It certainly isn't true that an MBA is going to be the right or best choice for everyone who considers it. Recently Forbes online published an opinion column that gave a resounding thumbs down to taking the MBA path. There's no doubt that the article had some good arguments. It is true that business success will lie in one's ability to master processes of discovery regarding good idea and effective solutions. Heck, if you think you've already got that covered then maybe you should hang onto that $150k!
The thing is, of course, that an awful lot of people have found that the rigorous and structured learning environment of a top-level MBA program is the ideal environment for mastering just such skills and aptitudes. How do you know if it's right for you?
Here are a few questions you might ask yourself.
Even if you put no value at all on the academics, where else are you going to get exposure to this kind of a network? At the top schools, the best in the business will come in as guest speakers. And socializing opportunities are never missed. Plus, among your own classmates, you'll find many of the hot up and comers.
Making these great connections while you're all still climbing up the industry latter will great a camaraderie that will serve you a lifetime. (Though, this does require, as we've emphasized elsewhere, choosing the right program for your chosen industry). And don't forget too the special perk of an MBA: a strong, influential alumni association.
Another dimension of the MBA experience you might not have considered is the blank slate effect. No one is saying, naturally, that an MBA in any way invalidates your prior experience. What is true, though, is that once you have that MBA no longer is your perceived value limited to past work experience. Prospective employers will see something very different when they take a look at you, fresh from graduating.
Your past work history is no longer evaluated as a summary of your future potential. Now, your past work experience merely supplements your value as a prospective new colleague. But now you have the additional virtue of having demonstrated the initiative and exercised the discipline to better yourself; to in fact have equipped yourself with an exciting new skill set, body of knowledge and valuable professional connections. You're now full of the promise of new opportunities.
What about the benefits of challenging your comfort zone? It's all nice and good to talk about getting out there and mastering the discovery of new ideas and so on. But what does that really mean? How do you actually start doing that? An MBA is a deliberate decision on your part to remove yourself from your established routine and place yourself in an environment designed to challenge you.
You carve from your busy life the time to concentrate on personal improvement and advance. And you place yourself in a situation which will demand the best of you. If you can do that all on your own, that's excellent. But how many people fool themselves that they are (or will, someday soon) do so? When you take the leap and enrol in an MBA program, there's no fooling anyone. You've taken the challenge and have to rise to your best to succeed.
It's probably true that a lot of money and time is wasted on MBA pursuits that might have been better left unfulfilled. However, even aside of the curriculum there are many subtle, though extremely beneficial, perks of an MBA which it would be a mistake to underestimate. These are some the questions you should be asking yourself to be sure that it's the right choice for you.
The thing is, of course, that an awful lot of people have found that the rigorous and structured learning environment of a top-level MBA program is the ideal environment for mastering just such skills and aptitudes. How do you know if it's right for you?
Here are a few questions you might ask yourself.
Even if you put no value at all on the academics, where else are you going to get exposure to this kind of a network? At the top schools, the best in the business will come in as guest speakers. And socializing opportunities are never missed. Plus, among your own classmates, you'll find many of the hot up and comers.
Making these great connections while you're all still climbing up the industry latter will great a camaraderie that will serve you a lifetime. (Though, this does require, as we've emphasized elsewhere, choosing the right program for your chosen industry). And don't forget too the special perk of an MBA: a strong, influential alumni association.
Another dimension of the MBA experience you might not have considered is the blank slate effect. No one is saying, naturally, that an MBA in any way invalidates your prior experience. What is true, though, is that once you have that MBA no longer is your perceived value limited to past work experience. Prospective employers will see something very different when they take a look at you, fresh from graduating.
Your past work history is no longer evaluated as a summary of your future potential. Now, your past work experience merely supplements your value as a prospective new colleague. But now you have the additional virtue of having demonstrated the initiative and exercised the discipline to better yourself; to in fact have equipped yourself with an exciting new skill set, body of knowledge and valuable professional connections. You're now full of the promise of new opportunities.
What about the benefits of challenging your comfort zone? It's all nice and good to talk about getting out there and mastering the discovery of new ideas and so on. But what does that really mean? How do you actually start doing that? An MBA is a deliberate decision on your part to remove yourself from your established routine and place yourself in an environment designed to challenge you.
You carve from your busy life the time to concentrate on personal improvement and advance. And you place yourself in a situation which will demand the best of you. If you can do that all on your own, that's excellent. But how many people fool themselves that they are (or will, someday soon) do so? When you take the leap and enrol in an MBA program, there's no fooling anyone. You've taken the challenge and have to rise to your best to succeed.
It's probably true that a lot of money and time is wasted on MBA pursuits that might have been better left unfulfilled. However, even aside of the curriculum there are many subtle, though extremely beneficial, perks of an MBA which it would be a mistake to underestimate. These are some the questions you should be asking yourself to be sure that it's the right choice for you.
About the Author:
Thomas Ryerson provides excellent analysis of program rankings at the blog site Undergraduate Business School Rankings.
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