Decision to Pursue an MBA Degree

Decision to pursue MBA Program is a first step to reach my personal goal and start a new career. After my bachelor’s degree in Computer Science I was offered a job as IT Administrator to a well-known organization and never had an opportunity to think about further education. The decision to obtain an MBA requires a substantial commitment of money and time. However, there are many compelling reasons to pursue an MBA to get ahead in the business world. Below are some of the lines of reasoning that I want to mention:

MBAs are internationally recognized
Travel to many areas of the world, and most people have at least heard of the graduate degree known as the MBA. This makes it much more valuable than many other business degrees. For example, even though a Master's in Commerce may be a prestigious degree in some countries; other locations may not be familiar with the program. Having an MBA, which is recognized almost universally, will increase my ability to compete for jobs in more locations.
MBAs can earn higher salaries
One of the major reasons, as I have chosen to pursue an MBA is that it often allows graduates to earn a greater salary. Although the average starting salary for MBA graduates is influenced by the number of years of work experience they have prior to starting their degree, even those with fewer than three years of industry experience reportedly start out earning close to $70,000. This figure rises dramatically as graduates build up more experience. Simply put, an MBA offers an earning potential unrivalled by most other degrees.
MBAs permit advancement
Though as an MBA graduate, I may have to start out in a position somewhat lower on the corporate ladder than I would like; there are tremendous opportunities for advancement with the degree. As I possess a bachelor's degree may find I can only go so far in the corporate world, even if my skills and job performance are beyond reproach. With an MBA, the opportunities are virtually endless, and graduates like me can even assume the role of chief financial officer with good job performance.
MBAs increase business knowledge
Although this advantage may seem obvious, it is not one that should be overlooked. The MBA program will further my business skills, and provide me with a solid foundation of knowledge on which to build. I hope to become an MBA graduate with a good understanding of leadership, marketing principals, financial matters, and how to conduct international business. The type of MBA I am choosing will pursue my influence how much knowledge I will acquire in each of these areas.
Network and Learning in a disciplined fashion
My MBA network is for lifetime once I know how to leverage it. Without an MBA, I was learning from the school of hard knocks. There is a chance that I will pay a higher price for some lessons in the school of hard knocks
Awareness, Course Correction & Access to thought leader
Chances are I don’t know everything and chances are I will never know everything in this lifetime. An MBA will increase my awareness on these things. For some reason I picked what I love to do as a subject for my graduate degree and I love this career in that field. However, An MBA may provide me a bridge of success in different path of career of exploration. I have chance to meet thought leaders, corporate executives and, visionaries who come and speak (mostly for free). If I can connect with them and build on that relationship, I may have an unfair competitive advantage.

As years flew by I never had a chance to look back and get my MBA due other priorities. After coming to USA, I always wanted to get an MBA Graduate degree that will help reach my personal education goal and in my job career move. Couple of years ago from an individual contributor I had become a Manager in my company with fewer responsibilities as an IT administrator but more responsible to manage projects and people career growth and development. Not to mention that the company I used to work for got bankrupt due to current recession. When I find this MBA program in University of Phoenix, It was evident that it was the right time to decide and pursue the MBA Program not only to reach my personal goal however, it can assist me in becoming a more effective leader in my future role as an executive, sharpen my managerial skills and tools such as communication, motivating and developing people.

My Jungian 16 type Personality – ESTJ: Realistic, logical, analytical and have natural head for business, like to organize and run things and possible career as corporate executive. Here are some of the few what I expect to gain at the end of this program.
Communication: I have strong voice and tend to go straight to my point, and sometimes audience perceives it that I just dictate and don’t get their input or buy in. I expect to learn the art of communicating well as a leader both verbal and written.
Team and Leadership: My old job used to give me exposure to leadership and working with team however I come across different culture of people, their mindset was different so in this program with learning group and working with people from other organization will provide me a positive outlook so that I can cope up with such people.
Reading: I lack heavily on reading skills, so at the end of the course I want to accomplish my reading skills to the higher level.

Furthermore, an M.B.A can enhance the skills I have already acquired in the workforce to make me a more effective employee and manager. My goal is to build upon my current leadership and communications skills, and to sharpen my abilities in logical analysis and decision-making from the management perspective. University of Phoenix can help me achieve the goals and help me identify resources available that may have otherwise gone unnoticed. The knowledge I will gain from completing the M.B.A. program certainly add immense value to my current career path as well as any endeavor I want to pursue in the future.