Going back to school is a big step for anyone, but it’s especially hard for those with work and family commitments. Everyday life can be overwhelming as it is, so adding a rigorous degree like an MBA into the mix is more than some can handle. The challenge didn’t stop Aidan Steele, MBA 25, despite already having more on his plate than most people.
Originally, Aidan had planned to take a more traditional route to get his degree, but when he learned about the Flex option at Haas School of Business, University of California, Berkeley, he knew he didn’t have to wait to get started. “I applied to Haas, and only Haas, specifically because of the Flex option,” Aidan says. “I was looking at retirement in 2024, with my wife needing to serve until 2026 before she could retire. Haas offering the Flex option presented me with an opportunity to go to the top-tier school I originally wanted to, while accommodating the constraints of two military careers.”
Aidan is a recently retired U.S. Marine. Prior to his retirement, he was on terminal leave, meaning that he was technically still considered active duty but was using up vacation days until he could officially separate in April of 2024. Instead of enjoying time at home while he waited, he started a second career in renewable energy. His wife is in the Navy and her career landed the family in England for two years. The couple has two kids, ages 9 and 12.
“I have done a lot in the Marines—of the last seven years, five have been flying helicopters and two working on a general’s staff. Those experiences gave me a ton of experience and tools, but all “soft” skills for someone who doesn’t want to work in the defense industry,” Aidan says. “I decided to pursue an MBA based on the theory that the degree could provide corporate credibility and neatly package my years of hard-to-translate experience.” That theory proved to be true, as he quickly took on a new career challenge.
Transitioning to a civilian career
With military retirement pending, Aidan needed to prepare for life as a civilian. He started a new career as Chief of Staff at a startup company in the energy industry while earning his MBA and still serving as an active duty Marine. He credits his MBA coursework for setting him up for a successful transition. Berkeley Haas was a natural fit for his career goals for a very specific reason: “I was interested in Haas because I believe it was one of the first schools to offer programs that linked sustainability and renewable energy to the MBA—what I first heard of was the Cleantech-to-Market program.” Aidan adds, “I am also a native Californian and hope to live near the Bay Area once my wife and my military adventure is over. The Haas name carries significant credibility there.”
Although there is no online option for the Cleantech-to-Market program at this time, Aidan is still gaining applicable experience during the core curriculum that he uses regularly. “We’re designing a literal factory, so everything about process flow from Operations is relevant. We’re raising and investing capital, so everything from Finance and Accounting is relevant,” he says. “I think the point is that as chief of staff it’s not about understanding one thing well, it’s about understanding everything going on at the C suite and one level down well enough to recognize the interdependencies and see roadblocks before we get to them. Speaking the language from all the various disciplines that go into running a business is absolutely critical.”
Leaving the military can be a rough transition for many, but Aidan credits his MBA classes for giving him an edge. “This degree is the bridge between a very multi-faceted military service and a totally unrelated industry career. I would absolutely not be qualified for the job I currently hold if I had not already completed the core classes. Understanding the basic economics, marketing, finance, accounting, and operations concepts has been invaluable in landing and performing at my first post-military job.”
Online MBA has advantages
With his classes playing such a big role in his career training, he feels like the online format has helped when it comes to learning the material that he needs to be successful. “If I miss a point or don’t understand something I can go back and rewatch rather than asking the instructor to reiterate. I can also ask my peers for help in the chat or on Slack without disrupting the class.”
The new Flex format, offered through Berkeley Haas’ top-ranked Evening & Weekend MBA program, is making b-school more accessible for those juggling busy careers, families, and with location constraints. “The Flex option was the only way I could have gotten an MBA on the timeline I chose, while still prioritizing other aspects of my life,” Aidan says. “Being able to “commute” to class by logging into my computer and being able to watch and read the asynchronous materials on a schedule that worked for me have allowed me to take my kids to swim lessons, work the hours my job demands of me, and travel as needed.”
The cohort format has been rewarding for Aidan. Since he is part of the inaugural Flex MBA class, no one knew what group dynamics would be like. Throughout the course of the program, there are five in-person immersion experiences in and around Berkeley. Even though they only meet in person a handful of times, Aidan says that when they get together it’s like they haven’t missed a beat. “These are people that, in many cases, I am closer to and know better than the coworkers I see every day. We’ve overcome not-insignificant challenges together for the first year and a half of the program, and it has made us pretty tight.”
With life being so busy, Aidan gives a lot of credit to his study group for helping him when school had to temporarily take a back seat. “I was extremely lucky to be placed in a team with Marc Armbruster, Brijesh Patel, Ralph Noordink and Ruofan Wang, which persisted throughout our core classes. We all went through significant, and mundane-but-time-demanding, events in our lives outside of school that limited our ability to contribute to group projects at one time or another,” Aidan says. “Because we established early on that we were in it together, and kept that as a critical part of the narrative as we went through the curriculum, there was never a question of whether the team was willing to pick up the slack for an individual member who couldn’t contribute as much as they wanted to on a particular project,” Aidan says. “There was also never resentment.” That collaborative culture sets Haas apart from the sometimes competitive nature of MBA programs.
Even with the flexibility of the program, Aidan sometimes finds himself wishing there were more hours in a day. “The time commitment has been the biggest challenge. Especially in the quantitative stuff where my background is weakest. I think that’s an inescapable reality though. A part-time MBA is inherently “in addition to” a real life, so I think everyone pursuing one, Flex or not, is going to have to choose between school and work, friends, self-care, family and hobbies—and two of those things have significant price tags attached so they’re going to weigh pretty heavily on the balance.”
Making family a priority
Since starting the Haas Flex option, Aidan’s family has been extremely supportive of the sacrifices he is making. “My kids are pretty understanding when I can’t hang out with them because I have to study or work. My wife is also very supportive. Though under immense pressure at work herself, she never pushes back when I say I can’t make dinner, or do the shopping, because I don’t have the time. We’ve become very comfortable as a family with frozen pizza or chicken nuggets, and piles of laundry that don’t get touched until the weekend. We have perspective on what’s important right now.”
Life for military kids is never easy and Aidan is a dad who wants to make up for it someday. “We’ve lived in six different houses in nine years. The moves have gotten harder for them as they’ve grown up and their peers have become a more important part of their lives, so it’s really important to me that the next move we undertake is the last one for a long time.”
In the end, Aidan is getting his MBA for his family, “I’m putting a lot of hope on the assumption that this degree, coupled with my military and subsequent industry experience, is going to make me marketable enough to live where I want to live, in a house with enough room, in a neighborhood with a good school, with enough income that my wife no longer has to work full-time so she can give back to the kids some of the time we haven’t been able to properly devote to them over the years.” He adds, “I want to participate more in my kids’ lives. They are getting to the age where they will stop wanting to hang out with me in a couple years if I’m not careful.”
Since this article was written, Aidan and his family have been transferred out of England earlier than expected. His wife has received orders to the National Capital Region, but to keep their promise to the kids, they have established a household in Rocklin, CA. Aidan and the kids will live there while his wife finishes up her military service in temporary quarters on the east coast. Aidan continues to fulfill his Chief of Staff role.
If your busy life has gotten in the way of pursuing an MBA, the Flex option at Berkeley Haas may be the difference between what you have and what you’re dreaming about.
