When I was an undergraduate the jump from high school kept me baffled for the first year and the question of, “What comes next?” kept me thoroughly confused for the last two. I thought then, and think now, that college students who know where they’re headed are very fortunate, and are far outnumbered by those without a clear career path.
If you’re not an artist or oriented to public service, the odds are that you’re going to end up working for a business of some type, and it’s quite possible that you’ll be interested in taking a management position when the time comes. Increasingly, those opportunities require a graduate degree of some sort – and for those who are not certain about a career path there is no more malleable graduate degree than the MBA.
Business schools up and down the so-called “rankings” offer a selection of “majors” or areas of concentration. The MBA Program at New York University offers twenty two of them. You can focus on running a non-profit, on global business, on all manner of financial aspects to business, on human resources, project management, the public sector – the list goes on. If all you know for sure is that you’d eventually like to be a leader in your chosen field, the MBA is a good choice for a post-graduate “possibility.”
The “Just in Case” Classes
There are a few things that you’ll want to take into consideration about this prospect while you’re still enrolling in undergraduate classes. The key point is that almost all business schools have a few – not many – but a few academic prerequisites. You’re going to need some college level math – algebra or calculus – probably a class in either macro- or micro-economics, and most likely a course in statistics. Depending on the school, it may be just one of these or all three.
A Little Time Off is a Good Thing
You don’t have to decide on pursuing graduate school if you’re still trying to get things into focus, and you don’t have to decide that business school is the graduate option you’d choose. However taking a few courses to make those things possible might be a prudent choice. They may not be your favorite electives, but they might be the most valuable in a few years.
There is no other graduate level degree with the professional flexibility offered by the MBA. That makes it an excellent potential option for every student who isn’t one of the lucky ones with a clear plan come graduation day. Many business schools prefer applicants with a year or two of work experience, which is an excellent reason to get away from the classroom for a while and sample the rigors of the working world.
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Bob Hartzell writes on jobs and education for several education websites including Master-Degree-Online.com as it relates to online masters degree programs. He addresses the issues confronted by would-be college & MBA students and professionals returning to school trying to develop career options.
