Work isn’t what it once was. Businesses expect things of employees they haven’t looked for before. They are looking for talent, flexibility, and commitment. They need people who can collaborate and will contribute more than their daily tasks.
Education does not guarantee talent. But, it can be an opportunity for talented people to secure the credentials that catch employers’ attention or keep the best workers employed. Some of the most successful people in business have not completed college-level work, but walking away from the opportunity could put you at risk.
Forbes remarked, “one should carefully consider the choice to forgo a higher education, even if they are fully committed to starting a business that will not require one.”
But, you should know some things before you start your business master’s program.
Some things you should know
- An Advanced Diploma of Business should provide you with the information and leadership skills to be a supervisor, team leader, or mid-manager in office business settings.
- Most business learning programs do not connect with the work you do. It is heavy on theory and light on practical applications.
- Business schools have difficulty personalizing your curriculum. Approaches are naturally general when classes include students from various business sectors.
- Well-known business schools generally have large classes that sacrifice intimacy and collaboration. Class members are also from a range of interests—from accounting to IT, from marketing to human resources, from operations to sales, and so on. This can create a lot of trans-discipline thinking, but it also can distract you from your interest.
- Students may or may not be enrolled immediately following their undergraduate work. They may not share the experience or background of students entering later in their business careers.
- Different students do bring different work skills learned on the job. They may excel or need improvement in critical-thinking, problem-solving, project management, and the like. Students can learn as much about these skills from other students as they do from coursework.
- Advanced business programs are not structured around many tests and quizzes. They will emphasize longer research assignments or group and team projects. You may take part in networking events or workshops, but the emphasis will be on community and collaboration.
- Despite an emphasis on collaboration, student work will be graded on individual contributions and original work.
Everything comes down to attitude
You will get as much out of your advanced diploma of business as you bring to it. This is an opportunity, not a requirement. You want to learn, but you also want to trade and exchange what you know and have experienced. You get the most out of the work when you realize others need what you have learned in your career. You all share the same textbooks, but each student has some special work and unique experience that others will value.
Noodle.com advises you, “There is no single path that all students who major in business follow. What business study will do is open up more opportunities for you and allow you to tailor your education to your future career.”
