We all know that IT is very lucrative because of the high demand for IT specialists. However, a career that has a high demand also translates to a career with a lot of competition. Even if you have impeccable skills and will apply for a well-paying job, you will also have to face others who have the same intention. If you want to get ahead of the game, an MBA will actually be very helpful. Remember that you would need a high GMAT score to get it to top B schools as scores required for prospective IT candidates are typically higher than others. Early preparation with the right materials can help you achieve your goal.
Here are 5 of the most common ways an MBA can help you advance your career in IT:
It Gives You a New Title
The first benefit you’ll get from an MBA is obviously the title. While it’s possible to thrive in the IT world just by being a rank and file employee, an MBA gives you a chance to scale up to higher to a better position such as a managerial or executive position. This means better pay and better perks.
An MBA can actually help you increase the chances of reaching high positions, even positions such as Chief Technology Officer or CTO. While an MBA isn’t required, it gives you an edge because it’ll teach you how to manage a business. Out of everything, that’s exactly what companies want in a CTO.
The title also gives companies the impression of how committed you are to your craft. If you are willing to spend another few years just to perfect your skills, then you will definitely be a top candidate for a good position.
It Teaches You All Aspects of Business
Being a high-level tech employee isn’t just about being a tech wizard. You must also know how to integrate your tech skills into the needs of the business. This means that you must have some knowledge of marketing, finance, and project management as well. If you want to propose a project for your company, you need to make sure it is feasible, marketable, and affordable to do.
The MBA will help you know all the aspects of the business so that you’ll know how to look at your projects from a bird’s eye view. This will give you a chance to put everything in place and understand which person goes to which role in the project.
It Offers Lessons On Leadership
If you want to scale up in your career, you need to know how to work with other people. After all, no man is an island. First, you’ll need to know how to be a team player so that you’ll know how to deal with the leaders in the other departments. If you want your project to go smoothly, you must also have an understanding of how other departments work to integrate your project into the whole system.
As a manager or top-ranking employee, you will also have people under you. You need to know how to be a leader in making sure that everyone does their job properly. You also need to know how to create and set KPIs that will allow you to monitor your employees’ performance. An MBA will provide you with such skills for doing that.
It Can Teach You Technology Planning
Technology planning is one of the most important parts of being in a high level IT position. If you were to develop a program or system for your company, you need to also look at the future. How will this program fare a few years from now? What are the innovations or improvements we can make along the way? How can we evolve the program so that customers will want to buy upgrades?
These are all the questions that you will be asking when you do technology planning. What’s more, is that these questions plus the possible ways to solve these questions will be taught or discussed in your MBA.
It Can Give You Confidence
The last benefit that an MBA can give you is confidence. One of the most common reasons as to why people take MBAs is simply because they are not confident in the current knowledge base they have as of the moment.
That’s why they take extra classes to have the confidence to scale up in their career with the newfound knowledge they have. After all, knowledge is power.
Do You Really Need an MBA?
Now that you know the five reasons why an MBA is great for your career, there are probably a number of you who are now considering getting one. However, there are probably a few of you who are still undecided, whether it is needed or not.
In a nutshell, an MBA is actually not needed to advance your career in IT. If you work hard, smart, and long enough in your field, you’ll still move forward.
However, we did mention above that there will be competition. So if you’re after a big promotion, you’ll need to fight with over 20 more employees, probably vying for the same position.
So what do you need to push past these other guys? You need knowledge and skills– two things that a good MBA can provide you with.
Conclusion
These days, MBAs are popular because they have a lot of benefits that come with it. An MBA can give you a better chance to secure a higher position, get a better income, and be more respected in your chosen field.
So while an MBA is not required, it is highly recommended if you want to climb up in your IT career.
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