Career Development
A (Precocious) Reflection on My MBA
I find it useful to reflect on the impact of my MBA on my career, thus far
A few days ago, one of those Facebook “On This Day” notifications popped up for me. It was a picture from my first day of grad school, which was five years ago. While the degree was a long-term investment, I have already spent time thinking about how my decision to get a master’s degree has impacted my life. With less than a year and a half under my belt as an MBA graduate — and more importantly, with still a small fortune of student loans to pay off — my perspective may yet change in time. However, I find it useful to reflect on the impact of my MBA on my career, thus far.
First, a little context about my career and my MBA. A career arc should read like a story and thus far, my story is just 10 years long. I first began pondering an MBA about two years into my career. I had always imagined that I would get an advanced degree. Holding a bachelor’s degree in business, an MBA seemed like a natural continuation of my education. But the impetus for my interest in an MBA was based upon a desire to add a spark to my career. After a couple of years in a relatively limited-growth position, I needed a way to enhance my skills. An MBA seemed like a possible catalyst for change.
By the time I was applying for graduate admission, my employer had changed, but my job description was unchanged. The big difference for me was that I had moved to a big city. I was now in a place where the top business schools were accessible and financial aid was presumably available (although I would later find very limited amounts of it). When I celebrated my acceptance into my MBA program, I had just changed roles and become a product manager. Unbeknownst to me, the simplest switch of positions had put my career on a much faster track, independent of my new degree candidacy.
A few months into my graduate work, I made the first of two big jumps in my career. At the time, I didn’t realize that my graduate studies had any influence on landing the job. But in retrospect, there was almost certainly a connection to my in-progress degree. The second career move, which followed a further year into my coursework, gave me another platform to to develop my career. In this case, I used my incomplete MBA (and the lack of company-sponsored financial aid) to negotiate my salary. In both instances, my hiring manager was already an MBA, which may or may not have been a distinguishing factor in landing offers.
But now, having fully completed my MBA (and having made one further career move), I find myself relying less on the cache of my degree or my school to drive my career. I often point to the fact that attending a part-time business school program while simultaneously working full time helped me establish a stronger work ethic. Staying focused, being organized, and managing time is difficult enough with a job, and that challenge is compounded with academics in the mix. The skills that I developed and the network that I built in business school enable me to transact in the business world on a different level than my peer group. It’s hard to imagine a facet of my daily work that isn’t somewhat connected to my graduate work.
Of course, if my MBA had been without any negatives, then the need to reflect upon it would be limited to nostalgia. The biggest concern about my MBA experience has to do with the sheer financial cost. Without the benefit of a corporate sponsor or significant financial aid, I graduated with a six-figure debt that will take many years to repay. While it might be easy to justify my current income as a function of my degree, the counterargument is that I might have been able to achieve the same things without business school. Similarly, had my career not taken such a fortuitous path, I might have been saddled with an unbearable loan burden.
Another, more intangible challenge from my MBA is the fact that I chose not to immerse myself in the academics through a traditional, full-time program. Without this sort of focus, I might not have been able to retain all of the things that I studied. There was no ability for me to take on an internship or fellowship, therefore I essentially made a passive decision not to switch industries. When I look back on the option to attend a part-time program, I often wonder if that choice was the right one for my MBA.
After the enjoyment of reliving some of my fondest memories from the past five years in writing this piece, one thing is certain. My MBA was one of the most unforgettable parts in my professional journey to this point. I have a sneaking suspicion that despite the cost, it might just have paid off already. I have grown and accomplished more as a result of my education. And considering I still have several decades of my career in front of me, I believe that my degree and graduate experiences will continue to appreciate, long after my financial debts are repaid. So when people ask me whether business school was worth it, I always tell them unequivocally and emphatically, “yes!”
I owe a big debt of gratitude to New York University, especially the Stern community, for being the inspiration of this article and for being a consistent source of pride in my life.
Let’s continue the conversation on Twitter or in the comments. For more on product management, follow Trust the Product on Medium.
