Post MBA career myths and reality — Part 1: The MBA will help you change career
Over the next few days I’ll focus on some of the myths prospective MBAs believe before embarking on 2–3 years of intense study, personal, and professional transformation. My motivation is simple: I’ve experienced first hand the hope and the disappointment that come from believing these myths and I’d like to spare others, if I can help it.
I’ll start by saying this: the MBA is an absolutely amazing and worthwhile experience. I never regretted it for one minute and it’s certainly changed me and my outlook on life. But that is very much dependent on each person.
So let’s start with the most common myth: that the MBA will help you change your career.
More specifically, that it can help with two particular challenges: 1) help you move away from the job you’re doing now and absolutely hate; 2) it will give you clarity about what exactly you would like to do for work.
The truth is the MBA does not do that. It may put you on a path for change, because you start looking for that change as part of the process. You start looking for opportunities. You are open to new experiences. You meet new people and maybe you even network more.
But what you do with the opportunities that come your way or how you create those opportunities is still down to you and you alone. The MBA offers no shortcuts. You still have to figure out what you want to do and have a clear plan for how to change careers. Otherwise you will simply end up saying yes to any opportunities, just as you would have done without the MBA.
And if you think the career service of your business school will help along the way, you may also be disappointed. They are a resource to help you get a job, not the job that will make you happy. It would take a huge number of people to support each MBA to do the soul searching and planning it takes to find a job that is truly fulfilling.
So it is all down to you. The responsibility is all yours.
Part of what I do with people in my MBA strategy sessions is help them really think about what are their goals in their careers and lives, what opportunities the MBA might open up for them and how they can leverage those opportunities to get the kind of career they want.
So if you are serious about figuring out how to get the sense of fulfillment, achievement, and contribution you crave from your career, sign up for my strategy sessions.
Here’s what we’ll do during the call:
1. Create a crystal clear picture of the work you want — I’m going to help you uncover with incredible clarity what you want in your career and life, and help you define a simple set of 3–5 goals you can focus on to move towards your dream work and life.
2. Identify the biggest 2–3 obstacles you’ll need to overcome to get there, so that you can be focusing on closing the gaps that keep you stuck in a job you don’t like.
3. Leave the session re-energized, knowing exactly how to shift to a career that excites you and fulfills your aspirations (even if you feel like you’ve tried everything and nothing else has really stuck).
Sign up here or DM me directly.
This is part one of a five part series. Stay tuned for part two which will be tomorrow.
