Maximus Rex
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MBA Alternative #4 – Join An Organization That Develops Leaders
Real leadership is developed in the real world. You can make a deep impact on communities by joining the Peace corps or the Salvation Army or contribute to the military’s progress by joining the Marine Corps. Whether your mission is to promote understanding between American volunteers and the communities they serve or to win battles for the nation, you’ll quickly learn that a leader leads from the front and you always lead by example. You may have to take a pay-cut and put off lucrative careers in other industries, but joining one of these institutions is a great alternative to an MBA. The values you make part of your internal system through your experience with one of these institutions will guide you for decades.
Instead of relying on a business school education to help you succeed, you start to practice skills that make a tangible difference. You get to participate in projects that show your ability to impact in the real world, by working on practical problems.
MBA Alternative #5 – Start A Business
I highly recommend starting your own business – no matter how small. Entrepreneurship as a subject has been added to many MBA curriculums in recent years. But you don’t need to spend two years stuck in class and foot a hefty bill for tuition to get started.
For valuable lessons that can’t be taught at school, you need to stop dipping your toes in the water and dive right in. Operating a business is going to expose you to marketing, advertising, finance, accounting, operations, strategy and management. Key skills you may not get to learn through a fixed curriculum. You will most likely fail initially, but stick with it and you’ll get the hang of it. It took 5 months for me to register my first sale.
If you had to hire someone to work in your company, whom would you prefer – a candidate who built a successful and profitable business in two years or a candidate who sat through lectures and reviewed case studies and business models to obtain a degree?
An MBA is right for some people, but not for the majority. Commit within reason to an action plan rather than resorting to the security of theoretical learning. Instead of cocooning yourself in the protective bubble of academic life, ask yourself some tough questions and choose to tackle problems and challenges in the real world.
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