There is a perception among many that an MBA is a degree for finance workers and business consultants looking to move up the corporate ladder. It’s an outdated view ― but one that still pervades.
True, look at any top MBA program globally and you will find your fair share of bankers and consultants ― and with good reason; the MBA, as ever, is a sound choice for professionals who want to develop their careers vertically.
However, if you were to examine the placement profiles of a quality MBA class these days you would be struck by the diversity of the jobs that MBA students end up doing.
HEC Paris is a good example: In the last couple of years we have had a journalist who now runs a successful jewelry business, a theater worker who now runs marketing for an international cosmetics brand and a former wilderness expedition leader who is now heading a division of Google.
These examples go to prove that the MBA can be used as a tool to completely transform your career trajectory. But what if you are not sure what you want to do? Many prospective students may see that as a disadvantage ― but they’d be wrong.
You can typically break MBA students into two groups: “hunters” and “explorers.”
Hunters have everything fully mapped out before they arrive on campus. They are single-mindedly pursuing a career, be it in investment banking, strategy consulting or a particular industry. They are quick to network in their chosen field, arrange interviews with target firms for their internships or field work, and use the MBA to build the knowledge and competencies that will serve them well straight out of school.
The explorers, on the other hand, are the ones that aren’t quite so sure. They have the self-awareness and confidence to recognize their abilities and potential, but are using the business school experience to consider various career paths, imagine entrepreneurial pursuits, and try their hand at a wide range of classes and activities.
Most European MBA programs are 12 months long. At HEC Paris, the full-time MBA is 16 months long ― and I’d argue that this is important for the explorers out there. The extra time with the school allows more time to discover what you want to do, more time to start developing the competencies that can help you to get there and more time to build the all-important contacts and acquaintances in your chosen field.
But duration in itself is not enough. Duration allows for better customization and broader exploration. After a fundamental phase made of core courses and leadership development activities, explorers can diversify their MBA journey by combining open-choice electives with specialization options, as well as fieldwork projects with international exchanges at partner schools. It’s amazing how diverse the experience can be in 16 months.
We have also built a comprehensive “career management center” with its own curriculum dedicated entirely to making sure students know themselves, know different markets and finally can match themselves to the market they end up choosing. The previously mentioned student who went from journalist to jeweler was able to use this course to discuss the intricacies of the luxury industry with the CEO of Givenchy. She has come away from the MBA experience doing the job she dreamed of, even if this dream seemed distant to her at the start of the course.
So ― if you are an explorer, be confident that the right MBA program has the ability to transform your career in ways you might not have previously thought possible. If you are a hunter, the MBA will give you the tools you need to take that next step in your career ― but it may make you think twice about that path!
In an increasingly unpredictable international job market, even if you are set on a particular discipline or sector, having a plan B is a good idea. And perhaps one of the best things you can take with you to business school is an open mind.
By Bernard Garrette
Bernard Garrette is the associate dean of the MBA program at HEC Paris. ― Ed.