With competition on the rise (between start-ups, established businesses, employers looking for talent and employees vying for top positions), the value of experience versus degrees is constantly debated.
It seems every week a new story highlights the opportunity costs of MBA programmes, the unemployment rates for its graduates (though less than 5% of Harvard’s class of 2012 was unemployed three months after graduating), and the celebrated entrepreneurs who didn’t finish college let alone a graduate programme (Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Richard Branson, Mark Zuckerberg).
Yet applications still deluge many elite schools and some admission consultants are predicting a greater number of applicants at the top schools for 2015.
So what’s the right call? First of all, if you are accepted or enrolled in an MBA programme, understand that your degree will never hurt you.
There is much to be gained from the coursework as well as a lot you can do to make the most out of your time in school. The right attitude and the right degree will provide a formula for long-term sustainable success.
While a business school will give you a pedigree, the real world is about results. As soon as the job interview process ends, no one cares which degree you received. All they care about is that you get the job done. So here are some lessons from the real world of work.