P.S. At Leeds. P.P.S. According to me.
Prospective students often wrestle with one basic, yet deep question when considering going back to grad school - why should I get an MBA? Well, there’s lots of reasons and everyone has their own. I tend to think of my business school experience in thirds: ⅓ school and classroom learning, ⅓ networking events, extracurricular activities and coffee dates (i.e. career advancement) and ⅓ enjoying being a student again and having fun with my classmates and friends. Here are 12 reasons why I think you should earn your MBA (at the Leeds School of Business).
- Make Connections: One of the best parts of earning your MBA is the opportunity to meet, mix, befriend, argue with, collaborate, commiserate, travel with and learn from a diverse mix of extremely motivated and impressively intelligent people from around the globe. Everyone has fascinating backstories. From flying Army helicopters to professionally playing poker to running political campaigns to touring in a rock band, and everything in between, you’re bound to meet several folks who resonate with your interests and can teach you a thing or two about the world.
- Expand Your Learning: I love the fact that on any given day, during any given week of the school year, there’s likely an interesting and thought-provoking event to attend (that usually provides free food or drink, as well!). I believe that many these events have rivalled my classroom learning, which has made my MBA education twice as impactful.
- Bulk Up Your Hard Skills: Have you ever been told that you need more technical or hard skills to get ahead in your field? If so, an MBA can help beef up your proficiencies in areas like accounting, finance, data, modeling and analytics. In my time in the program, Microsoft Excel has become a friend instead of a foe and R is no longer just a letter to me anymore, but a useful statistical programming language. Did I mention that I’m also proficient in pricing strategies and tactics?
- Refine Your Soft Skills: Looking to become the empathetic manager you never had in the past? Business school offers myriad opportunities to hone your management, collaboration and leadership skills through class projects, case competitions, internships and part-time jobs (like managing the MBA Blog!). You’ll gain exposure to working with all types of personalities and develop strategies to get the best out of every person.
- Pursue a Goal: Having a goal in mind, even if it’s relatively a general one, for why you’re going back to school to earn your MBA will better shape your experience and give your education more meaning. Ask yourself - how will an MBA take me from here to there (i.e. new career path, better job, better paying job, new industry, etc)?
- Access to a Robust Alumni Network: The Leeds School of Business is fortunate to have over 41,000 alumni living and working around the world. As a CU Buff, you are instantly plugged into this thriving network during and after your time on campus.
- Stop, Reflect, Re-focus and Think: In our young adult lives, we can often find ourselves stuck in a field or industry after a few years of working, unsure of how to transition out or upward. If you have an idea of where you want to go, an MBA can give you a chance to take a breath, reflect on your past work experience and propel yourself forward into a career trajectory you are truly passionate about pursuing.
- Find a Mentor: It’s amazing what some good advice can do. Leeds MBAs are spoiled with both the Second Year Peer Mentorship program where second year students mentor first year students and the Professional Mentorship Program, where students are matched with professionals in the business community.
- Become a Public Speaker: Artificial intelligence and machine learning can do a lot, but one big advantage humans still have over computers is the ability to develop compelling stories and present them in a captivating manner. The vast majority of projects you’ll be involved with during the program will result in a pitch or presentation, so you’ll get a lot of practice pontificating in front of audiences.
- Be a Student Again! Understandably lost in the shuffle of professional development, an MBA program allows you to experience student life again, even if only for an abbreviated two-year stint. At CU, this includes tailgating and cheering on Ralphie the Buffalo and the football team at Folsom Field, guiltlessly waking up at 11am on a Wednesday if you have no classes or meetings or even participating in Intramural Sports and competing against other graduate and undergraduate students, to name a few perks.
- Start a Company: Of course, you don’t need an MBA to start a company, but the education you receive can certainly help! Plus, with the amount of entrepreneurial opportunities at CU, Leeds and in the business community, the possibilities are endless.
- Increase Your Earning Power: It’s reasonable to assume that a large majority of those who return to school to earn their MBA have some sort of monetary motivation. And this assumption is warranted. According to Payscale.com, the average MBA yearly salary in Colorado is about $90,000, which is 25-50% higher than the average BS/BA yearly salary in Colorado. Keep in mind that many other factors may affect compensation including experience, job type, location, and unfortunately still, gender (check out the End the Gap initiative to see what we’re doing to push for gender equality).
