Whether you are planning to start your own business or carve a niche for yourself within a leading organization, an MBA adds immense value to your resume. Your reason for contemplating an MBA degree may differ: perhaps, you want to change your career track, take up greater responsibilities at your current job, or take home a heavier paycheck. Whatever your reason, with your MBA degree, you stand a good chance of making your dreams come true.

What is an MBA?

Probably, the most recognized degree in the world today, the Master of Business Administration or MBA equips you with valuable knowledge about a business enterprise. It teaches you to apply time-tested strategies and concepts to manage various practical aspects of a business operation.

Why an MBA?

Skip the entry level jobs...

The rigorous training you receive during an MBA program through assignments, presentations, reports and group projects, sets you apart from your counterparts. While a person without an MBA may have to start off at a junior level, students with an MBA often save themselves years of entry level work.

Build strong networks…

Dina  Dommett, assistant dean of MBA admissions at NYU-Stern points out that companies no longer provide professional development perks and this need is being met by business schools through career resources and support groups available to alumni. Your professors, classmates, alumni, the companies that you intern with-these invaluable alliances will add value to your career, years after you graduate.

Earn a global degree…

A recent RAND Corporation analysis titled “The 21st Century at Work: Forces Shaping the Future Workforce and Workplace in the United States,” reports that since the skills obtained in the MBA degree are applicable to many different areas, it is the perfect kind of education that brings a global perspective and allows workers to keep pace with changes in the workplace.

Get a basic qualification…

Your MBA degree assures potential employers that you already possess a minimum skill set. According to Nunzio Quacquarelli, at QS Top MBA, many companies consider an MBA as a prerequisite for entry-level qualification. The International Recruitment Survey and Salary Recruitment Report 2007 from QS Top MBA.com shows an overall 24% increase in demand for MBAs in 2007.

Does an MBA really make a difference?

Consider these facts: more than 77% employers feel that graduates with business degrees possess better managing strategies, knowledge of business functions and system skills than their counterparts. The average salary of an MBA graduate is almost 30% higher than graduates from other streams and almost twice that of undergraduate students. According to US News & World Report rankings,  top ranked MBA program graduates have salaries averaging $119k.

Job Opportunities     

What you pick up at an MBA program is much more than theoretical knowledge. It develops your cognitive, interpersonal and communication skills, honing you for a lifetime. With an MBA in hand, you get a great amount of flexibility—you can work with an NGO or with the government, start your own business or even act as a consultant and work only once a week!