Six Reasons To Get Your MBA

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You've been working in your industry for a while, but you're ready for something different. You're interested in moving into a management role, but with no real experience or knowledge of management, you first need to earn an MBA. Is attending business school right for you? In most cases, the answer is "yes." Here are six reasons to pursue your MBA while you're already employed.

1. You'll learn how to manage people properly.

Good managers motivate their employees and make them feel valued. One bad manager can bring down a whole company, ruining morale. You've probably had both good and bad managers. Chances are, your bad managers had no intention to manage poorly -- they simply never learned to manage people well. By earning your MBA, you will learn to manage people well, so you can be one of those "good" managers that bring success to the company and ensure lower-level employees stay motivated and productive. It takes a lot longer to pick up good management skills "on the job" than by taking a few courses.

2. You'll become more self-confident.

You'll be able to work a management job more successfully if you believe in yourself and in your skills. By earning your MBA, you will gain confidence in what you know and in your own skills. You'll be able to make decisions more assertively and with conviction, which should give you peace of mind that you're doing your job well. And self-confident employees are more likely to be promoted even further.

3. You will learn how to address your weaknesses.

Nobody is perfect. Each person has things they do well and things they don't do well. Maybe you're great at talking to employees, but you're terrible at time management. In MBA school, you will learn to identify your own weaknesses, and then you will learn how to address those weaknesses. This knowledge will also help you identify and address weaknesses in other employees -- and in a tactful manner.

4. You'll learn skills that transfer to other industries.

Right now, you are probably working in a field related to the education you received in college. Your skills may not be overly transferable. For instance, if you work in a lab, your skills may not transfer well to a different industry like a tech company. In MBA school, however, you will learn a lot of "soft skills" like relating to people, managing time, and motivating employees. If you ever want to transfer fields or work in a different industry, these skills will be transferable. Even if you have no plans to switch industries now, life changes, and an MBA may make it easier for you to make a change later in life.

5. You'll get to learn from others' experiences.

In MBA school, there are typically a lot of hands-on projects and group work. You will get to interact with and learn from other peoples' stories and experiences. This will expand your horizons and allow you to learn from others' mistakes (and good decisions) rather than from your own experiences alone.

6. You'll improve your time management and self-discipline.

Attending school while you are working -- even when the school is online -- is time-consuming. You'll have a lot to juggle, and in doing so, you will learn how to manage time and work effectively. This will benefit you in your career, and also in your everyday life. People who manage time well tend to be less stressed out, and they're more likely to be promoted in their careers. 

If you're thinking of earning your MBA, go for it! What you learn will serve you well for years to come.

27 August 2018