The MBA Tipping Point

About 6 months ago I suddenly realized that I had reached the tipping point in my MBA career. For 4 years I had been trying to squeeze more and more value out of the MBA program - expanding my network at networking events, improving my LinkedIn profile by working with the Graduate Business Career Center, informational interviewing to learn more about career paths I was interested in, etc. I was taking as much as I could from the school, my classmates, my colleagues, and any person or organization that was willing to help me with my career.

But this past winter something changed. I got a new job that I love. More and more people started requesting informational interviews with me. I started helping family members and friends update their resumes. I did a mock interview with my husband for a job he was interested in. I started helping some friends through the MBA application process. For the first time in my life, I was the one doing the giving and other people were learning from me. And it felt great!

Now rather than waiting for others to reach out to me for help, I am proactively looking for ways I can contribute to the educations and careers of others. I seek out high potential colleagues at work and start the conversation about career development and where an MBA might (or might not) fit. It's a fun challenge, and I am pleased to finally be on the "giving back" side of my MBA. For those who haven't reached their tipping points yet, it's coming - all that hard MBA work pays off. For some it even pays off before graduation!