This case was written based on the real-life experience of an individual known to the author and on the author’s familiarity with the broader peer context surrounding the decision. The author was part of the protagonist’s broader social circle at the time. Because the case is written primarily from Rubio’s perspective, the narrative reflects his recollection and interpretation of events, including advice received from family members, colleagues, friends and organizational representatives.To protect confidentiality and improve classroom usability, the timeline has been disguised. The focal decision is now set in Colombia in July 2023, while the sequence of events, decision pressures and substantive career dilemma remain faithful to the protagonist’s experience. The student-facing case provides a clear timeline to help students understand the sequence and urgency of the decision, while later outcomes are withheld until the epilogue so that students evaluate the decision under uncertainty rather than retrospectively.The epilogue describes subsequent events after Rubio completed the MBA and returned to Colombia. It is limited to information necessary for closing the class discussion and avoids shifting the case toward a retrospective success story. Although the focal decision is presented through a disguised timeline, the case does not depend on time-sensitive technology, current regulation or industry-specific market facts. Its teaching value rests on durable HR/OB issues: early-career decision-making, professional identity, perceived employability, advice filtering, person–environment fit, family obligations and risk assessment.The research process, as distinct from the disguised case timeline, is based primarily on four semi-structured interviews with the protagonist, conducted between July 2024 and August 2025. The interviews lasted between 30 and 120 min. Two of the interviews were conducted after the case had been tested in class, to clarify key events, refine the decision point and verify details that students had found ambiguous during discussion. The protagonist reviewed and approved the final version of the case.Because the interviews were conducted retrospectively, the protagonist’s later perspective was treated as a source for reconstructing the decision context, not as a substitute for the uncertainty he experienced at the time. Rubio’s later interpretation helped identify which events became meaningful turning points, but the student-facing case preserves the earlier decision point, before later outcomes are disclosed. Accordingly, students are encouraged to evaluate Rubio’s recollections and the advice he received critically rather than treat them as objective assessments.
“Where do I go from here?” wondered Freddy Rubio, a late-twenties professional who had spent the past five years working at a marketing and events company. Although he had enjoyed the experience, he felt stuck and, following a recent breakup, emotionally exhausted. He needed to make bold decisions, but the job market seemed less predictable. Rubio faced a crossroads: invest heavily in an MBA abroad, pursue a pending selection process for a corporate role in a healthcare company or keep his current job.The MBA, set to begin in three months, required a substantial loan and most of his savings; however, post-MBA earnings could be two to four times his current salary. Meanwhile, a healthcare company revived its hiring process for a position in the communications department, where Rubio had been shortlisted. The role was expected to offer a salary increase of at least 20%, although the final compensation had not yet been confirmed; nevertheless, Rubio perceived this option as less risky in the short term. However, his current boss was counting on his participation in organizing a major event scheduled in just two months. Rubio wondered whether he should inform her that he was considering resigning soon. Some colleagues told him that another department had just undergone another round of layoffs and that those who left were not being replaced. As his twenties neared their end, one thought kept troubling him: did he have anything tangible to show for the years since graduation – or had his professional trajectory been clearer when he first left university than it was now?
This case was originally designed for use in the final stages of undergraduate programs or in MBA programs, particularly in introductory Organizational Behavior (OB) courses and in modules on self-awareness, self-management, career planning and early-career decision-making. It may also be useful in university experiential learning offices or units or in course offerings developed or co-facilitated by Career Services. There are no specific prerequisites that should be covered before the case.
