What’s behind your decision to earn an MBA? Are you looking to differentiate yourself in a competitive job market? Explore your

passion for business? Move your career forward? Add new skills to your professional toolbox? Start and run your own company?

Like snowflakes, no two career paths are exactly alike. That’s why MBA programs are designed to provide a well-rounded mix of academic, professional, social and leadership-development experiences to propel your career forward.

When I talk to graduating students about how their MBA experience has served them, I receive a wide range of responses. Here are a few examples:

• “I have a much better understanding of business fundamentals – what works and what doesn’t and how to get there. I ammuch more confident in analyzing and solving problems.”
• “I loved the hands-on learning opportunities – they helped keep my real-world skills fresh and earned me some great connections.”
• “I’m definitely a better leader and feel equipped to manage teams of all sizes.”
• “My knowledge of and appreciation for other cultures and styles of business is definitely going to serve me well at a multinational company.”
• “I’ve now got friends all over the world – I feel like I can find a job or a reference almost anywhere I go.”
• “I now have a wide range of communication skills and styles. I can confidently pitch a customer in an elevator or present to a CEO in a board room.”

If you would like to learn more about the benefits of earning your MBA, please drop me a line.

Brian Precious is the MBA Program Director at Oregon State University. He can be reached at: OSUMBA@OregonState.edu.