Everyone who considers taking an MBA is going to have their own reasons for doing so. Most of those reasons will be the obvious ones, such as wanting to start their own business or reach a higher level in their own career. However, there are dozens of reasons why an online style of MBA might be the right thing for you, and some of those reasons are quite unusual.
This doesn’t mean they are any less valid or that you shouldn’t sign up for an MBA online if you want to. If one of these reasons resonates with you, perhaps it will help make the final decision as to whether you want to put in the time, effort and money to take this additional degree. Read on to find out what some of the more unusual reasons for taking an MBA are.
A Chance To Think About Business Issues
When you are completely focused on a business, working in it day to day, there often isn’t much of chance to take a step back and reflect on the issues that are taking place within the world of business. An online MBA gives you that opportunity, and not only allows it but encourages it.
Needing to take a degree in order to give yourself this moment of reflection may seem extreme, but since the MBA will have many other benefits too, taking this opportunity to look more deeply into today’s business challenges is something you can see as a bonus. Far from being a luxury of time that you can’t afford, reflecting on the state of business and trying to come up with answers to make things easier not just for you but for everyone working in a business environment is certainly a good reason to take an MBA. You could change the world (or the world of business at least).
Making Like Minded Friends
Being in business, particularly when you are a business owner, can be lonely. You need to work long hours, putting in a great deal of hard work to make your business a success and this can mean having to sacrifice time with friends and family, at least at the beginning of the process.
When you are a business owner or you’re trying to boost your career in business, it may feel as though there is no one to talk to about what you’re going through because no one in your immediate circle will understand. Taking an MBA means you will be with people who definitely understand, and who you can talk to about all kinds of business issues. They might even come up with solutions to problems that you were finding it difficult to get around.
Of course, being an online MBA means that you won’t be with these people in a physical, face to face setting and often you won’t even be online at the same time – it will depend on the set up of the MBA and whether the lectures are live or recorded for you to listen to at your leisure – but you will still be able to ‘talk’ to those who have the same mindset as you. There will usually be special online groups set up for those who are taking the same course, and being able to talk about business, and potentially your business in particular, can make all the difference. It can certainly help to keep you motivated for the future.
You’ll Be Humbled
When you’re working in your own bubble of business it might not occur to you that there is a lot you don’t yet know. It may feel as though there is nothing left to learn because you are doing everything you can every day to make your business a success.
The truth is, and this is something an MBA will teach you, there is always more to learn. There are always those who are more successful and who know more. Rather than being envious of these people, why not learn from them? They are the ones who will be giving lectures and talking about how they do what they do in business. They are the ones who will give you your MBA after you put in the hard work and listen to what they say.
You will find that taking a degree like this in a subject that you thought you knew a lot about, will reveal much about you that you weren’t aware of, and in many cases you will be humbled. This is a good thing. Working alone in business, feeling as though you know it all, is bad for your career. It means your mind is closed to new ideas and possibilities. By taking an online MBA, your mind will be opened once more and you will be able to take on board many ideas that you wouldn’t have considered before, making your business much more successful than it would have been otherwise.
Being humble is a good thing, especially when you are able to learn and build yourself up from it.
Working As A Team
Initially, an online MBA may appear to be a solo pursuit, but this is not necessarily the case. There might be team projects that you can get involved in and although they might not be mandatory, they will be useful if you do take up the idea.
Business owners and those who are working for someone else but who want to get ahead in their careers are not always the best at working in a team. Their personalities are such that they tend to work alone, preferring to do things their own way. This could well sound familiar to you. However, learning to work in a team is something that can easily stand you in good stead for the future and it could make you much more successful as you move forward, so trying in the safe environment of your MBA is a good thing to do.
Teamwork is something that, once you have mastered it, can help you in many ways. It can turn you into a great leader, for example, which is going to be absolutely crucial when you have your own team beneath you. It can also show you the importance of listening, which again will be of great use when you are an employer or manager. You’ll also know what to look out for in the future when your own team is working on a project; you’ll know who is pulling their weight and who should be doing more.
Understand The Global Economy
Due to its very nature, an online MBA is a mode of study that will attract students from all around the world. In fact, you might even decide to study at an international business school yourself.
There are great advantages to doing this, but even if you decide to stay closer to home you will still have a chance to learn about international business. Is there any point to this when you aren’t importing or exporting and you’re not dealing with international clients?
The answer is yes, and it’s a big reason for some to take on an online MBA. The world of business is getting smaller thanks to new technology and new ideas. This means that, even if you’re not working with foreign customers and suppliers right now, you might do in the future; learning about international business will help you get prepared for this.
Even if you never work in this way, learning about how other countries or even entire continents do business could give you some useful ideas about changes you might want to make in your own business.
Or perhaps you are going to continue working in the way you work, on a local scale. Understanding international business is still important; it will give you knowledge and an overview of the business world that will make you a more well-rounded individual.
It’s A Challenge
Not everyone who takes an MBA specifically needs this degree to move on with their careers. So why do they sign up for something that will take so much hard work and be time-consuming (even if, thanks to the unique nature of online degrees, they can work at their own pace to achieve their qualification) if it’s not required?
The answer is that an MBA is a challenge. If you can learn what you need to learn and focus on your studies, if you can achieve your goal of adding an MBA to your name, if you can do all this and continue to work in or on your business and enjoy your family life (which is the beauty of an online MBA as it allows you to do all this without any sacrifice), then you will have achieved a great thing and the challenge you set yourself will be done and complete.
You will be able to look back at what you have done and be proud of yourself. Being challenged in life is important as it means you always have a goal to strive for, plus you can keep your brain active. An online version of the MBA is an excellent choice if you want a long term challenge with an excellent reward at the end.
Guest Speakers
Although the guest speakers that your chosen MBA may bring in to give you more of an insight into the world of business and management will probably not be the sole reason for signing up for this additional qualification, they will certainly be a bonus that should not be missed.
Being able to learn from accomplished people who really do know what they are talking about because they have already done it all and now want to impart their wisdom to others is not something to be taken lightly. It’s also not something that everyone in business is able to take advantage of. However, if you are taking an online MBA, it’s something that you can certainly enjoy and benefit from.
Going into business is difficult and it is full of challenges. Most business owners have to navigate these challenges with their eyes closed, hoping that the decisions they are making within their business are the right ones. When you have taken an MBA and you have been privy to the knowledge and business tips that a guest speaker will give you, your eyes will be wide open as you work on your business, and you’ll have a much clearer idea of how to make it through.
Refocus Yourself
If you’re even the slightest bit unhappy in your career choice – or your sector choice – taking the time to study for an MBA will give you the chance to refocus and reassess your situation. This is the time to make a change so that, once you have your degree in your hand, you can move forward immediately.
No matter what it is you want out of life, when you are completely immersed in your career or business it can be hard to take enough of a step back to see whether it’s the right thing for you. Since we spend so much time and effort at work in our lives, it’s crucial that what you do is something that you are going to enjoy, or at least not hate so much that you stop trying to move forward and do better.
Although an online MBA won’t give you a complete break from work (unless you choose for this to happen), it will allow you to focus on something else for a while and for a change, and this could be enough to finally be honest about your current situation. If you are happy with it, your online MBA is the next step forward. If you’re unhappy, that same MBA could be the next step sideways, or a leap across to a different career altogether. Once you have the degree you have the power to refocus yourself and do something you’ve always wanted to do.
Learn Management
Why is it that some people are born to manage other people and others find it a challenge that they can’t seem to get quite right? Although we don’t know the answer to that, we do know that an online MBA is a great way to understand more about management and to learn a management style that will help you in the future.
Everyone works in a different way and everyone responds to management in a different way. Yet when you have a style that works for you, one you have learned through your studies, you can be sure that your team will work hard for you and be loyal.