Making the Most of Your MBA: Part 2
Deciding to get your MBA is an involved decision. For most individuals, you’re making the decision to leave your comfortable and profitable career to become a student once again. It’s a huge sacrifice, and it needs to be worthwhile.
In Part One of our Making the Most of Your MBA series, we talked about how getting an MBA without having the right mindset, a game plan, or using your classmates as resources can leave you with a lot of wasted opportunities. And we’ve barely scratched the surface.
Graham Richmond
Graham Richmond—co-founder of Clear Admit (a leading independent resource for top-tier MBA candidates) and an education consultant with more than 20 years in the industry—provided four additional tips to help you flourish in your MBA. Today, we’re talking about getting out of your comfort zone, focusing on learning, participating in activities, and expecting a career change.
Get Out of Your Comfort Zone
People have a tendency to stick with what they know. It’s in our nature to hang out with individuals who perform our same job, come from our industry, and have the same desired career field. Unfortunately, if you follow your nature, you’ll miss out on some of the most valuable learning experiences in your MBA. Whether you attend a top ten MBA program or even a lesser-ranked program, classroom diversity is essential.
“One of the greatest things you can do is meet people from different areas, industries, and geographical regions, with different sets of experiences and different goals,” said Graham. “That’s really valuable. Don’t stay in your comfort zone. Take the opportunity to learn from a variety of individuals and from a variety of backgrounds. That’s what it’s all about.”
Focus on Learning
Too often, working professionals go back for their MBA with only one thought, to get a great job. While this is an admirable goal, it can lead to a situation where the recruiting process dominates your entire MBA experience, and that’s a missed opportunity. Getting your dream job in your dream career field is most definitely a key purpose of the MBA, but it shouldn’t be your only focus.
“You need to recognize that you are going to school. You didn’t spend all this money just to get a job,” stated Graham. “You’re going to school, and there’s a lot to learn in business school that will make you successful in your career. Resist the temptation to make it all about recruiting and really cherish the time you have in the classroom, which will go by very quickly.”
Years down the road, when you’ve been working and working, you’ll look back fondly on your MBA and think, “I wish I had taken that other class or spent more time discussing things with my professors and classmates.” The classroom experience is just as vital as the job hunt so don’t miss out.
Participate in Activities Outside of Class
No matter if you participated in clubs, conferences, or extra curricular activities during your undergraduate career or not, you need to participate during your MBA program. Even if your primary goal in going to business school is to land your dream job, joining the right professional clubs or taking part in a case competition sponsored by a big strategy consulting firm you want to join makes a lot of sense. There are many benefits to taking part in activities outside of the classroom. They can help you learn about the field you’re hoping to enter and even prepare you for interviews.
“There’s also another piece to business school, which is the social component,” Graham reminded. “It’s important to learn about other cultures and participate in athletic, or other activities that help you build relationships with your classmates. For most MBAs, they’ll have a mix of their professional activities that are oriented toward landing a dream job and personal activities that they enjoy.”
Expect a Career Change
Finally, it can take a lot of pressure off and help you get the most out of your academic experience if you spend less time focused on the very first job you’ll land after your MBA. The truth is that it’s quite common for MBA graduates to move around quite a bit in their careers. Sure, you can land a great job after your MBA, but you should only expect to stay there for two-to-four years before you move on again.
“I encourage MBAs to have an open mind and not to attach so much importance to their first job,” said Graham. “They’re not going to work at the company for 20 years the way the previous generations did. The workforce is very different than it was 30 to 40 years ago and it’s typical for MBAs change companies and careers. Think of your first job as a stepping stone—a pivot—to the next thing.”
Your MBA can be whatever you want it to be. Make sure you keep an open mind and look for every opportunity to learn, grow, and plan for the future.
About the Author
Kelly Vo
Kelly Vo is a writer who specializes in covering MBA programs, digital marketing, and personal development.
