Published: December 3, 2013
The Key to a Successful Post-MBA Career
Welcome to the first in a series of guest columns focused on career strategy in the MBA context … a topic that should be squarely in your sights whether you’re considering applying to business school or are currently in the thick of the admissions process.
A Wharton professor of mine was once asked in a public forum what he thought the key success factor was for MBAs pursuing the most highly competitive and rewarding job opportunities. He observed that the critical variable that seemed to predict long-term success was the extent to which a student understood and expected the 5-7 year time span beyond business school to (also) be one of intense work and sacrifice, every bit the equal to the process of applying to and undertaking the MBA in terms of calories burned and mental energy expended.
Regardless of what jobs students pursued or how much they were compensated upon graduation, those whose careers truly took off – the ones who now lead their respective organizations – were preparing, it seems, for an additional, non-trivial phase of concerted effort and toil during the post-MBA phase of their professional lives.
In contrast, he felt, those students who felt they should be rewarded more speedily – whether in terms of title, status, or pay – for their admittedly considerable investment in graduate school, or for their previous experiences, were at greater risk of disappointment and of erring in the quest to find solid footing, a good match, and the right launching pad for a career that would result in progressively greater amounts of responsibility, compensation, satisfaction, and, ultimately, the ability to ‘job sculpt’ and integrate one’s professional life with personal interests and family needs.
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