I wrote about startup careers just a couple of weeks ago. I want to write about another “most asked question” by my friends and industry colleagues today. And the question is, ‘should I earn an MBA to improve my business skills?’ Let me share my thoughts about having an MBA degree.
Well, whatever your goals, an MBA program can help you build management and leadership skills you can carry with you for the rest of your career. Here are some reasons to consider getting an MBA.
It’s an Investment in Yourself
The path to an MBA is different for everyone. After all, it isn’t a required credential to advance and doesn’t directly translate to a specific position in the workforce. Instead, enrolling in an MBA program is a personal choice that stems from a desire to better yourself and elevate your career.
The purpose of a full-time MBA program is to allow students to immerse themselves for two years in a period of intense personal and professional development that enables students and professionals to accelerate their careers and prepare them to lead organizations.
It Can Increase Your Salary Potential
Another reason that many professionals decide to earn an MBA is salary. It’s important to note that the program you complete can significantly impact your salary (not always in Bangladesh!). Not only that, but compared with other advanced business degrees, an MBA has been shown to lead to a higher starting salary for graduates entering the workforce.
It Can Help You Launch Your Own Business
While some individuals choose to earn an MBA to perform their job duties better, many others do so because they want to start their own company.
Learning new problem-solving methods can help you deal with the inevitable challenges of entrepreneurship. Leadership skills offer an advantage if you choose to scale your operation. A global perspective can help you see opportunities in a new way. And an extensive network of classmates, professors, and alumni can be an excellent resource for advice that guides you through business obstacles.
You’ll Develop a Framework for Problem-Solving
Learning how to assess a problem and develop a viable solution is a core element of an MBA education (which does not always happen in our classrooms!).
Case method. This teaching approach places you in the role of a decision-maker, any position at the management level, and requires you to imagine how you might respond to real-world business issues. You then share your point of view with your classmates and listen to their perspectives, too. That develops a remarkable ability to quickly assess a situation and figure out what path to go down.
Through engaging in such rigorous classroom lessons, an MBA program can equip you with a process for breaking down complex issues and exercising sound judgment in the face of uncertainty.
‘You’ll Grow as a Leader‘
In an MBA program, you don’t just discuss leadership—you practice it, too. (If you are not getting that facility, then try to create that). And the academic setting of the business school enables you to experiment with different leadership styles in a low-stakes environment. By assuming the role of a leader in interactive workshops and global immersion programs, you’re able to identify which managerial styles suit you—and which ones don’t. This hands-on experience reinforces the knowledge that you gain in the classroom and provides you with a better sense of how you can effectively lead within an organization.
You’ll Build a Global Perspective
An MBA program with a general management curriculum is designed to prepare you to lead in any function, in any industry, anywhere in the world. It’s a distinct benefit to learning about business in an educational setting versus the workplace.
Some people have a chance to work in one other country or one different global market, but it’s pretty rare to find a job where you can learn about how business is conducted in every region throughout the world. An MBA program allows you to learn that in a classroom and field-based exercises.
You’ll Be Exposed to Diverse Viewpoints
The lessons you learn in an MBA program don’t just come from your coursework but also fellow students. Business school can broaden your worldview and allow your opinions to be challenged by peers from all over the globe and different industries. The knowledge that your classmates impart can lead to tremendous personal growth and more profound business intuition.
You’ll Join an Extensive Alumni Network
In addition to the network of peers and professors you build throughout your academic experience, you have access to an alumni community that you can reach out to for career advice and business opportunities. On top of leveraging the network to make professional connections. Becoming a member of these groups builds on the sense of camaraderie that you experience during your time in an MBA program and can sustain it well past graduation.
In conclusion, the decision to pursue an MBA is a personal one you need to make after evaluating your passions and aspirations. But I can tell you that the students and alumni you will meet, the cases you discuss, club speakers and conferences, and career education programming—the MBA experience—will open your eyes to possibilities you didn’t know before.
