The COVID-19 pandemic certainly changed a lot of things when it came to how we saw work and job security. Due to the lockdown, many businesses were forced to close altogether for extended periods, with uncertainty about when they would reopen, and others had to drastically reduce their activities. Naturally, this led to a lot of people either losing their jobs or even doubting that their entire industry would be a sustainable one to work in after things started to return to normal.
This means that at the current time, where mass vaccination is starting to make it possible for most remaining businesses to operate more normally, a lot of people have one eye on the idea of changing careers.
Of course, the pandemic is not the only reason someone might want a career change. Many people do change careers once or twice throughout their working lives to support things they want to do, like relocating, turning a passion into a job, or seeking a new career that is more compatible with raising a family.
If any of these reasons apply to you and you are thinking about changing careers, but have not decided what role you would like exactly, then a good option that could open up a lot of opportunities is to study for an MBA online. If you have a few years of experience in a management or supervisory position, this could make you eligible and ready to take on an MBA. Here we are going to look at some of the reasons why this is a great choice:
Be Equipped to Start Your Own Business
One thing a lot of people consider when looking to leave their old career behind is starting their own business. This could mean using the skills from your old career to provide a service to your own clients on a self-employed basis, or starting up something completely new in a field you are knowledgeable about or interested in. With things being done increasingly online, and this being even more so the case in the post-COVID era, there are plenty of options for starting businesses with little initial capital, where things like a business location are not always necessary, and staff can be recruited who work remotely.
However, for a lot of people who have a good idea for a new business, there are areas of the management side of things they don’t have knowledge of or experience in. Even people who had management roles in previous companies would normally have been within one area of the business, so a marketing manager would not necessarily have much experience with financial management at a business level, and a manager coordinating product development wouldn’t have had to concern themselves with sales.
For this reason, a lot of people find that getting a solid formal education in business such as an MBA fills in any gaps in their knowledge and sets them up to manage their own company effectively. Because it is possible to do an MBA online from home with programs like the Aston University MBA, you can even fit getting your MBA around doing the preliminary work and research to launch your company, or around your current job.
Enter a New Industry at a Senior Level
If you don’t want to start your own business but want to seek employment in a different industry, then having an MBA can allow you to consider more senior appointments in that industry than you could otherwise. Many industries require similar skills at management levels, and so strong management credentials can make up for the lack of time spent in the industry. For instance, if you worked in the tourism or events planning industries, which were among the worst-hit during lockdown, then you may find that with good management experience and an MBA, a move into a managerial role in something like retail may be open to you. There are certain department head types roles that are needed in almost every industry, too, and for these, the approaches don’t tend to vary too much between industries – for instance, HR. Strong knowledge in these fields combined with an MBA would allow you to move industries even at a more senior level than you had in your old company.
A Versatile Qualification
If you don’t even know yet what industry you’d like to work in or whether you’d like to seek a new job or work for yourself, then it can be hard to pick a study program to support a career change. However, an MBA is a very versatile program that will teach you things that will be useful whatever you end up trying to do, as well as giving you a highly sought-after and well-respected qualification at the end of it.
While it may seem that an MBA is geared more towards the private sector, a lot of the things that are taught on an MBA course are valuable to public sector workers too, as things like budgetary management, HR, planning, and even sometimes things like marketing, are important to the effective functioning of public sector organizations and non-profits. As long as your intention is to work in a leadership position, rather than in a more hands-on role, the MBA will give you skills that you will be able to apply, and which employers or clients will respect.
Doing an MBA is now more accessible than ever thanks to the wide range of great colleges and business schools offering MBA programs online. Whether you want to study full or part-time, you can find a straightforward path to getting your MBA, with none of the upheaval in your life of going back to college. Online MBAs also tend to end up being considerably less expensive than doing your MBA on campus, when all things are considered, so there are lots of reasons why you should look into your options and start planning for your MBA now!
