Having earned a bachelors degree in engineering many years ago, I was on the lookout for a way to enhance my career and improve my growth potential. As such, I decided that an MBA would be the best way to do that, and I’m very glad I did.
While working a full time job, I used my free time to work on an MBA through a local university. The courses I took, including several online classes, broadly covered all the fields of business, such as finance, marketing, personnel management, and operations.
It took me nearly two years of part-time studying to earn my MBA, though I’m sure it could be done more quickly by attending school full-time.
While simply having an MBA is really neat for me, being the first in my family to have earned a bachelors degree, the beauty of the MBA has come in my development as a manager.
I had previously held management positions, but I didn’t truly grasp the important concepts necessary to make sound, business-related decisions. The MBA courses I took gave me those enhanced decision-making skills and a whole new perspective on common management issues.
Concepts like strategy development and return-on-investment are no longer foreign ideas to me. They are now a part of my everyday life and my new decision-making thought process. In fact, the return-on-investment concept has allowed me place a heavy focus on saving tax dollars in several of my federal government jobs. That goes to show that business degrees can be an asset even in the non-profit and government sectors.
It’s also important to note that my having earned an MBA has resulted in incredible job growth. Moving up from a low-level engineering technician to chief engineer for a large organization was much easier with an MBA on my resume. Most of the jobs I’ve held had never even mentioned a need for candidates to have an MBA, but I’m certain that I got those jobs in part because I have an MBA. The MBA has made me much more marketable.
And let’s talk about income. If you’re not sure that an MBA will be worth the cost, keep in mind that my MBA has increased my income by over $40,000 per year. Now that’s a pretty good return-on-investment.
But remember, a degree alone will not open doors for you. Success comes from first and foremost from character. Eduation and experience give your character horespower when driving toward success.
More from this contributor
What’s Your Management Personality
Building Teamwork in the Workplace
Increase Small Business Profits by Focusing on Efficiency