MBA Graduates Weighing Career Options
Does an MBA Degree even have value in career paths today? This has been long thought about, even before the recession started to sink in. And while today many still take an MBA Degree, it seems that professionals who want to excel in their career must add something more; FLEXIBILITY.
True enough, it does seem that carrying an MBA degree around does not constrain you to the business and management sector. You have to be open to bending your knowledge a bit to be able to fit in.
Unlike in the latter years where an MBA degree is looked upon as something that makes graduates stand out before the usual corporate people, today it seems that there is no more distinction.
For some, the financial meltdown forced them some to consider different industries, different locations, and even different career paths and turned them on to new professional challenges. For others, the recession caused them to reevaluate their priorities and determine what they wanted to do with their lives – often trading jobs with status and hefty paychecks for careers with a positive social impact.
“Students became more reflective of their job choices as the market shifted and have made very thoughtful decisions,” says Jackie Wilbur, head of Sloan’s Career Development Office.
Wilbur estimates that 80-85 percent of the class will have an offer by graduation. This represents a 5 percent decrease from last year at this time, but is in line with the school’s results during the last severe downturn in 2002.
At a time when Wall Street is downsizing many soon-to-be Sloan graduates – including Ilissa Schild – say the economic downturn broadened their horizons beyond the finance industry.
“Just as employers are more selective, we can be more selective too.”
This summer, she will start a new job at First Act, a Boston-based company that makes musical instruments from entry-level drums for kids, to custom guitars for expert players. Schild, who grew up in a musical family and has played guitar since she was 12 years old, will look at new technologies for their line of interactive musical toys.
“This is an opportunity to be creative, to innovate, and to apply technology in new ways,” she says.
(Source) Press
