Why an MBA?

Some posts ago I explained why I chose Cambridge out of all MBA options there are around the world. What I didn’t explain is why I wanted to do an MBA. I probably should have started this whole thing by explaining that.

However, for some unknown reason I didn’t. This is probably because my whole decision process was totally reversed to begin with. I didn’t decide I wanted to do an MBA and went to do the GMAT. Instead, I decided I would try and do the GMAT and see what happened (as explained in an earlier post).
Of course, if I went to do the GMAT it is because I thought this was a possibility. So what did I have in mind? Basically, I wanted two things: i) Change careers; ii) an international experience.

As for the first one, I felt my studies wouldn’t do me any good without having a hands-on experience and global management knowledge. I wanted to move to Investment Banking (at that time...not so sure now). I was already at a PhD level, but it was really hard for me to switch jobs, as many companies were already thinking I was overqualified. So I had the academic background but not the experience (not at least for IB). That means I would be too expensive for a trainee. So I thought I had a good shot if I did an MBA. That way I would add global experience to my technical knowledge, thus being recruited not as a trainee, but as an associate or at least for a position with some seniority.

Secondly, the international experience. This would be a plus in any job hunt, but it really isn’t about that. It is about enjoying a onetime life experience. It is about experiencing so many different things. It’s about sharing experiences with people from all over the world, seeing different cultures, living in a different reality...is about broadening horizons and gaining perspective.