You worked hard for your BA in business, economics or marketing. But will it work just as hard for you in getting a decent job? You graduated with a solid GPA and good references from your professors. You’re ready to send out resumes, go on interviews, land a job and start paying back that huge student loan. But hold on. You may need to stay in school and get that MBA to increase your chances of landing the job you hoped for after graduation.
An article in HUFF POST Business referred to a PayScale report that business majors were often the most underemployed, landing jobs as collections managers, low-level floor retail or even just waiting tables. Serving your friends at their favorite restaurant? OMG! Is this what the career counselors promised when you declared your major? You’re not alone.
NumbersUSA recently reported that six times as many graduates are working in retail or hospitality as had originally planned. This year, 1.7 million grads will get bachelor's degrees, and 120,000 of them will be working as waiters, retail salespeople, and bartenders.
A recent article in The Atlantic noted that the Federal Reserve Bank of New York reported that 44 percent of recent college graduates were underemployed and underutilizing their degrees. It’s simply the sign of the times. Too many business majors are popping out of school—and they all want that cushy job with the window office, company perks, private parking spot, and Gordon Gekko expense account. Time to wake up and smell the dandelions: you’re going to need an MBA just to avoid waiting tables or working on the sales floor at Wal-Mart.
Don’t have the funds or the time to invest in an MBA? Consider taking some skill-building courses in technology, statistics or accounting. Do some due diligence and find out what computer programs and accounting techniques the companies you’re applying to are using every day. Become an expert in these programs and systems—and sell that when you write your cover letter and do the interview.
Paid internships are another option. They get you “in the door and in the know” as far as what systems and technology the company is using. From there, you have a leg up on the hundreds of applicants that will be applying “cold.”
Look, too, into fast-track management programs offered by companies that visit your college. While many of these management trainee positions are hourly and offer little authority, they have a clear, defined path to management. If you get into one of these programs, take on every task with enthusiasm and don’t complain about the busy work you may be handed. These are tests to see if you can handle the more mundane aspects of management.
Should you get an MBA if you can’t get a job? If you can afford to, go back to school. If not, do what you can to separate yourself from the herd.
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