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How an Online MBA Can Help Your Career

25 Jun
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It should be no surprise that earning an MBA can have an extremely positive impact on your career. Surveys conducted in 2021 indicate that MBA holders are rewarded with a return on their investment with salaries that are on average $35,000 higher than those of their coworkers without the degree. A major reason for this is the powerful mix of hard and soft business skills that you will acquire in an MBA program, which can greatly increase both your chances of promotion within your current company and your opportunities to earn a higher-level role at a new organization.

But as you consider what type of MBA program you want to enroll in, you should keep in mind some very specific career benefits that online MBA programs can offer you. Read how an online program can help your career in ways a conventional on-campus program can’t, and consider how Santa Clara University’s Silicon Valley Online MBA could be your entry point to a rewarding, high-impact career at an innovative company.

Keep your day job with an online program.

The coursework for an online MBA program is delivered through a learning management system (LMS), a digital interface in which readings, assignments, and recorded lectures are hosted and navigable. Because of this, online MBA courses are typically all or mostly asynchronous in nature. This means you are not required to be present in class at a specific time, and that you can engage with them instead whenever it is convenient for you.

This high degree of flexibility makes online MBA programs extremely valuable options for working professionals who don’t want to step away from their day jobs. If you are on track for a promotion at your company, stepping away for a period of time to pursue a residential MBA can derail your advancement. Avoid this potential negative outcome with an online program that fits comfortably around your job.

Maintain a healthy work/life balance.

Online MBA programs also recognize that adult learners don’t just have professional responsibilities, they have personal ones as well. A healthy blend between the two is key to a happy life and a successful career, and the time-saving benefits of an online MBA program can help facilitate this balance.

Picture this typical day in the life of a student in SCU’s Online MBA program. You wake up early enough to work out, ensure your children get to school on time, and grab breakfast on the way into the office. If you commute via public transit, you can take this time to catch up on course reading on your laptop or mobile device, or to exchange emails with classmates for an upcoming group assignment. After a full, productive day you return home in the evening possibly completing another reading during the trip. After dinner, you can take an hour or two to dive into a writing assignment free of other distractions.

At the end of the day, you have spent quality time with your family, attended to all of your responsibilities at work, and still put in several valuable hours of advanced business education. An online MBA program can make all of this possible.

Don’t cancel your travel plans.

One potential path to career advancement that is often under-discussed is a willingness to travel. Major corporate decisions often hinge on the success of client presentations and the maintenance of key professional relationships, and employees who take part in these key events are often earmarked for leadership roles. While the COVID-19 crisis may have curtailed business travel almost completely for a time, it is likely that we will see a return to the skies for professionals in a post-pandemic world.

Because their coursework can be completed anytime, anywhere, online MBA programs are perfect for professionals who plan to spend a good deal of time on the road. Whether you intend to work during your flight or in your hotel room, you never have to worry about falling behind in your online classes because of an important trip. And don’t forget, online programs can similarly enable you to keep plans for the family vacations that are so crucial for avoiding burnout and sustaining your work/life balance.

Build skills you can apply in real time.

Because you can remain in the workforce while you earn your MBA online, you’ll find that the knowledge you acquire and skills you develop throughout the course of your program can have some immediately positive applications. Imagine how impressed your supervisor and coworkers will be when you walk into the office the day after an engaging online lecture equipped with the vision to approach an ongoing business problem from a new vantage point.

This is particularly true in a program like SCU’s Online MBA, which contains both optional concentrations and a host of elective course options that can be tailored directly to your own professional path. If you are, say, a data analyst who is pursuing the Data Science and Business Analytics concentration at SCU, the skills you’ll learn in your machine learning course may very well be relevant to a potentially tricky task you are facing at work.

Grow a worldwide professional network.

By their very nature, online MBA programs are global undertakings. They are available to professionals around the world who are seeking to enhance their skill set and boost their career. As an Online MBA student at SCU or in any top-tier online program, you will be exposed to a vibrant diversity of perspectives, and you’ll contribute from your own background to your classmates’ positive learning experiences as well.

The connections you’ll form in an online program are truly transformational as well. You will see doors open to you for opportunities you may never have known to look for when you add a host of ambitious professionals around the globe to your professional network. And in a post-COVID world of distributed teams, you may not even have to relocate to take advantage of them.

Supercharge your career with the Silicon Valley Online MBA.

Santa Clara University’s Leavey School of Business is proud to offer an Online MBA program that puts the best of Silicon Valley at your fingertips and prepares you to thrive in innovative organizations everywhere. Learn more about our faculty of accomplished business leaders, and explore some of the exciting networking opportunities available to online students at SCU.