Phil Granillo

I'm 43, and I work for Big Tobacco. Working in the tobacco business is not as bad as most people think; in fact, I've learned more from this job than any other in my life. It is a tough business because there are so many factors working against it. My actual job title is Territory Sales Manager, esoterically known by its acronym, TSM (There are many acronyms in the tobacco business, but that's a story for another time). Most TSM's are college graduates, and one is inclined to think that the work is white collar. The truth of the matter is that although there is a lot of thinking, number crunching, and customer relations, it also involves a lot of physical labor such as sign hanging, fixture cleaning, and product merchandising.

But this job didn't just fall in my lap. I worked in high-tech for twenty years writing software, testing hardware, and repairing missiles. During this time, I earned a bachelor's degree in IT. After that, I enrolled in business school earning credits towards an MBA. I figured it was time for a little change in my life, so I applied with Big Tobacco with expectations of expanding my horizon. My brother-in-law already worked in the field and told me where to be, when, and with whom to chat.

At the time of my interview with Tobacco, I was enrolled in the University of Phoenix's MBA program in Tucson, AZ-paid for by my then employer. I had just completed my third class, and during my second interview, I was informed that all new TSM's undergo one year of intensive infield training (IFT). It was hinted that school might interfere with my training, so I responded that I would be willing to take a hiatus from higher learning so long as I could continue earning my MBA after IFT was complete. Consequently, I was hired in first quarter of 2005.

It was an exciting time. My wife and I spent many requisite evenings discussing the possibilities of changing careers, changing our habitat, and just plain change. And it is not easy walking away from twenty years of dedicated high-tech work and fathoming untested waters in the fierce sea of big business. Could I make it in this ultra-competitive new world? Where would we eventually live? This was a mammoth decision.

Changing careers at 40 filled my mind with anxiety and trepidation. However, I was reassured by the reality that without some trepidation, one is not really learning or growing. During IFT in Phoenix, my trainer often cited, "Phil, this isn't rocket science," and without hesitation I'd quip, "You're right. Rocket science is much easier." One of the biggest obstacles that I had to overcome was the fact that for the past twenty years, I was hermetically sealed, accessible only via maze of secured doors deep within the bowels of reinforced concrete and absolute secrecy. I dealt with the same people, day-in and day-out. Suddenly I was being taught leadership models, connection models, and methods of piercing influence. This process was very difficult because for the longest time, my biggest obstacle comprised solving problems with inanimate objects, not people.

One of my strongest attributes is the fact that once I start something, I invest 100 percent of my abilities. Like many type-A personalities, I hate failure and failing at this point could prove catastrophic. We sold our home, moved from Arizona to Colorado, and effectively isolated ourselves-at least proximity wise-from family and friends. From here on out, whatever obstacles crossed our paths, my wife and I would face them alone. It was the best decision that I ever made regardless of 50 hour-plus workweeks, perpetual travel, and intensified accountability. My wife has expressed agreement. She cites professional and personal growth, and although she loathes shoveling winter snow, she loves our mountain home, our beautiful landscape and the closer-than-life wildlife that calls our back yard home.

After IFT, I immediately researched higher-education opportunities. Since I am in a very rural area and there are no local graduate programs available, I began to research online education. Some of my peers had graduated from Regis University in Denver, CO, and mentioned how much they learned and enjoyed Regis' scholastic environment. Again, being a type-A personality, I decided on what I interpreted as their toughest MBA program: Finance and Accounting. After writing a couple of poignant essays (at least in my mind), and passing other entrance assessments, I was accepted resulting in a zenith milestone in my life.

During my 20-year career in high-tech, I was an hourly employee. The corporate culture was that of "us" (i.e. hourly) against "them" (i.e. management). For the most part, it was business as usual; however, during contract negotiations, the atmosphere was dichotomous and antagonistic. I was not the biggest fan of being hourly because I did not entirely agree with union philosophy, but I was hourly, and therefore, I was union. Just because I paid my dues did not mean that I had to act irrational, as I saw many act during negotiations. What I interpret as irrational, some might call passionate; either way, the more that I learned the more that I realized my need for continuous challenge. Hence, I enrolled in the graduate program and ultimately changed careers because of my propensity for higher learning.

What began as a winding path off a familiar highway has led me to a place of wondrous change, professional growth, and yet unrealized opportunities. In retrospect, my appetite for higher learning started after I read the Bible completely through twice in one year. I found myself constantly questioning, "why this and why that?" I called priests, rabbis, and pastors to get their take on specific verse. Soon after, I decided to earn my pilot's license, which I achieved in six months. After purchasing a plane and running an aerial photography business for a couple of years, I sold the plane and enrolled in college.

The crossroads that led me down my current path are but a faint mirage in the near distance. I cannot look back, only forward. I burned my ships in the bay of Arizona, and I'm still waging scholastic war in the cyber rooms of academia. Higher learning is a beautiful thing, and I enrolled in Regis' MBA program simply because I thought that it would quench my thirst for continuous challenge. Add to the fact that I started an MBA program while in Arizona and that I would not feel complete until I finished what I started. The funny thing is that although I feel that I have a better understanding of certain subjects, I do not really feel any smarter (it's all relative, right?).

Many people enroll in an MBA program specifically to progress in their career. This is especially true with generation-y who is more apt to change careers more often than generation-x, baby-boomers such as myself. This is why I probably worked for the same company in the same field for as long as I did. The bottom line is that I enrolled in the MBA program for one simple reason: to learn. Higher learning is very time intensive; if you combine this with long workweeks you have a formula that results in tension.

At Regis, each MBA class lasts eight weeks. Each week encompasses required reading, problem solving, and online posts. Sometimes, the weekly reading accounts for 3-4 chapters. These are stressful times because one cannot complete the written problems without completing the required reading first. All the while, back in the real world, work deadlines loom and family must be given attention or consequences impend. It is a balancing act that is not for one faint of heart and commitment.

When it boils down, my higher-learning experience is a banquet that satisfies my insatiable craving for discernment and challenge. It is without question that there is an underlying motive to "open doors" vis-à-vis education, and I have faith that will come with time-and graduation. Anyone who has worked full-time, managed a family life, and is struggling through a tough MBA curriculum knows that eventually all the stress will be worth the concerted effort.

Looking back, I miss high-tech. High-tech was rewarding, but facing one's fears and achieving coveted goals is more rewarding. I miss family and friends in sunny Tucson, but I earnestly accept our courageous, new-life in the Colorado Mountains. Yes, we definitely made the right decision to simply embrace change and take action to make it all happen.