Taking a class you hate

 

Let’s be clear.  

I HATE BUSINESS CLASSES! 

There.  I said it.

I am a science major (Biology).  I HATE business classes. 

When I was in college, I made every effort to avoid business classes.  With the one exception of one Labor History / Labor economics class I needed as an elective in order to graduate, I went through 4 years of college UNSCATHED by Business classes.

And why did I hate business classes?  No clue.  I just thought my mind wasn’t equipped to deal with the ‘business’ curriculum.  I was a science major.  I liked microscopes, Petri dishes, and autoclaves.  I enjoyed science labs, calculations, and specimens.   To me, science made sense.  To me, Business did not.  

And this attitude didn’t stop there.

Two years after undergrad when I went to graduate school, I still managed to duck business classes.  I had to take a Health information management course (which actually was interesting) and a Biostatistics class.  However, since my focus was Industrial Hygiene, I only took those 2 course because in order to get a Masters of Public Health, I had to do it.  

And then I joined the Navy as an officer.  Why do I need to worry about Business classes in the military?

And then 3 years later, I decide to go to law school.  At that point of my life, I had spent 6 years in the Safety and Health arena so I had decided I was going to be a Labor and Employment lawyer.   Again, no need to take any garbage business classes.

In our first year of law school, we were required to take a mandatory course curriculum.  One of those courses was Constitution law.   At the end of the class, I remember my Constitution Law professor sharing these words:

“As you know, over the next 2 years, you will have the ability to pick any legal courses outside of your core classes to round out your legal education.   When you are in the process of picking classes, I would encourage you to pick a class in an area that you either have no interest or would never consider doing.   You may be surprised by what you find out about yourself when you expand your education outside the realm of your comfort zone.”

For whatever reason, those words stuck with me.  At that point in my life, I had earned 2 degrees, worked in two different arenas, and convinced myself that I not only hated learning about business but also business education served me no purpose. 

So, instead of taking the vast and rich labor and employment classes that would have (in my mind) enhanced my safety and health background, I rolled the dice and decided to take a business legal class.  And if you know me, I don’t do anything small.

What started out as one class, ended up being 5 classes.

I ended up taking Business Corporations, Introduction to Financial Concepts, Tax Law, Intellectual Property and International Intellectual Property.   And these classes KICKED MY BUTT!  I was learning new language, concepts and principles I had never been exposed to.  And I was terrified. Here I am taking classes that are so outside of my wheel house so I KNEW my grades would suffer.

To my surprise, I didn’t fail.  I was actually shocked by the grade of ‘C’ I received in International Intellectual Property (that book was ridiculously big) and Business Associations (I was really pushing in that class). I was truly amazed I got a ‘C+’ in Tax Law and Introduction to Financial Concepts.   And I was OVER THE MOON when I got a ‘B’ in Intellectual Property.

Here’s the kicker:  I LOVED EVERY CLASS.  I didn’t take these classes in the same semester.  I took one or two per semester over 2 years. 

What is even more profound is that I actually ended using EVERY class after law school.  I have helped a few people with Intellectual Property issues.   The knowledge I received in Business Corporations, Introduction to Financial Concepts, and Tax Law helped me when I started my law firm in 2007 regarding my corporation structure as well as discussions with my Accountants.  

In the end, I realized that these business courses I took expanded my knowledge.  I never realized how integral these courses would be in future life activities.  These courses ended up being vital tools I used to expand my personal and professional livelihood.

Now, I’m not saying this will be the case ALL the time.  However, there is something inherently powerful in forcing yourself outside of your comfort zone and allowing yourself to expand your view.  You may be surprised.  New training may create a new opportunity to use new skill sets you never knew you had the capability of using.