MBAs aren’t for everyone.
A lot of people get this wrong, and it’s understandable how they do. For decades, getting a Masters in Business Administration degree (MBA) has been widely considered to be a one-way ticket to career success, and thereby, to a fulfilling life. Get into business school, don’t flunk out, and on the other side, a sea of jobs will be waiting for you, all paying more than the one you left behind to start this journey. Sweet deal, if you’re lucky enough to get in.
Even more, full-time MBA programs have increasingly become perceived as a “break” from the work-day grind – a chance to return to the open-ended, less structured life of a student, complete with school breaks, travel opportunities, and of course, plenty of free leftover snacks up for grabs in the student commons. Of course, the classes can be challenging, sleep can be elusive (until the weekends), and there are moments when remembering life before homework can almost make you cry with nostalgia. Overall, however, the premise is pretty tempting.
Is the reality as appealing, though?
Speaking as an actual fan of the MBA, I can honestly say…no. Not always. And certainly, not for everyone.
It’s all about your expectations.
Leaving a secure job to go to graduate school full-time is a risk. Anyone who says it isn’t is lying. Even if you’re lucky enough to be sponsored by your company to return after graduation, things can change over the course of a couple of years. The economy you left might be very different than the one you’re returning to, for better or for worse. You might be very different than you were at MBA orientation, and your dreams might be different, too. It’s even possible that exposure to all the incredible opportunities the MBA points towards might have left you less clear on what you want than when you went into school.
Alternatively, you might know exactly what you want, and due to forces beyond your control, you might not get it in time for graduation. Not every resume drop turns into an interview, and not every interview turns into an offer. I’m not trying to be bleak here, but I am trying to be real with you. Sometimes, goals you thought you could achieve in one step turn out to require two or more steps. You’ll get there, but you need patience and perseverance to do so. Instant gratification is not the name of the MBA game.
Does it feel like I’m trying to start an anti-MBA movement here? Curveball (again): I’m not.
There is no endeavor on earth quite like an MBA. The combination of professional skill-building, intellectual expansion, personal growth, and quite frankly, the elusive art of adult new-friend-making, is unparalleled in an MBA program. Choose the right one for you, commit to being fully engaged in every moment of it, and you will be transformed by it. But I will also caution you up front:
When it comes to getting your ROI from an MBA, don’t believe the hype.
You have to be the hype.
Again.
You. Have. To. Be. The. Hype.
An MBA is not a moving walkway that delivers you directly from your old job to your dream future. It’s a staircase, and sometimes, the steps are uneven. Some days they feel insanely small, and other times, absolutely huge. And then there are the moments when you can’t see the next step, and you just have to take the leap anyway.
If you want your dream job to be in your hands when you cross the graduation stage, then you need to start the work on making that happen before you even set foot on campus for orientation. The school will provide you access to resources, many of which may not have been accessible to you without their support. What you do with them is entirely up to you.
Let not a single MBA day go by when you are not thinking about making the most of every moment of it. Every person you meet knows something (and someone) that you don’t. Each experience has a lesson in it, maybe several. Confront your assumptions, and open your mind. When the things you that know in your heart are right for you start showing up, don’t wait for them to come to you. Raise your hand, work hard, move with intention, and listen to your intuition. What is meant for you will not miss you, but it also needs you to meet it like you mean it, too.
The MBA is a special opportunity. It more than grad school, it’s life school. But, it’s not for everyone. That’s not to say that everyone isn’t “good enough” for the MBA, but rather, that it takes a particular type of person to make the MBA investment fully worth it.
So, the question isn’t actually about whether an MBA is “worth it,” but instead, will you make your MBA worth it? It’s a high-potential investment, but it requires constant active management. The risk is inherent and the market may be volatile, but you can directly mitigate these aspects with focus and effort.
The MBA isn’t for everyone. But you’re not “everyone,” are you?
