The MBA program has been one of the most challenging but also rewarding personal and academic experiences. I entered the program with some expectations, but it has proven to be much more than I initially thought. It is without a doubt going to influence the rest of my professional career by providing me with business and life skills to succeed and grow in a highly competitive economic sector.
Over the years and different courses, the MBA program offered a diverse mix of engaging learning experiences. Some of them were more helpful than others, but a few activities made a difference. The most engaging and meaningful experience was the GLO-BUS. It allowed to for a real opportunity to gain and implement competitive strategies in a competition with another group in meeting investor expectations. The simulation represented the inherently competitive environment which attracts me to business and helped students to apply strategic planning and execution skills learned from courses. The second learning experience was coming up with an innovative product idea for the marketing course. This exercise challenged my inner entrepreneur and pushed me outside my comfort zone. I was able to look at products and services from a different perspective to come up with the innovation while learning to analyze marketing strategy from the position of a vendor or consumer. Finally, the self-branding exercise was unique and fulfilling by applying marketing concepts to my character. It was reflective exercise which allowed me to consider how I present myself, my personal âbrandâ â which is important from a professional aspect in terms of future job interviews and performance as well as personal understanding of my goals and ambitions.
Some of the most valuable courses over the course of the MBA program were marketing, corporate finance, and financial and managerial accounting. As discussed earlier, marketing helped to expand my perspectives on the business world with various exercises, along with the self-branding exercise which led me to discover skill sets which I did not think I had. Along with traditional marketing concepts, in this course, I also developed my leadership and communication skills as well as challenged my ability to think outside the box. Meanwhile, the finance and accounting courses were extremely useful in reinforcing my accounting knowledge but also extending the scope of how the various principles are applied in the corporate world. The ability to read reports and create credible forecasts are central to any MBA education. While the skills of creating the reports and statistics are valuable, as future managers, it was vital to learn how to comprehend and strategically utilize this numerical data. The courses contributed to the expansion of my knowledge of data analysis and the application and interaction of specific statistics with the market.
There is not much that I think needs to be changed. One recommendation would be to offer greater academic support and guidance to students from the beginning of the program, particularly in preparation for the MBA Field Test. I believe that given the advice and guidance early on such as with creating study guides and summaries to use as test preparation to the last day of the program could be immensely helpful and effective. Overall, the program offers strong support, good structure to the education, and interesting and diverse courses. I felt fulfilled in my education and especially value the interactions with my peers and professors which were a large aspect of the holistic educational approach. There was consistent support from instructional and administrative staff from the first day of the program until the last. There are significant resources provided for the educational and professional fulfillment, allowing MBA students to take advantage of their time in the program and transition into the professional world.
My decision to enter the MBA program was driven by the desire to advance my career through promotion and acquiring new skills to improve job performance. I plan to utilize the knowledge from the program to maximize my career potential. An MBA has been universally seen as a significant push in career advancement, not simply due to the increase of oneâs professional qualifications, but for the experiences it provides. Common elements learned in the MBA that are valuable in the business world are insight into the workings of the industry, financial skills, improved human interactions and interpersonal skills, and most importantly, the ability to think broadly and find solutions (DeJong, n.d.). I am confident and feel fully prepared to apply the knowledge and skills towards advancing my career. I have acquired valuable tools that can help me succeed at my current position, and after an assessment in June, I am expecting a promotion due to the combination of educational advancement and professional accomplishments. It would not be achievable without the tremendous positive influence of the MBA program in pushing me to my limits and demonstrating the best results possible.
Reference
deJong, J. (n.d.). How an MBA can help you. Monster. Web.