As a working professional, you can undertake several learning opportunities to keep your skills relevant in today’s business environment. The best option would be to do an MBA because it not only provides you with substantial learning, it also provides a major push to your career.
Working professionals have routinely been opting for an MBA in the past decades and with online learning making tremendous strides, you can obtain the most future-ready MBA degree from the comfort of your home while working at the same time.
One of the key stumbling blocks for working professionals when it comes to enrolling in an MBA programme is having to sacrifice or compromise on their job. Technology has solved this problem and you can enrol in an online MBA for working professionals to save time and money and gain access to world-class faculty from the comfort of your home.
To arrive at a decision on the choice of MBA to take may not be easy, so let’s go through the various choices that are available to a working professional.
Types of MBAs for working professionals
There are three types of MBAs for working professionals:
- Full-time MBA for professionals
This is an MBA that requires a candidate to have a minimum number of years of experience. Various MBA institutes have different eligibility requirements. The subjects and specialisations offered by these programmes include marketing management, consulting and strategic management, technology management, international business management, retail management, accounting and finance management, supply chain management, and operations management. This MBA can be perfect for you if you can afford to give up your day job.
- Part-time executive MBA
A part-time executive MBA has also been an option for working professionals for a long time. These courses require students to commit to attending college on weekends. The subjects offered are similar to those in traditional MBA programmes. An executive MBA is also a largely offline course. Naturally, those who study these courses have limited choice of institutions and can rarely get access to world-class faculty.
Part-time executive MBAs are often conducted on campuses where the course does not get adequate attention from the institute. An executive MBA may not be viable for certain working professionals as they may have to work on weekends and will miss classes.
- Online MBA
The digital era has enabled the rise of fully online MBA courses. These programmes feature subjects that are tailor-made for today’s digital-first environment, such as data science, artificial intelligence, digital marketing, social media strategy, technology strategy and such contemporary topics apart from the staple management subjects.
There is also a focus on outcome-based lessons on entrepreneurship and soft skills in online MBA programmes. The course can be completed with tremendous flexibility and there is no need to make sacrifices at the workplace. An online MBA is even more flexible than an executive MBA because you can manage the former course even if you have to work over the weekend.
Key trends in MBAs for working professionals
Certain key trends should be kept in mind when choosing an MBA for working professionals:
- Part-time MBA programmes are good for you if you want to advance your career while working.
- If you choose to study an online MBA then you can attend lectures in your spare time; this can allow you to finish your degree sooner than the offline option.
- An executive MBA may be worth it only if a top-notch institute is located close to you.
- If you are a working professional with a technology-oriented background then you can learn management concepts by doing an MBA for working professionals. This will make it easier for you to get into leadership roles.
- If you are a working professional employed in a traditional job role in marketing, finance or operations, you can join an online MBA programme that will enable you to upskill yourself with future-ready subjects such as data science, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and digital marketing.
- With rising competition in the workplace, it is necessary to add to your skills and earn widely accepted certifications. Doing an MBA can fulfil these goals.
- Online MBA courses can be a pleasant surprise because they document lessons meticulously. For example, a lesson on the importance of reading to business can be emphasised better when it is turned into a module.
- Doing an MBA can help a technically proficient working professional understand the functions of management and be promoted to management roles.
- In this post-pandemic era, when remote learning has made tremendous strides, a working professional has no stumbling blocks to undertaking an MBA programme.
Conclusion
As a working professional, you can do an online MBA, develop skills that are relevant today and earn a well-recognised qualification. Online educational platforms offer MBA programmes that are specifically targeted toward the needs of working professionals. There are other MBA programmes for working professionals too, but they come with several constraints.
The Harappa School of Leadership is an online educational platform that can help you with your MBA training through its application-based learning, world-class faculty and mentors, individual and group coaching facilities, training as per current market demands, and placement and interview-related guidance. Visit the HSOL website to know how you can enrol in an online MBA programme.