The Struggle is Real

By Gina Katzmark, Strategic Communications Director, TimelyCare

I celebrated my 40th birthday not with a party but by taking a managerial accounting final. It’s not exactly what I envisioned at 20 years old. Back then, I was laser-focused on becoming a broadcast journalist, counting down the days until I could graduate with my journalism degree and launch my full-time career at my hometown TV station. That dream took me on an impressive journey in television news, moving to new states, making lifelong friends, and ultimately achieving my goal of becoming a news director by the age of 30. It was a career I loved—until one day, I didn’t.

Deciding to change careers in midlife wasn’t impulsive. It was a measured and ambitious choice. I knew that if I wanted to start fresh, I would need to return to school and earn a Master of Business Administration degree. That degree couldn’t come from just anywhere—I needed a strong program with a respected name, a robust alumni network, and a curriculum that would challenge me. But here’s the truth I couldn’t ignore: it wouldn’t be cheap, and it wouldn’t be easy.

First, there was an obstacle I hadn’t tackled in a long time—math. I hadn’t taken a math class since high school and had managed to avoid it during undergrad by passing a college algebra competency test. Instead of calculus or statistics, I opted for logic and computer science courses, anything to steer clear of “real math.” I’d always been a high achiever and wasn’t about to risk ruining my track record with a dreaded C.

Preparing for the GMAT meant confronting my weakest academic link. I hired a private tutor and told him I had never taken a statistics class. My math since college consisted of timing TV news segments and managing budgets with spreadsheets lovingly crafted by colleagues far more fluent in numbers. It was humbling, but with hours of study and my tutor’s guidance, I managed to score high enough on the GMAT. Not stellar, but high enough—and, importantly, I only had to take it once. That small victory gave me a shot of much-needed confidence.

The confidence boost was short-lived. My first semester in the MBA program was a whirlwind. By day, I worked full-time. I took courses like Quantitative Analysis, Financial Management, and Economics at night. My saving grace was our team-based learning structure. My teammates had backgrounds in finance, IT, marketing, and accounting. I took on the role of writer and presentation expert. Together, we made an incredible team, each bringing our unique strengths to the table. But when it came time to take Quantitative Analysis exams alone, there was no team to lean on.

Five months in, I found myself on academic probation. For the first time in my life, hard work and determination weren’t enough to carry me through. Anything below a B in the program was considered failing, and I was barely hanging on. I felt like a fish out of water and was too afraid to ask for help. Vulnerability wasn’t something I was comfortable showing, and I couldn’t spare an hour to visit a tutoring center during the workday. I didn’t know where to turn, so I struggled alone.

Looking back, I wish I’d had access to a flexible resource like virtual success coaching. It’s exactly what I needed at that moment—a lifeline to meet me where I was. The convenience and discretion of online support would have allowed me to ask for help without fear or judgment. Instead, I pushed through by sheer force of will, eventually earning my MBA alongside my classmates. I even received an award for an outstanding strategic marketing plan. But it didn’t have to be that hard.

Now years later, I want to say what I couldn’t admit back then, “It’s OK to ask for help.” You don’t have to suffer in silence, and you don’t have to figure it all out alone. Whether it’s virtual success coaching, mental health support, or tools to manage stress, there are resources designed to catch you before you fall. Life will throw challenges your way, often when you least expect them. But no matter how overwhelming they seem, help is closer than you think.