{text:bookmark-start} Getting a MBA to Change Careers {text:bookmark-end} I should change careers. That is a thought that has haunted me for years. I have known for at least nine years that being a pharmacist was not for me. How to change careers and what new career did I want were questions I had a hard time answering. After searching for answers on the internet and speaking with academic counselors from several colleges, I realized getting a MBA was a possibility. I did not know having a bachelor degree was all one needed to start the MBA program. I was under the impression that thebachelor degree needed to be in an area of business. Hopeful and excited, I decided I needed to get my MBA. Facing my parents with the idea of going back to school and changing careers was not going to be easy. I could hear their objections: you make good money, the MBA will be expensive, you do not have the time, pharmacists are in demand, you won’t ever have trouble finding a job, and finallythat is just not something you do. You have a career, stick with it. Changing careers is not that unheard of these days, as opposed to when my parents were choosing their careers. According to Holmes and Cartwright, in the 1970s and 1980s, more people started changing careers. This change was due to “the rapid rate of social, economic, and technological changes that encouraged the development of successive or multiple careers” (Holmes, 1993). The Vocational Guidance Association states that “between 1985-1988 there was a 30 per cent increase in career changers over 35” (Cole, 1988). Getting my MBA will be costly, but with the help of student loans, it will be obtainable. With online degrees like the ones available at The University of Phoenix, time is not such a large factor. Online classes allow you to “attend” class at a convenient time, anytime, day or night. Pharmacists are in demand and I do make good money, but if I am not happy somewhere I spend so much time every day, it can cause problems for my whole family. I come home most evenings tired and crabby, complaining about things that happened during my day. This does not put mein a good frame of mind to be there for my children and husband. I do not enjoy many activities in the evenings that I should because I am still replaying scenes from my day that bothered or upset me. I want to be a better wife and mother and finding a new career will help me do that. “Mid-career has been identified by many researchers as a time to reappraise or re-evaluate an existing career. This may be due to a poor initial career choice, a realization that a career plateau has been reached, under-utilization of knowledge and skills, or a subsequent change in attitudes and values” (Holmes, 1993).Getting my MBA will give me more career options. Choosing a different career will ultimately make me happier and allow me to be a better wife and mother. A MBA will also allow me to change to a career closely aligned to my current pay and benefits. It may also allow me more benefits such as a 4 day work week or the possibility of working from home. Getting the MBA is the right choice. I have taken the Jungian 16-Tye Personality analysis. It has indicated that I am loyal, amiable, and willing to make sacrifices for the greater good. Possible career choices it indicated were:a masseur, vet, painter, mechanic, or clerical supervisor. Although this analysis was determined by my answering 32 questions, I believe the personality anaylsiscould be very subjective. My answers could change depending on when I take the “test” and what mood I am in at that time. I see myself as more organized, compulsive, private, trustworthy, and practical. The possible career choices indicated for someone of these characteristics is office manager, accountant, business manager, tax agent, or public servant (Self Assessment Library, 2007). I foresee my new career being more aligned with these later careers. Getting my MBA will make that possible. References