Deciding whether it makes sense for you to get an MBA is a big decision, and it can be hard to figure out whether moving forward with graduate school is the right fit for your career goals. Here, Erich K Squire shares what you need to know to decide whether the career opportunities created by earning an MBA make sense for climbing the ladder in your industry.
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Stay In Your Industry As You Grow
If you already love what you do, earning an MBA may be a great way for you to move forward in your industry. Earning an MBA can teach you how to supervise others in your industry or move up the supervisory ranks. If you’re already happy with your job and are simply looking for a promotion, an MBA may not be the best fit for you (unless your company recommends that you further your education in order to make the next jump on the salary ladder at your company).
Learn About Your Passions
If you know that you want to move forward in your career but aren’t sure whether you want to stay in your industry, going to business school can help you uncover areas in business that you’d like to learn more about. When you go to business school, you get to connect with movers and shakers in the business industry, and you may make connections and learn about opportunities that are new to you.
Become a Disruptor in Your Industry
When you earn your MBA, you’ll get to learn new ways of thinking and may begin to notice processes that could be streamlined within your industry. This can help you become more of an asset to your company and could even open up career opportunities that do not currently exist. As you move forward with your education, think about how the concepts you’re learning could apply to your current industry, and don’t be afraid to talk to your supervisor about how you could use your new skillsets to help boost profits or increase efficiency, recommends Erich Squire.
Boost Your Confidence
It can be tough to ask for a raise no matter how confident you feel in your skillset, and earning a high-level graduate degree can help to give you the confidence you need to ask for the pay or the position that you deserve. When you go through business school, you’ll get to participate in activities that make you an asset to your company, and you can leverage your new experience to fight for more money, more responsibility, or both. Keeping a detailed track record of your progress in business school can help show your supervisor(s) that you have what it takes to move up in your company, according to Erich Squire.