Before you can begin benefitting from your studies and start climbing the career ladder, you need to put in the work. Taking the time to focus on your assignments and consider the steps, processes, and theories behind what you are learning will help you get the most out of your studies. The more you know and understand, the more you will use your existing knowledge to benefit yourself down the line. Take the time to reflect on the information to find ways to apply it in ways that will help your career.
During your program, you will be presented with continuous opportunities to apply what you learn in a real-world context. Keep an eye out for project opportunities to take what you have learned and apply it directly to your work outside of class. By bringing your work from your current company into a learning space, you can begin to find opportunities within your workplace.
Ducere's programs deliver coursework in a way that supports real-world efforts, and we love to see our students take advantage of these opportunities. With the help of your instructors and business mentors, you will be able to come up with new ideas, create plans and actively talk through a presentation, and plan a full-scale project. It allows you the opportunity to create something meaningful and receive feedback from a professional before you take it back to your company.
"While undertaking my MBA, I was offered a new role, which was a direct result of the project work I'd done," Ducere MBA graduate Jennifer Flew shared. Flew now works as an Education Manager for Chisholm Institute.
The more you learn throughout your coursework, the more prepared you will be to find unique opportunities. As you learn and go about your daily job outside of the classroom, your goal should always be to keep an eye out for a potential challenge to solve. Find the right solution to problems, and you will likely demonstrate just how valuable of an asset you are to your boss.
Once you have found a problem that your business knowledge can help you solve, it is time to craft your pitch. Your pitch is something that you can use to show just how valuable you are to your boss, and it gives you an excellent opportunity to practice coming up with unique plans and pitching them. Your pitch should include clear and concise statements and visual presentations that help you show your business why you have the right idea.
There is a very real chance that your boss will not consider your pitch. Budget, planning, and overall bandwidth might mean that it isn't the right time for your idea just yet—but don't let that discourage you. Now that you have undergone the process of coming up with a complete plan and pitching it, you have gained an entirely new skill: consulting.
Consultants are external professionals who help companies identify key opportunities for growth and craft plans to make them possible. Your work throughout this process will give you consulting experience to begin to help other companies. Using your expertise for your gain and the gain of others is a fulfilling business opportunity that you in which you are now prepared.
During your program, you will be presented with new information and opportunities that will allow you to find where you want to fall in the professional world. Your dream job might be a better position at your company, or it might simply mean offering your professional expertise to another company instead. As you go along, stay focused and continue to look for opportunities. The more that you know, the more you will be able to offer in any professional setting. Think of every class as another rung on the career ladder, and you will be good to go.