Is an MBA degree the right choice for you?

A group of five diverse graduate students post together on a staircase

Queen Agboye is a first year MBA student at the Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics. As a graduate intern for the Lerner College Communications Office, Agboye will be writing about her firsthand experiences with the Lerner College MBA Program.

Are you thinking about getting an MBA? I recommend that you carefully consider the decision to pursue a graduate degree before moving forward. It is an extensive process that requires a serious investment of your time, energy and money.

There are many factors to consider when deciding whether to take this next step in your career. One of the most important factors is understanding how you will benefit from going back to school. Ask yourself, “Am I really looking for career advancement or am I looking to change careers entirely?”

Robert Treml, Lerner College MBA class of 2014, had double majored in both finance and marketing for his undergraduate degrees. When deciding whether to pursue an MBA after working for several years, he wanted a program where he could get a concentration in management.

“I had a very rewarding experience in the Lerner MBA program,” Treml said. One highlight, he added, was his independent study focused on “Positive Leadership” and “Positive Organizational Scholarship”.

“Lerner was looking to incorporate a course on positive leadership into the MBA curriculum, and my work and research was centered on building out the foundation for that content in partnership with my faculty sponsor, Jack Baroudi,” Treml continued. “It was an incredibly enriching independent study, and I strive to implement those principles every day as I lead my team of directors and maximize their engagement, agility, performance and, ultimately, career satisfaction.”

An MBA degree is an asset for people who want to advance into a management role or change positions. The most common reasons that professionals decide to pursue an MBA are desires to:

  • Develop general business knowledge
  • Advance managerial and leadership skills
  • Increase earning potential
  • Receive more challenging projects at work
  • Access more career opportunities
  • Gain a personal sense of accomplishment and achievement

Two years ago, many of the items on this list applied to how I was feeling about my career. After 10 years of working professionally and gaining industry experience, I was tired of being at the same level in my career. I craved the opportunity to do something different and to learn new business skills.

I decided to take leave of the workforce to pursue further education; this proved to be an important and life-changing decision. After a search focus on quality, reputation and career enhancement, I chose to attend the University of Delaware’s Alfred Lerner College of Business and Economics to pursue my MBA degree as a full-time student. If any of the reasons above resonate with you too, pursuing an MBA might be the right decision.

Looking back now, I would say that pursuing an MBA is one of the finest decisions that I have ever made. I would recommend pursuing this degree to any professional who finds themselves in the same place that I was in two years ago. I am no longer the same person that I was before because of the Lerner College MBA Program.

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