How an MBA Will Enhance Your Career Goals

An MBA, or Master of Business Administration degree, is one of the most highly sought-after degrees in graduate management. An MBA ensures that you have mastered the basic knowledge of management and that you are well-versed in a wide range of business-related topics, including the areas of accounting, marketing, and finance. It also indicates that you have gained skills in important areas of leadership, communication, conflict resolution, and more.

What Are the Benefits of Obtaining an MBA?

As you work toward your MBA, you will be building your professional profile and network. You will expand your knowledge of business, increase your career prospects, and boost your earning potential. An MBA salary is one of the top reasons that is reported for pursuing the degree.

Working hard and obtaining an MBA will show potential employers and business contacts that you take your future and your career seriously and that you are investing in yourself. This will let them know that you are someone they need to take a close look at. Obtaining this degree shows that you are committed to your future.

An MBA provides you with job security, which is especially important in today's market where there's a great deal of uncertainty in many career fields. With an MBA, you will be considered an asset to any company. Best of all, the skills and knowledge you gained while working toward this degree will always remain with you and will always be invaluable in any career you choose to pursue.

Interesting Facts About MBA Degrees

Some interesting points about the degree you are working towards include the following:

• MBA programs are the only ones in which you will be taught to develop and utilize both hard skills and soft ones. You must study in the "traditional" manner to learn hard skills. Soft skills, however, require you to possess a certain kind of emotional intelligence. If one lacks it, this is a natural trait that is extremely hard to teach.
• Unlike most other degree programs, a recommendation from one or more of your professors - no matter how glowing - will not give you a better chance of getting into an MBA program.
• Women were not permitted to take part in Harvard Business School's MBA program until 1959.

Which Jobs Require an MBA?

While some jobs are more easily obtained with an MBA, others require the degree before they will even consider a prospective applicant. As would be expected, this includes mid- to high-level management positions such as:

• Marketing manager
• Financial manager
• Information technology (IT) manager
• Business operations manager
• Medical/health services manager
• Human resources manager
• Management consultant

Which Jobs/Careers Are More Easily Obtained With an MBA?

There is a wide range of jobs to choose from when you have an MBA. You could work as a consultant to give specialized advice to a company's CEO. Maybe you want to become a certified public accountant who prepares financial statements and reports findings to executives. Pursuing a job as a health center manager will allow you to oversee the operations of nursing homes and hospitals. There are also jobs as investment bankers, logistics managers, sales managers, policy analysts, and more.

Can an MBA Have a Negative Effect on My Career Options?

Surprisingly, the answer is yes. Having your MBA may have a somewhat negative effect on your career options in certain circumstances. Depending on the field you choose to go into, you may find yourself up against a great deal of competition. Other people with the degree will also be interested in the favorable careers with an MBA that are available, and they may have more experience or be otherwise better qualified than you. This is particularly true if you are entering the market straight out of college.

If you are facing competition with more experience than you, then you may find yourself wondering why you put so much time, money, and effort into earning an MBA just to be passed over for someone with more job experience. The answer to this dilemma is simple: perseverance. Overall, the benefits of having an MBA will always be more of a help than a hindrance. Keep looking until you find the job that is right for you.

In today's quickly changing job market, you will need to have every possible advantage at your disposal. An MBA is an invaluable tool for showing potential employers that you have the skills and the know-how to take on a management position. From there, it will be up to you to prove your mettle and climb the ladder to create a successful and satisfying career for yourself.