The most common reason why business undergraduates want to attend a business school is to shift or advance their careers. One of the selling points of a business school is that it can give a lot of better job opportunities in various industries. More than half of the students who attend top-notch business schools want to switch their careers.
Nevertheless, does having an MBA make it truly possible for students to change their careers? The answer depends on several factors. Having an MBA degree can help you fully concentrate on professional growth.
Attending a business for a career shift is recommended if you are confident with your professional decisions, can connect your new interests to your previous experiences, and more than willing to spend hours studying GMAT prep materials.
Continue reading to help you further understand the ways that an MBA degree could help you change careers.
Do Not Concentrate Only on the Industry and Function
Industry and function are two very important elements of a job. You need to remember that it will be difficult to concentrate both on industry and function at the same time if you are considering changing your career.
Even though you have your MBA diploma, HR managers will check if your skills are enough for the shift. Thus, you should determine first if you want to focus on industry or function. There is no better option, but you just need to decide on one.
For instance, you were in the finance industry, and you want to shift your career and work for an IT company. It is recommended that you apply for the finance-related work in the company so that you will have more chances of changing your career there. After you have decided if you will go for industry or function, you can have various strategies to choose from. You can take several classes for the industry you want to work with, join that industry’s professional organizations, read articles or posts about that industry, go to conferences, and make new connections on your campus that can be advantageous for the industry you want to pursue.
With all these factors, consulting is one of the areas that welcome MBA degree holders in any field of expertise. It would be a little more challenging to get ready for an interview if you do not have a quantitative experience. You can apply as a consultant if you want to immediately shift your career.
Pick Where You Will Do Your Internship Carefully
Between the first and second years, many business schools propose that students will have an internship. Many students get attracted to enroll for an MBA because of internship opportunities.
Getting into an internship program will give you opportunities to try and experience something new without taking too many risks.
Nevertheless, choosing where you will do your internship can affect how you will be able to change your careers. There are 2 different concepts of doing internships while getting an MBA.
One is to try a new job that is completely new to you. The other is to invest your time in a new industry that you see yourself working for in the long run. In switching careers, your internship must be a stepping stone for you to get into the industry you want. Nevertheless, this could also mean skipping internships that seem appealing. Many students struggle in this kind of dilemma.
For instance, you want to get into the finance industry, but you see internship opportunities in industries not aligned with the industry you want to get into.
Expect to Spend a Lot of Time
There is no shortcut to it. You have to invest more effort and time to change your career than look for a job or internship that is related to your previous job experience. You have to prepare yourself to spend a lot of time learning a new role or industry.
Moreover, you need to put the effort into growing your network, attending interviews to get a better understanding of the role, and improving your resume so that it can get the attention of the recruiters.
Having limited hours daily, you need to give priority in your career change and avoid distracting yourself from the things you have interest in. If you have the proper mindset, it will not be very difficult for you to invest time doing these even with a busy schedule.
Many business schools have a career assistance office that can assist you in this. This is one of the many advantages of going to a business school. Nevertheless, this office does not have enough resources for all the industries students want.
That is why you should check the career assistance office of your preferred business school to know if they have resources for the industry you want. With these resources and your hard work, you can get the career you want.
Finally, changing careers can be easier if you have an MBA degree. It can open up plenty of new opportunities in terms of career paths that would have been unavailable otherwise.
However, getting an MBA requires a lot of time and effort, and the results aren’t guaranteed. You need to keep these things in mind if you want to have the career you want. So if you’re still set on changing careers, then getting an MBA may help you do so.