Decide Your Career Path

MBA applicants who have solid career goals tend to do best in the admissions process and are most likely to be happy with the outcomes of their degree. 

But don’t try to do things in reverse and figure out your direction later—typically, MBA programs don't allow you the time or opportunity to change your mind about what you want to study.

If you have a career plan, it will also be easier for you to choose the school, program, courses, and MBA concentration that will help you succeed. MBA programs are very different from one another and have different strengths. Also, they have recruiting relationships with different companies, which means that you should make sure that the schools you apply to can help get you a job where you want to work.

Just as you look for the schools that suit your goals, admissions officers look for applicants who are a "good fit" with their programs—people whose goals match what the program has to offer. Being able to talk about your career plan in a realistic and convincing way is an important part of showing that you are a good fit for a business school.

It's one thing to have career aspirations, and it's another to make aspirations real by matching your dreams with your actual experience, abilities, and preferences.  For reliable advice on career paths, industries, and types of companies will suit you best, try the CareerLeader® assessment.

CareerLeader, an online career assessment tool, is used by most MBA programs' career services offices to help graduating MBAs find jobs. But it can help you more if you use it before you apply to business school.

Numerous free industry and career profiles, as well as career and industry information from two highly rated websites on career development and advice, Vault and WetFeet are available at mba.com. What’s more, we’ve screened the most relevant and helpful career information and industry profiles for MBAs from the Vault and Wetfeet, which you can access right here on mba.com.

Take the time now to define realistic career goals, while learning as much as you can about the career or job you wish to pursue.  Then all the decisions ahead of you will be easier. You'll know whether an MBA is right for you, what to look for in a school, and how to handle the admissions process. And you’ll be much happier with your options when you graduate.