When is the best time to get an MBA?

At what point are you ready to get an MBA? For some, it is a planful thing. Graduate, get a job, spend a few years getting to know the business world, and then return for an MBA. It is a conscious decision for those with a strict five-year plan. For others, life is not always that neat. Sometimes, it is a 100-year pandemic and you are returning to school as a refuge from a sputtering economy. Suffice to say, asking when the best time is to get an MBA is a loaded question.

For me, it came on suddenly as I began to realize my career was stuck without one. Sure, I could have crept along the same path forever until retirement, but that is not how I saw my life playing out. My career needed a shot in the arm and an MBA was just what I needed. If I had to do it over, I would have acted years sooner, so heed my story as a warning. The timing may not have been perfect, but it was right for me to narrowly avoid career purgatory. 

The best advice I could give someone about when to start school again is this- the moment you realize you need a competitive advantage in the workplace is the time to get your degree. When you want to push yourself further than your colleagues, you have entered the phase of your career where an MBA is prudent. There will never be a best time to get an MBA, just the right time for you to standout in the workforce. Be proactive and do not let external factors dictate the next steps in your job or you will end up being stuck in a career rut.