My Future Career Goals: What’s Next for Samantha

One MBA-bound student discusses her big-picture plans for the future.

Read about one Kaplan Student Brand Ambassador’s plans for her future career to help you determine what’s next for you.

What I’ve already accomplished

Aspiring to go to business school directly after undergrad may not be the most common path—but that is exactly what I plan on doing. Whereas aspiring doctors and lawyers often go to graduate school immediately, business professionals sometimes work for a few years before applying to MBA programs. Because I want to be an executive at major company, however, I’ve decided to get a head start on my future career goals.

As a junior in college, I’m looking forward to the career path ahead of me and to diving right into business education. I know you should enjoy college while you can, but I get so excited about all of the possibilities for my future. Getting into business school is the first step—and that means planning and preparing to take the GMAT. Graduate school is a whole other mountain that I won’t begin to climb just yet.

Looking forward to my ideal future, I want to feel proud of all my accomplishments from an early age. That is why I want to begin my journey to a high profile career now. Having grown up in three very different environments—Chicago, IL; Scottsdale, AZ; and Greensboro, NC—I’m a confident in saying that, ideally, I want to live in a place such as Atlanta or a suburb of Chicago, where I am near a big city but am also able to get away from it all. I am confident in saying I’d be happy in such a place.

What I’m doing now to prepare for what’s ahead

So what am I doing now to achieve all these goals? Currently (and even by writing this), I am putting my goals down on paper and laying it all out there. I have timelines of when to start prepping for the GMAT and will be using those as my guide in beginning my preparation. The hope is to complete a Kaplan course and take the GMAT this coming spring. GMAT test dates are held year-round, so you can go at your own pace and take the exam when you feel prepared.

What’s next for me in my future career goals

As I mentioned above, I have the where of my future figured out. Now for the what. What do I actually want to do with my life? After graduating from business school, my hopes are to land a job in a supply chain and operations function at a company that sells a product or service I am passionate about.

I may even fall in love with a new career focus while in business school—and I am open to that. It’s one of the reasons I’m eager to get my MBA started. I hope to work while in school to gain experience and move up the corporate ladder at a swift pace.

So, is going through all the trouble of business school admissions worth it when I could just get an entry level job out of college and hope that my company wants to move me up through the ranks? The answer, for me, is yes: I would ideally double my base starting salary with just two or so extra years of schooling. Money is important to all of us, so if you are willing to do the work to get an MBA, the rewards are worth it.

I try to stay focused on the now without losing sight of the big picture: what’s next. I’m ready to explore the possibilities that open up to me.

Find out what’s next for your future with our five-question quiz—and unlock tools to help you look ahead, like career and salary info for those who earn an MBA.

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