In a climate where everyone seems to have a fat BA in their hands, surely an MBA is one step towards getting ahead of the game? Going above and beyond what’s required is something that employers like, but does an MBA in Business Studies knock down the uneducated competition?
Well, on one hand, it doesn’t hurt your CV to have the experience. The theory and practical applications of an MBA will be intellectually stimulating, and mean you will be able to speak the business lingo with the best of them.
However, an MBA does not put you at the top. It may give you an extra footing to a higher position in business over your lesser educated peers, but if you lack important, natural business skills like creativity and ambition, you’ll never get higher than managerial level. Some of the most successful business tycoons in the world weren’t educated in business – they picked it up for themselves with determination and a fantastic idea.
Forking out thousands of pounds on an MBA may be an investment, but arguably a poor investment that doesn’t give a wise business return. Business school can’t help you become a good entrepreneur.
Recession
During a recession, MBA degrees go up. With a job market that is so difficult to enter, students desperately look for options to postpone the inevitable job hunt or improve their employability.
Most likely, a student has been in education all their lives, studying under parents and teachers who constantly told them what they should do and what is right for them. In the post-education world, there is nobody to do that for you – you have to figure it out yourself. Joining the workforce can be a daunting prospect, but spending thousands of pounds on an MBA instead of entering the world of business is a mistake.
Careers
One of the benefits of an MBA, is the free and specialised career services your course will provide. They can help you develop your CV, cover interview techniques, and networking. Also, many MBA providers have already existing relationships with big name companies and can notify you of graduate vacancies.
Around 5% of full-time business school students created their own company straight after they graduated. MBAs have also bred a group of entrepreneurs who are looking to bypass the established companies and make a big name for themselves. The fantastic thing about an MBA is that you meet many other students in the same position as you – talented business individuals that are ripe for the picking. What business student doesn’t dream of spearheading their own company?
Yet this contradicts the advice of business officials which say that graduates should enter a high-paid job straight off the bat and get rid of those student debts. This is at a time when MBA snobbery is beginning to take off in most business, as experience is seen as more valuable to a company than a degree.
This guest blog was written by Francesca, a British writer and blogger with an interest in business and education. She recommends business coaching from Genuine Business – visit their website for more details.
Photo: Highways Agency
