The Australian MBA Choices 24 May 2006, pg. 30
A MASTERS of business administration degree can be an excellent career investment and personally fulfilling but it must be done at the right time, says Andrew Horsley, director of executive search consultancy Horsley & Co. The best age for most people is the late 20s, he says. It means that you’ve had five or six years in the work force, probably moving between several junior positions, and that is good preparation for an MBA. Your mental state combines clarity and flexibility. By the time you reach your 30s, you are usually more set on your career path and you have family commitments that can make the pressure of an MBA difficult.” Horsley who is also president of the NSW chapter of the Graduate Management Association of Australia and who completed his MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management believes that employers are not particularly interested in whether an MBA was completed on a part-time or full-time basis. The key, he says, is the interaction between proven workplace performance and academic qualifications. An MBA provides skills in marketing, finance, operations and strategy, but it is only a part of the mix.” He says. Employers look at what you have achieved in your past jobs. They want to know that you can apply the theory of the classroom to practical business situations. They also want to see a breadth of life experience. International work experience and travel is a good way to demonstrate that.” Horsley believes that specialist degrees within an MBA framework can provide additional depth of business understanding in the field, although the aim always has to be to broaden the base of expertise rather than narrow it. An MBA can be a great help in climbing the corporate ladder, but you shouldn’t look at it as a free ride,” he says. ‘Overall, it’s a good move that increases your earning capacity, although there are plenty of very effective executives who don’t have an MBA. Most of all, you have to want to do it. If you hated your first degree in business studies, then maybe an MBA is not for you. it might make more sense to invest that energy in improving your work performance and practical experience. But if an employer has to choose between two otherwise equal candidates, one who has an MBA and one who doesn’t, well, maybe the MBA from a well-regarded business school will seal the argument.”