Revitalizing Your Career with an MBA

If you are a seasoned professional with between five and 10 years of experience, chances are that you might have come to a career crossroads at some point. Even if you have accumulated a variety of licenses and certifications in your chosen discipline, you may feel pigeonholed into a specific role or area of expertise. For instance, you might be referred to as a marketing copywriter or accounts payable specialist, rather than an exceptional strategic thinker or skilled people manager. Additionally, though you have probably considered pursuing an MBA for some time, you will likely ask yourself, “How can I earn an MBA and advance my career without having to give up my day job?,” among other questions. Here are a few excellent reasons why professionals with five to 10 years of experience should revitalize their careers with an MBA degree.

One significant benefit of earning an MBA after five to 10 years of experience is that this advanced degree can open the door to a more financially rewarding career. According to a January 2018 Financial Times report, the average annual salary for MBA graduates is approximately $145,000¹. This should not be a surprise, though, because MBAs help to “pave the way for great responsibility and the opportunity to take on leadership roles” such as brand manager or assistant director of finance¹. This demonstrates that even though seasoned professionals are likely to be on an upward trajectory already, an MBA will enable them to accelerate their careers even further.

While pursuing and completing an MBA can indeed pave the way for leadership opportunities and consistently higher salaries, it can also help you build a strong business knowledge base that you can apply at work every day. Consider the case of Wharton School EMBA alumnus Lee Leibowitz. Although he did not begin his MBA studies until he was in his thirties, Leibowitz was able to enroll in a program where he and his fellow cohort members all possessed real-world business experience within a variety of disciplines². Additionally, with several years of experience under his belt, it was easier for Leibowitz to “make the connection between the knowledge he learned in the classroom and how it applied to what he was working on in the office” day in and day out². In short, even if you do not have a business background, earning an MBA will help you develop a strong foundation for success in your chosen profession.

Another advantage of returning to college and pursuing an MBA after gaining five to 10 years of experience is that it can be especially helpful for professionals interested in testing the waters of entrepreneurship. Though it may come as a surprise for some, earning an MBA is a cost-effective way for aspiring entrepreneurs to build the strong foundation they need to succeed with a new business venture¹. What’s more, according to Grammarly co-founder Max Lytvyn, “An MBA can be easier and cheaper than learning lessons the hard way,” namely through failed startups or several years spent trying to ascend corporate totem poles¹. In short, even though completing an MBA degree is not an automatic ticket to entrepreneurship, MBA programs teach many of the “fundamental skills necessary to run a business, generate revenue, establish partnerships, manage people and generally avoid financial or legal issues” when pursuing a new business endeavor¹.

Still another benefit of enrolling in an MBA program and completing a degree is that it can help mid-level professionals with their own personal growth. According to the Harvard Business Review, while 75 percent of MBA alumni during stable economic years found their degrees to be financially rewarding, that figure rose to 79 percent for business school graduates who earned their MBAs during recent recessions¹. What’s even more impressive, though, is that 95 percent of the aforementioned graduates described their MBA program experiences as personally rewarding¹. This demonstrates that no matter what your chosen profession, from risk management to travel and hospitality, earning an MBA after five to 10 years of experience can be revitalizing both professionally and personally.

Recognizing the importance of career revitalization through continuing education, Ramapo College’s comprehensive, 42-credit MBA program is designed with today’s working professionals in mind. Our focus on leadership and critical thinking, along with hands-on learning experiences such as the optional China Immersion Trip and Capstone Consulting Project, is an excellent fit for professionals with five to 10 years of experience who are looking to take their careers to new heights. Additionally, even if you have not taken a college course in several years, you can brush up on fundamental business principles and practices with our six new foundational courses. With a focus on key concepts in accounting, finance, management and marketing, all six classes will help you build a strong foundation for success in the program and after graduation.

While Ramapo’s MBA program indeed provides working professionals with five to 10 years of experience the opportunity to revitalize their careers, it is also designed to fit into their busy schedules. With our Flex program, which blends in-class and online learning components into a convenient hybrid course format, Ramapo MBA students can earn their degree without sacrificing their day jobs. Students can also maximize their employer reimbursement by spreading out their coursework over three to five years, all while continuing to gain valuable work experience. Ramapo also offers its MBA students the chance to select three electives within a defined track tailored to their relevant career experience. For example, students with a background in investment banking can pursue the finance elective track, while those with human resources expertise can opt for the management track.

Prospective students interested in learning more about Ramapo College’s MBA program are strongly encouraged to visit https://www.ramapo.edu/mba/ for more information.

¹Source: Career Contessa – “How an MBA Can Improve Your Career in Every Industry”. Retrieved from https://www.careercontessa.com/advice/MBA-improve-career/. 

²Source: The Wharton School – “4 Ways to Break Through a Career Plateau” by Emory Saia. Retrieved from https://www.wharton.upenn.edu/story/4-ways-break-career-plateau/.

Categories: MBA