A startling revelation hit me as I walked into my first seminar – “everyone here is different”. I was expecting a room full of 30-somethings wearing suits. To my surprise and delight there were a huge range of ages, professions, job levels, industries … and amounts of hair on people’s heads (I am at the thinner end of things). My first learning was ‘There is no such thing as a typical MBA student.’
There were also varying motivators for taking on an MBA at the UWA Business School. Some, and I would argue most, of my fellow students were motivated by a desire to further their career into management and executive levels, or to make a career change into a new field. Some just wanted to stay relevant and a few were doing it for the academic challenge. But the one theme that was universal was an appetite to learn and better ourselves. Let’s be honest, there aren’t too many people who have circa $60k lying around and enough spare time to take on an MBA ‘just because’. I suspect those people are found out pretty early on, as the demands of an MBA definitely are not insignificant.
One of the great things about studying for an MBA at the UWA Business School is the variety of people you meet from different industries or stages of their professional career. They may be fellow MBA students in your group project or business professionals contributing to the course or attending events. It helps you to develop new perspectives on business.
But what if you’re looking for a perspective specific to you, to deal with the challenges you’re facing today? Virgin Group founder, Richard Branson says, “Someone, somewhere, has already been through what you are experiencing right now, and he has come out the other side armed with invaluable insights.” Branson is referring to entrepreneurs, but what he is saying is applicable to everyone in business. That someone is your mentor-to-be.
After attending an information evening in late 2012, I applied and was accepted into the UWA MBA, starting in January 2013. It has been an amazing journey so far. So, ten things I love about the last two and a half years of my life:
1. The impact on my work
This was immediate. From my first unit, Organisational Behaviour the content has been applicable to my consulting work in the not-for-profit sector. Working in health reform, significant cultural change is required and OB gave me a theoretical base to apply in this area.
2. My peers
I have met people who will be contacts for the rest of my life. From some of the first people I met in 2013, to some of the most recent, the bonds are strong and we ‘get each other’. That shared experience is something special.
As trimester one of our MBA Full Time and Flexible programs draw to a close, one of the most valuable experiences students are likely to have experienced along their journey is that of networking. During an MBA program, meeting as many new people as possible including other students, academic staff and industry leaders, can set candidates up for success and create a richer student experience. UWA’s MBA Full Time program puts a strong emphasis on networking to broaden our student’s horizons and open them up to a range of professional experiences.
Insights from the heads of talent acquisition from the globes leading brands
Wendy Nicholls is the Regional Director for Hay group, an advisory organization, which helps organisations grow their leadership agenda. Hot on their agenda is the re-balancing of economic power in China which will change careers, organizations and the way we work indefinitely. The convergence of four mega trends were a theme throughout this conference, essentially broken down into:
1. Globalization, 2. The environmental crisis (it’s no longer good enough to simply say your corporation has a CSR program, but how are they going to cope with the ever increasing scarcity of resources?), 3. Digital lifestyle /technological convergence, and 4. Individualization.
University information
CRICOS Code: 00126G
