Let me introduce myself. This is the first time you are reading content written by me on the MIP Knowledge base. I am Davide Ritorto, a 25-year-old Management Engineer from Bari (Italy), currently working at Lamborghini and living near Bologna.

I say this is the first time, because I am a member of the 2021-2023 International Part-Time MBA class, (which has just started), so you will surely have the chance to read some more content that I will be writing during these years.

This article is about exploration and uncertainty. Yes, because my biggest passion is Scuba Diving, so I would like to draw some parallels and take you “underwater” with me in what will be my longest dive so far (almost 2 years long, basically).

Let’s first jump into the sea, so that those of you who have never experienced the underwater realm in any way other than by snorkeling, can have an idea of this amazing adventure.

Nowadays it is relatively easy to cross the surface of the sea, the threshold that divides the two elements, and directly observe the life of this world as never before. The charm of these observations is perhaps only comparable to space exploration: we cannot ignore the sensation of mystery, of fascinating discovery, which is connected to every encounter with underwater life, with the structure of the seabed, with the vestiges of ancient civilizations that the water has jealously and often wisely preserved over the millennia. To feel these emotions, there does not necessarily need to be any encounter with submerged archaeological remains. Indeed, an old bottle full of encrustations is enough.

It’s been ten years since I got my first scuba diving license. I have explored shipwrecks, coral reefs, crashed planes, and this dive (my MBA Experience) carries some of the same emotions experienced during those explorations.

In fact, I am feeling a mix of strong emotions also precipitated by the desire to live this experience in the best way possible: with excitement, happiness, curiosity, motivation and … uncertainty.

Talking with some of my MBA colleagues, I have understood that a common feeling experienced is that of the unknown. Personally speaking, the sense of the unknown relates to how this experience can fulfill me, how it could boost my professional and personal life, what are the ideas and new concepts that I will learn, and who are the people with whom I will develop strong connections, even afterwards. This feeling of the unknown is also similar to the sense of uncertainty that surges before a dive.

We tend to think about the unknown almost as the scariest thing, something to avoid, a fear, basically. The fear of missing out, the fear of not knowing what will happen, the fear of not being good enough, etc.

I, too, sometimes tend to lack this awareness, but I believe uncertainty can actually be a fascinating feeling: an opportunity to explore something new, to explore ourselves, to find things and paths we like the most and eventually to discover that our past fears were unfounded.

Of course, we should deal with uncertainty with the right attitude and preparation.

I will therefore draw one last parallel between my experience in preparing for a dive and what, similarly, I did to prepare for my MBA journey.

For one of my latest Scuba Diving licenses, a game-changer, I trained with an organization called GUE (Global Underwater Explorers). GUE divers follow a standardized sequence to prepare for their dives, which aims to minimize any possible mistakes or omissions that might affect the outcome of the dive. This sequence follows the acronym GUE EDGE.

Well, I would like to try to do the same thing for my MBA dive:

G (Goals) To be concise: my personal goals are to improve myself, evolving as a professional and also as a person, acquiring top-notch knowledge on Business Administration and its related fields in a practical way.

U (Unified Team) Networking will definitely be a plus of this experience. From what I have learned at the Kick-Off, the team of students is made up of people of 9 different nationalities and different backgrounds. Diversity will be a strong enrichment factor for the class.

E (Equipment) As for the equipment needed, we will be provided with teaching materials mostly on the D-Hub Platform (a very well-built platform, I would say). One other useful tool for career development that I will surely use is FLEXA, a personalized continuous learning platform.

E (Exposure) This dive will last 20 months (a pretty long one J).

D (Decompression) Before getting out of the “water” we will test our competences and skills learned during the courses in a final Project Work.

G (Gas) The “fuel” for this experience will for sure be the teamwork with other candidates and the support from my colleagues, family and friends.

E (Environment) The background of this journey will be the beautiful Milan for most of the time, Barcelona and Munich for the International Weeks and hopefully, Silicon Valley for the Exchange Program.

In conclusion, I hope this will be a great dive for all the candidates. See you underwater!

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