Ask EDN Question:
Hello EDN! i graduated with my B.S. in Management Information Systems about 7 months ago. My overall and major GPAs are both above a 3.0. I also have leadership and internship experience. I started my job search in the summer of 2016, however I am still searching while working temp jobs. I planned to earn my Executive MBA in the future, but feel like I need to get my MBA now to get exposure to career opportunities. Should I keep applying and networking or just get my MBA?
Dear Reader:
Firstly, this post has gotten a great number of responses on our instagram page – you should check out what other EDN community members had to say by following this link: https://www.instagram.com/p/BdDW-5gB00Y. Some great opinions there that you should take into consideration.
In our opinion, an MBA is much more valuable when used as a career accelerator and/or a way to transition into a different career path after having gained some experience. Going straight into an MBA after undergrad, without getting some meaningful experience and knowing more about what you want in your next career opportunity is not as valuable – and this mistake is what leads many people to think that their MBA “wasn’t valuable”. You shouldn’t be using your time in business school to “figure out what you want to do”, but rather to pursue a select few opportunities while increasing your knowledge of how businesses and organizations actually function.
Not only will some strong experience make you more likely to use your MBA more effectively, but it will increase your likelihood of getting into stronger MBA programs AND your likelihood of success in job interviews. If a lack of experience is a barrier to you in interviews TODAY, that’s not going to change just because you have your MBA.
So, what should you be doing? We recommend continuing to network and interview for jobs now, with an eye towards securing employment somewhere where you can be successful for a few years and gain some experience while you consider what your longer term plans are. We also recommend applying to a great program called
MLT, which specializes in helping minority professionals think through their MBA plans and get into some of the top programs in the country.
Thanks for the question and best of luck! Please let us know how we can help in the future.
Yours,
The EDN Professional Development Group
