Are you at a stage in your career where you are clueless as to what the next stage should be? Need a boost but unsure about how to get it? You might not know it yet, but there may be reasons to do an MBA if any of the following problems bother you:
1. You have hit the glass ceiling: Despite all the hullabaloo about gender equality in the workplace, most women feel the presence of a glass ceiling that restricts their further growth. Fortunately, B-schools are aware of this and are making concerted efforts to correct the gender gap on campus. Once you get in, there are diversity groups such as “Women in Business” almost on every campus that will create a supportive community to make your MBA experience fruitful.
2. You are stuck in a Rut: You have had a steep learning curve in your job but the growth has slowed down now. Even if you stay on for another year, there would be the same agenda points, same clients, same operations. You’re itching to take up new challenges, diversify, learn and play in a bigger arena, but can’t find the right opportunity. An MBA will expose you to a range of professional opportunities and help you broaden your horizon.
3. You need Skills 2.0: You are ready to move into a higher managerial position, but need a different skill set to justify your next position. The best MBA programs are designed for just that. They’ll smoothen the transition from functional to managerial and equip you with an upgraded repertoire of skills need to fuel the next stage of your professional growth.
4. Your first MBA came with an expiry date: You completed an MBA in the early part of your career and took what you got. Although you’ve got valuable work experience now, yet you are ready for better opportunities that require higher managerial skills. A second MBA from a top college can be the best key to opening shut doors.
5. An MBA is your mandatory path to growth: If you’re working in an industry such as consulting or banking where an MBA is required for career progression beyond a certain point, not getting one is probably not an option.
6. A Chance to Re-Align your career: Many people are already finished with their bachelors’ and are two years into a job by the time they begin to understand their own preferences, strengths and weaknesses and the possibilities ahead. At this point, many look to change profile or switch companies, but some wish to move to a different industry altogether. Depending upon what you have in mind, an MBA is a foolproof way to re-align yourself in a new direction.
7. You are a Philomath: You love to study! You are a CPA and FRM already and have taken 10 MOOC certifications in the past two years. Yes, studying perennially is your thing. This is one among the reasons to do an MBA, only just be sure to convince the b-schools that your learnings will be put to test in a real-world business scenario. Shortly put, you will go back to work and not another course.
8. You are start-up material but need some grooming: You may have launched a start-up which never really take off. Or maybe you’re fed up of working for someone else and dream of starting your own company. Or maybe you’ve got an idea which you want to refine and are looking for like-minded partners for your venture. In all cases, joining a good MBA program will be a good bet. Over the recent years, entrepreneurship has gained a lot of traction at business schools, and they are going all out to give you the right ecosystem to start your venture. And you’re sure to come across some very talented people on the same wavelength as you.
So, as we said, these are some of the most common reasons given by applicants for doing an MBA. If one or more of them strike a chord with you, you know the path you have to take.
Go ahead and dig deeper into this blog for more about how to get started, schools and admission procedures, or contact us!