Hi,
This might be an unusual request, but at the moment and I am out of ideas and I thought who to ask better, than the person dealing with MBAs for a living.
I'm at a career cross-roads at the moment, and I want to make sure I am making the right decision, and not daydreaming and making misinformed and wrong conclusions about what effect an MBA might actually have on my career.
I've read countless posts, forums, talked to people, but it seems I still can't wrap my head around how to, for the lack of a better term, properly switch careers.
I'm a 30 years old, currently working as a Marketing & Communication Director at a small company (think <10 people) who deals a lot with startups, accelerators, incubators, investors, VCs, etc. I've been at this position for almost 3 years.I also hold a Master's Degree in Public Relations, and Image, Brand and Identity Management. I do not like what I do, at all, and I have to do something to not get stuck in a position I do not want, gaining even more experience in something I am not interested in. I am sure a lot of people have experienced the same thing.
I am, however, very interested in business, business development, investments and management, and looking at different universities and their respective MBA curriculums, that's exactly what I want to study and do. I would use this MBA to pivot my career closer to business and business development and management, and move away from marketing/communication work.
My question to you is, being a PR/PolSci major, is it a pipe-dream to think an MBA will significantly contribute to me changing careers? I'm asking because as you all know, an MBA is both time and money intensive. I know it can't hurt having an MBA on your CV, but for that price tag, I'd want a bigger effect on my employability. It is worth mentioning that only online options work for me since there isn't an MBA available in the city I live in, or even the country (there's one that offers an EMBA, but wasn't even ranked globally), and I can't really afford moving and not working 1-2 years to attend the full time version. Doing Bachelor's in BA, and a Master's right after that is also not an option since I can't really afford quitting my current job and be unemployed for at least 3 years while I'm studying. I'm based in the EU.
I've read a lot of articles and forum posts that emphasize the networking aspect of doing an MBA as the most important thing, and subsequently the biggest negative of the online version. I do not seek to be employed by a huge company right out of the gate. What I am hoping this MBA would do is help me acquire knowledge and skills necessary for pivoting my career and opening doors towards more business/management related roles, and potentially further down the line, with some additional education, land a position in a VC fund.
I can also rephrase the question a bit. What jobs can I expects with an MBA if you mostly ignore my journalistic graduate degree, and to a degree my experience since I have not been doing a whole lot of business development in my current position?
I'm also thinking about MSc in Innovation and Entrepreneurship from HEC Paris and then and MBA after that.
Am I being naive here?
Any advice is greatly appreciated. Thanks!