The MBA: Career Creator Or Game Changer?
Why get an MBA? For many people, the MBA is an end in itself, a way to rise through the ranks in their current career, but for many, the path isn’t so straightforward. Rather, in the course of completing a degree, some find that an MBA is just the beginning of a whole new career.
Every MBA candidate is different, as is every MBA program, but you should prepare to come out of your degree a different person than when you began, regardless of whether your career path is altered.
So what road will you take? Here are just a few of the possibilities.
Opportunities For Advancement
The most common reason to pursue an MBA is for professional advancement. Having this degree can significantly increase your leverage during salary negotiations or when opportunities for promotion arise. Because having an MBA gives you the big picture perspective on the field, you’ll also be better positioned during an executive search.
New Roads To Explore
One of the most exciting things about getting an MBA is that it opens students up to new experiences and new applications of the same material. For example, Santa Clara University’s MBA prepares students for work in nonprofits, law, and the arts, among other fields. So while you may arrive with plans to advance at a Fortune 500 corporation, you may come to realize that’s now what you’re passionate about – it’s just what you know.
The more experiences you have through the MBA process, the more likely it is you’ll find a field where you will thrive because education is fundamentally about self-discovery. In fact, the degree of excitement and inspiration that thrives in MBA programs is precisely why so many startups get their start in the academy. MBA students have the professional training and the creative instincts to carve out a niche in a fiercely entrepreneurial environment, but those instincts can also make them serious competitors in a range of fields.
A Career Reboot
Sometimes bad things happen. Sometimes you’re fired or laid off or the company you’re working for goes under. And what can you do then? Some find themselves lost or wallowing without the sense of identity offered by their job. Others see it as an opportunity to make a career pivot by getting an MBA.
A successful career pivot takes more than an MBA. But it’s a good place to start because your degree program can help inspire you, introduce you to people you want to network with, and help you build a personal brand. Pursuing a degree is the first step in a bigger process, one in which you stop wondering what’s next and act decisively.
You Don’t Have To Know
Ultimately, pursuing an MBA should be about fulfillment – in your career, your personal life, or both. That doesn’t mean it an easy thing to take on, though. Many people work on their MBA over a period of years while holding down a job and doing their degree online. And even if it takes you a little longer than the average, just know: there’s no wrong way to get an MBA and there’s absolutely no wrong outcome
