Seeking Advice - Should I get an MBA?

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Seeking Advice - Should I get an MBA?

by Lafemmeposh » Sun Oct 14, 2018 2:32 pm
Hi all-

I'm trying to decide whether getting an MBA is a good decision for my career/life. I have always wanted to get a graduate degree and what I'd learn in an MBA program really excites me, but I'm honestly not sure what I want to achieve in my career long-terms. When people ask "what's your dream job" I don't really have an answer...I know I enjoy marketing/communications work but I've haven't truly enjoyed the jobs I've had since graduating from undergrad. I look at the top execs at the company I worked for and the one I worked for previously, and I don't aspire to have their job, so I don't want to waste too much time climbing the ranks at these places. I know business school would be a great opportunity to possibly find another industry, field or role I can be passionate about but I'm not sure if I should spend tens of thousands of dollars trying to figure out what I want to do. I am also under the impression that most people in MBA programs know exactly what they want to do (or at least think they do when applying) and that's what admissions offices are looking for; people who have clear goals and aspirations and can speak to what they plan to achieve. So even if I were to decide that I wanted to get my MBA, I'm not sure an "I don't know exactly what I want to do with my career" would get me into a top program.

Has anyone encountered a situation like this before or have any advice for someone like me? I've toyed with the idea in the past but if I'm going to give it my all I'd like to feel confident in my decision to invest the time and money, hopeful that an MBA could help me find a career I'm passionate about and realistic about my prospects for the programs I'm interested in.

A little bit about me/my admissions profile if I were to apply for MBA programs:
- I'm a 26 year old black woman
- Graduated Northwestern University, BS in Communications with a 3.4 GPA
- Worked at a consulting company in D.C. for 2 years doing in communications consulting for federal healthcare agencies -received a promotion after 1.5 years
- Currently working at a top public relations firm in NY/Chicago for pharmaceutical companies, received promotion after 1 year (hopeful for another within the next year :))
- Some of the things I do outside of work: I mentor first generation minority college students, am the co-director of the mentorship program at my PR firm and for fun I have a travel blog/podcast/YouTube channel that gets a decent amount of traffic
- I'm pretty sure I would receive good recommendations, although I haven't put too much thought into who I'd ask
- I've taken practice GMAT tests before and my highest score was a 680, I'm confident if I invested in a prep course for a few months I could get a score in the low/mid 700s


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