The MBA programs that lead to the biggest pay raises" and HEC Montreal is highly ranked on the list. 

Obviously, I'm still following the news in Canada and was happy to see the Fast Company article "This is Canada, by Canadians, for Americans (and Everyone Else)." The consumer-generated video that bucks the Canadian stereotype was facilitated by Tourism Canada can be viewed below.

I've certainly had some interesting and exciting experiences since I've moved here. For example, I had my first celebrity sighting (John Slattery of Mad Men). Also, since my driver's license was from Quebec (and even though I originally passed my driving tests in New Jersey), I had to take both a written and behind-the-wheel driving test. I'm glad to say that I passed the tests the first time around.

In the spirit of this week's Thanksgiving holiday, I also wanted to say that I am grateful for my close friend Lior (a friend from McGill), who has been so amazing in inviting me to so many activities here in LA. I went to an album release party with her, as well as a Thanksgiving potluck. I'm also thankful for the sunny weather and all that I get to experience here in Los Angeles in my new life on the west coast.

Home Sweet Home

Returning to my home country has proven to be more challenging than one might think, on an administrative level. Between shifting bank accounts to getting a new driver's license, I am considered a foreigner as far as most institutions are concerned. I have discovered that people in LA have generally been extremely welcoming, though, and they're excited to hear that I moved all the way from Montreal!

I have been spending these past few days procuring an apartment lease and then spending the remainder of my time establishing myself at my new place. Fortunately, I have also had some free time, which I've spent along the beach and with friends. In fact, I met up with a friend who is launching his startup next week and I reviewed his executive summary in preparation for the impending date. I was pleased that insight from my MBA provided me with a critical eye to review his document.

I also managed to attend the Drinking Liberally Election Night Watch Party, as well as the first-ever Daily Muse meet-up (see photos from the 10 city event here). As always, these events provided me with a great opportunity to meet new people and learn about my new neighborhood. Additionally, I got to see a familiar face today when one of my fellow MBA graduates stopped by on his way to San Francisco. I'm looking forward to welcoming more friends as they pass through LA!