CareerTalk
April 2007 - "To MBA or not to MBA"....The question is Why?
It's an age-old question for anyone serious about a business career ... and
increasingly, for young professionals unhappy in their jobs. When you're feeling a bit
stuck or under-appreciated, a return to familiar ground (university) and a chance to
'regroup' is tempting. After all, an MBA should boost 'life-time' earnings and future
opportunities ... or so the common wisdom goes. So where to begin? How best to sift
through choices and decide? Meet Talia.
An ambitious career-builder, Talia grew up in the shadow of her brothers (successful
wildlife biologists) and geologist father. Rugged outdoor adventures and a passion for
science had set a competitive pace ... and Talia had scrambled to 'keep up'.
After school she'd carved out a path in engineering, working as a project manager for
a small environmental firm. It was a challenge from the beginning - rough contractors,
'grubby' outdoor work, and the responsibility for 'making it all happen'. She hated it.
At 26, Talia was ready to switch paths ... but not anxious to start from scratch. An MBA
(she reasoned) would bridge the gap to a 'range' of options ... and salvage the 'family
honour'.
She had only a vague sense of what she wanted - a new sector, a chance to work with important
people, more respect .The right program (she hoped) would bring it into focus. For now, she
wanted a sounding board for her decision and help in choosing from a dizzying selection of
options (over 10 in BC alone).
Our initial discussions confirmed her impulsive decision-making pattern and explained some of
the angst surrounding her current career. She'd chosen a 'serious' technical field without
questioning her talent or enthusiasm. And, once again, she seemed headed down a path without
a plan.
Talia had no deep desire for a business career, very little corporate experience and no
business-related course-work in her undergraduate degree ... none of the usual markers.
Only a bold fantasy of the 'corner office' ... and herself in a leadership role.
It was a little backwards - her hunger for prestige without a clear vision ... and she sort
of knew it. In the end, an MBA might be in the cards but first she needed to ask very
different questions.
What problems did she love to solve? What was she proud of? What was easy for her? If not
engineering, then where would she make her contribution? What would she 'do' in that corner
office?
The Results
Self-assured and remarkably resilient, Talia was used to setting goals and succeeding.
Engineering had been just a 'minor setback'.
She was enterprising and artistic with a passion for community building. Outside of work,
she found time to organize the annual children's festival and raise funds for the art gallery.
She loved the project management, the chance to hob-knob with dignitaries ... and especially
the recognition.
As we began to explore Talia's 'possible selves', it was clear that arts management and events
coordination belonged at the top of the list. Her favorite (& transferable) skills included
promoting, facilitating and coordinating ... and she seldom missed a convention or trade show.
She loved the 'buzz' - the chance to mingle, take in the 'concept' and envision how she might
tweak and improve it.
But Talia was skeptical - enchanted with the role of a 'professional meeting planner' but not
sure that the identity held the 'gravitas' she required. What were the opportunities and career
paths? How influential were they (did they enjoy corner offices)? It was time to do some human
research.
Our brainstorming identified niches and produced a plan of attack. Over the next month, Talia
met with different meeting planners: a professional association manager, an environmental
conference organizer, a university alumni coordinator, and a corporate event planner in
charge of board meetings, AGMs and executive retreats for an international resource company.
They were all serious professionals - well-educated, eager to share their work and generous
with advice. Talia was impressed and inspired. And none of them had MBA's.
When we met to review her findings, she was ready to move forward with a new mindset. She'd met
kindred spirits and discovered that their contributions were essential and highly regarded.
The volunteer skills she'd undervalued had many executive-level applications. If she needed
more education, a diploma in events management would be more relevant (at this stage) than
an MBA. For now, she wanted to get her feet wet.
We re-crafted her résumé, targeted the environmental and technology sector (where she had an
edge) ... and started hunting for upcoming conferences and an assistant coordinator position.
For Talia, the question of 'whether to' MBA was the wrong question. Rather, what she needed
to discover was a more desirable 'possible self' and a congruent career identity.
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