7 skills you can gain with an MBA
Businesses take many factors into consideration when deciding who to bring on their team. Hovering at the top of the list, alongside employment and education history, is the desire for a worker to have a robust and dynamic skill set. Earning an MBA is a great way to establish a strong foundation of skills, giving you an edge in your search for the perfect career. Listed below are seven skills you will gain while pursuing an MBA.
1. Creative thinking
Whether through marketing or business development, learning to creatively think will be extremely beneficial to the team you join. Creativity will allow your plans to stand out from the rest.
The UF MBA program offers a multitude of concentrations to pursue, helping to establish a solid foundation to critically and creatively think. Finance, supply chain and business analytics are a few of the concentrations offered, and many of these courses intersect, allowing for unique experiences.
2. Efficient communication
Regardless of what aspect of business you choose to pursue, it is safe to say that you will be working with others. Efficient communication is a prized attribute in the business world. Whether communicating with your own team, potential new clients or the general public, clear and concise dialogue will make it easier for plans to be established and executed.
MBA classes often allow students to form teams for projects. As part of these teams, the need for good communication will be paramount. Whether giving a presentation to your fellow classmates, or delivering a pitch to a panel of Fortune 500 judges, success will boil down to communication.
3. Ability to solve complex real-world problems
Parallel to creative thinking is the ability to solve complex real-world problems. In fact, thinking creatively will often lead to the solving of said problems. MBA programs can introduce you to a number of different problem solving methodologies.
SWOT Analysis (strength, weakness, opportunities and threats) is one such methodology that can be learned through most MBA courses. Serving as a technique for assessing four pivotal aspects of a business, SWOT Analysis is an important tool that can help evaluate what a company does best and help construct a successful game plan for the future.
Along with SWOT Analysis, one will often gain experience in quantitative and data analysis. This process of analyzing data that is number-based or data that can easily be converted into numbers is key for real-world best decision making practices.
4. Practical career skills
As with any career field, a variety of practical skills are not only desired, but expected. Whether project management, delegation and time management or public speaking, pursuing an MBA helps establish a strong foundation of practical skills.
UF MBA provides a base for these skills, in addition to more specific ones, in the Career Accelerator program. As part of the program, career coaches provide students with realistic interview simulations, and technical skills seminars give students in-depth training using industry tools for an immediate competitive advantage. Seminar topics include Excel, Argus, Bloomberg, SPSS, Cognos, MS Project, ACL and other technical skills necessary to flourish in the workplace.
5. Diverse teamwork (understanding and working with people from different backgrounds)
A diverse team is an incredible boon to any business. Companies don’t want the same answer from everyone. More diversity enables businesses to thrive by providing more solutions for problems.
MBA programs attract people from all over the world. The UF MBA Full-Time program receives students from such locations as South Korea, Poland, Colombia and all across North America. No matter what course you find yourself in, you can expect to meet and work with individuals from many walks of life.
6. Exposure to many ideas and academic fields
Regardless of what team or business you find yourself in, it will always help to have as many ideas as possible and to have experience in a variety of fields. If your career field is marketing, exposure to finances might help. Maybe business management is something you’ll pursue. If so, knowledge of public speaking would be an invaluable asset.
A well rounded course structure from an MBA program will greatly assist in exposing you to numerous ideas and academic fields. Courses often include accounting, professional writing, employment law, economics and business analysis.
7. Leadership and experience
In the business world, leadership and experience are prized possessions. Even if you don’t find yourself in a leadership role, having experience is never a bad thing. The ability to guide others, along with the knowledge of what your team may encounter, are qualities that will make you stand out from the rest.
MBA programs often offer plenty of organizations for students to enroll in, allowing them to obtain valuable experience and leadership skills. Along with various organizations, UF MBA offers the UF MBAA, a governing body which provides all student programming, from professional development, to networking and relationship building, and the Global Immersion experience, a program offering opportunities to increase student’s global perspective. Whether becoming an organization officer, or traveling to a different country to meet with
