employment/MBA

[yvichman]

Stacy,

I have 5 years work experience 2 of which are in a managerial position for a startup eccommerce company. However, I temporarily left my position to live in another country. Currently I am not working, I'm concentrating on learning the language in my new country and am taking classes to do so. If I get accepted into the MBA program of my choice my plan is to start working for my previous employer, from my new country in a new role (marketing). Down the road if all goes as planned eventually open a 2nd hub to distribute the products here in my new country.

The MBA program I'm interested in is Full Time, and is completed in about 15 months time. That is one of the big reasons I'm interested in this particualr program. Will me being currently unemployed look very bad to the ad com? I know most work and go to school when earning their MBA in part-time programs, but am wondering if there are also many that concentrate solely on their studies and getting the most out of their program. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you in advance for your time.

[Lisa Anderson]

Dear yvichman,

Being currently unemployed is not negative in and of itself; it is the reason why you are unemployed and what you plan to do that is important. Since you elected to leave your job voluntarily to move to another country, I think your situation is fine as long as you can convey your rationale for why you decided to move and how the experiences is aiding your development. Likewise, you need to convey your plan between now and business school.

If you choose to attend a full-time program, you will not have time to work and most programs will heavily discourage it. In part-time programs, it is expected that students are working and attending class at night and/or on the weekends. Whether or not a school will let you enroll in a part-time program without a job varies by school, but schools will be concerned about why you want to be in a part-time program if you don't have a full-time job.

Good luck,
Lisa