Career break

Question

Hi
i had three years career break when i was associated with a friends startup .it was struggle period n then since i was not getting a consistent income i then joined a bank for consitent income and to be on land to help my friend in business too. In bank i m working for more than 5 years .now want to do mba..should i show this break in application n do not so many career switchs can act as a negative point for me.
Regards

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

Did you actually work for the startup? If you were working for the startup then it will not be seen as break. With regards to the different jobs, your resume is your resume so there's not much you can do about that at this point. You just want to make sure your career choices are clear to admissions so they understand your trajectory

shobhalamba72 · Answer

Thankyou sir

I am still associated with the start up but not full time which is still in struggle phase. i am a full time bank employee for past five years. my dream of my own start up is yet to be fulfilled and thats why i want to do mba so that my steps towards my goal are more streamlined n polished.sir is my thought process right and spending so much money on mba will be more fruitful than putting that money directly in my startup . I have experienced the struggle in startups.
Regards

Posted from my mobile device

VeritasPrepDozie · Answer

As long as you were FT with the startup during those 3 years then it will not be viewed as an employment gap. I can't answer the question about where best to invest your money. Many entrepreneurs feel like an MBA is not necessary in launching a successful business and that the only way to prepare to run/launch a business is by actually doing it. I believe in the value of an MBA in this area but I would do some research and figure out what path makes more sense, especially from entrepreneurs and those who have received an MBA

Mo2men · Answer

I totally agree with Dozie that MBA is not a guarantee for success in startups. However, MBA is more likely to equip you skills you miss in management. The MBA experience will link your real life experience with other management basics and experiential learning. You may find what you did you wring and what you need to overcome the struggle. Also, it is an opportunity to expand your network and learn from success stories and connect with bright minds and fund raisers. On the other hand, MBA may shift your way of thinking and discover hidden careers.

To serve your dream, i advise you to search in entrepreneurship programs in 15-20 schools. Divide deeply in each program and find what suits (electives, labs, ..etc). Also you need to polish your essays and maybe your struggle story in your startup be a strengthen in your application.

good luck

99Colleges · Answer

Hi shobhalamba72,

I hold a different opinion on efficacy of MBA programs if one’s goal is entrepreneurship. These days you can get the knowledge or skill (with respect to entrepreneurial goal) you get from an MBA program by joining one of the accelerators, programs such as SLP, getting mentors, and so on. For argument sake, even if an MBA program offers more, it takes away something exceptionally huge if you want to be an entrepreneur. And that is the burden of loan, which will stop you from being an entrepreneur for several years. Moreover, you’ll spend nearly two years away from the project. Remember, the correlation between any program (MBA or less formal) and entrepreneurial success is weak, but the correlation between doing MBA program and postponing (which usually means giving up altogether) your idea is strong.

In case you decide to apply, you should show your startup experience in your resume. In your application, you can talk about what you learnt from the failures, which can make for strong essays if put properly.

Career break

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