When applying for high-level jobs, having an MBA will improve your chances of getting through to the interview stage. An MBA degree is an excellent way for companies to choose the best, and sets a minimum standard which the applicants must reach. Does this mean that anyone with hopes and dreams of being a successful entrepreneur needs to gain the MBA qualification? The simple and most basic answer is a resounding no. If you have determination, and desire to succeed, do not let the fact that you do not have an MBA deter you from following your dreams. After all, Steve Jobs and Bill Gates, arguably two of the most successful entrepreneurs of the 20th Century, famously quit school to pursue their business dreams.
The Benefits of Obtaining An MBA
With all of that being said, there is no denying that having an MBA qualifies you for many benefits that such a degree brings with it. The main benefits of obtaining an MBA are the relationships and contacts gained. The benefits of developing connections and building relationships within business can never be underestimated. Many of the most significant deals in history have been thanks to established relationships of trust and respect between the companies and leadership involved. When completing an MBA, people have the opportunity to build a vast network of contacts from all across the business spectrum, relationships which could be leveraged continuously down the road. Candidates have the opportunity to interact and learn from established leaders in a wide range of industries, and develop a higher level-set of skills that can only be learned from a higher education.
Deeper Understanding of what Success Takes
However great your business idea, the foundations of building a successful business are formed on a certain level of knowledge. Advertising, marketing, finance, and sales techniques are all huge topics in and of themselves, and people completing an MBA will receive an in-depth and proven method of how to master these valuable skills. These skills can then be utilized to either start a new business or to build and grow an established business for the rest of your career.
Exposure to Unique Business Ideologies
Not all marketplaces operate under the same rules and regulations, and many MBA students get the opportunity to work and study under diverse professors, and experience different business cultures across the world. Not only will an MBA provide exposure to worldly ideologies, but also a new mindset to help candidates develop themselves and their business.
Inspiration to Drive Yourself Forward
Perhaps one of the most significant benefits of completing an MBA is being forced to realize your true knowledge and understanding of the marketplace, and having the time and mentors to help you improve. The standards required of most MBA courses are so high that it is perhaps inevitable that many of the students who embark on them have always been used to great success. They will inevitably have been top of their classes at high school and college and many will have earned huge salaries before starting their MBA.
Unfortunately, this can often lead to a false sense of security, something that can quickly be exposed upon enrollment in an MBA course. This can best be explained by a saying that goes, “If you are the smartest person in your group of friends, then you need a new group of friends.” This at first seemed a strange and negative thing to say, but the concept was quite the opposite.
The simple fact of the matter is that if you are the most intelligent or highest achieving person amongst your peers, you no longer have to strive to prove yourself. Unfortunately, that means that you are settling, and not pushing yourself forward or demanding more of yourself. Many people suffer quite a shock when they enroll in an MBA course, as they are no longer the star of the group, and they are forced to work hard to even keep up.
Although this may seem like a bad thing, it is a great way of understanding the business world. There will always be someone better, but healthy competition helps you improve and develop as a person. To be successful, you must work harder, be more creative and intuitive and strive in every way to overtake and defeat your competition. These life lessons will ground most people, but they will also inspire and drive them forward to achieve success time and time again in the future.
At Level Office, we are driven to help entrepreneurs achieve success and develop and grow their businesses on a daily basis. We are always looking for new and innovative ways to develop and grow our business and to provide better facilities for our clients in our offices. We regularly publish some of our findings and knowledge on our blog, so if you have found this article helpful then visit the site on a regular basis.