Setting A Shining Example With Your MBA

Deciding to pursue an MBA after 20-plus years of experience can be quite daunting. Although you may doubt your ability to keep up with a new generation of graduate students and often ask yourself questions like, “How can I manage the extra workload of earning my MBA without having to give up my day job and family commitments?,” you feel that completing this advanced degree will not only help you fulfill a personal goal, but also set a shining example for your children as they begin their own college endeavors. Here are a few outstanding reasons why earning your MBA is a great way to accelerate your business career, even if you have been out of the workforce for a while.

One significant benefit of pursuing an MBA is that it helps open the door to higher salaries, which in turn will provide you with the financial means necessary to better manage your household. Indeed, MBA alumni who earned their degrees between 2009 and 2018 saw an average increase of $36,742 over their annual pre-MBA salaries, according to data from career-finding platform Relish¹. While completing an MBA can lead to substantially higher pay across the board, there are some business sectors where this is especially true¹. For example, MBA alumni employed in consulting reported a mean annual salary increase of $46,414 – from $86,188 to $132,601 – after completing their degrees¹. What’s more, if you are planning to earn your MBA and return to the workforce after an absence, you will have made “a fantastic career investment,” regardless of which industries and business functions pique your interest¹. Earning your MBA will also help you build the strong foundation you need to manage your household finances more effectively.

Another advantage of returning to college and completing your MBA as an experienced professional is that it will allow you to greatly expand your professional network. Since 60 percent of business professionals find that their networks provide them with more opportunities than they would discover on their own, MBA programs help them build a variety of lasting connections both inside and outside the classroom². With its small class sizes, Ramapo College’s MBA program makes it easy for students to develop lasting, invaluable relationships not only with their peers, but with faculty and visiting guest lecturers as well. Additionally, you will have the chance to network with Chinese business professionals and MBA students by participating in the China Immersion Trip elective during the fall of your second year in the program. You may also elect to participate in our signature Capstone Consulting Project, which will provide you with opportunities to build valuable connections with Ramapo’s New Jersey and New York corporate partners.

While earning your MBA can undoubtedly help you unlock considerably higher salaries and expand your professional network, pursuing this additional degree will also help you hone a variety of soft skills vital for business success. Even if you have not been in the workforce for several years, chances are you do possess valuable volunteer and community leadership experience, such as managing your children’s school PTOs³. Also, since leadership “touches on nearly every aspect of organizational success,” from initiating action to creating stronger work environments,” Ramapo’s MBA program will help you build a strong foundation for future leadership opportunities through courses like Becoming a 21st Century Leader and Leadership in Contemporary Times. Furthermore, you will have myriad opportunities to apply skills you’ve developed through community experience, including negotiation and collaboration, both in the classroom and through an array of hands-on learning experiences. In short, pursuing your Ramapo MBA will enable you to bolster your soft skills for continued professional success. 

Recognizing that continuing education is paramount for business success in any discipline, Ramapo College’s comprehensive, 42-credit MBA program is designed specifically with today’s working professionals in mind. Our focus on leadership and critical thinking, along with small class sizes and hands-on learning experiences such as the optional China Immersion Trip and Capstone Consulting Project, is an excellent fit for professionals who possess 20 years or more of business experience. Additionally, even if you have been out of the workforce for some time and have not taken a college course in two decades, you can brush up on business fundamentals with our six new foundational courses. With a focus on key concepts in accounting, finance, management and marketing, all six classes will provide you with the knowledge base you need to succeed throughout the program and after graduation as well.

While Ramapo’s MBA program indeed provides experienced professionals with the opportunity to revitalize their careers or gain the skills necessary to reenter the workforce following a considerable absence, it is also designed to fit right into their busy schedules. For example, with its hybrid course format blending in-class online learning components, our Flex program allows you to earn your degree without sacrificing your day job and/or family commitments. Additionally, you can maximize your employer’s tuition reimbursement by spreading coursework out over three to five years, all while continuing to gain valuable experience in your current position. Meanwhile, if you have been out of the workforce for a while, we offer a variety of financial aid options to help make your tuition costs more manageable.

To learn more about Ramapo College’s MBA program, visit https://www.ramapo.edu/mba/ for more information.

¹Source: Poets & Quants – “Where MBAs Make The Largest Salary Leaps” by Nathan Allen. Retrieved from https://poetsandquants.com/2019/03/22/where-mbas-make-the-largest-salary-leaps/.

²Source: The Princeton Review – “Why Get an MBA? Build Your Professional Network”. Retrieved from https://www.princetonreview.com/business-school-advice/why-get-an-mba-network.

³Source: HR Daily Advisor – “Career Relaunchers 101: Recruiting ‘MBA Moms’ Back into the Workforce” by Susan Rietano Davey. Retrieved from https://hrdailyadvisor.blr.com/2018/07/26/career-relaunchers-101-recruiting-mba-moms-back-workforce/.

Categories: MBA