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I am pursuing an MBA in nonprofit management from the Heller School at Brandeis University. I work full time at Brandeis which qualifies me for free tuition for 3 classes a term, and I'm hoping to leverage the fact that I was also an undergrad at Brandeis and that I've lived through extraordinary medical circumstances to get grant money to allow me to take more classes (so it won't take me 5 years to get the MBA).
I have worked in alumni relations at Brandeis for the past year focusing on marketing, social media, and communications. I might enjoy staying in development communications/marketing as a long term career, but I really just fell into this right after graduation as a placeholder until I passed the foreign service exam or joined the Peace Corps. Now neither are options because being a cancer survivor bars me from gaining medical clearance for 5 years (don't get me started on how ridiculous that is).
So, my question:
I am considering concentrations in either healthcare management (a new interest since my battle with cancer) or social and environmental impact (corporate social responsibility was my passion in college). However, I will not be able to complete internships in either field because I do work full time in a different field. I do volunteer extensively within cancer-related organizations, speak at cancer & young adult illness events, lead a group and have connections at many major Boston area hospitals through the cancer connection. Will a focus on such niche fields without experience hurt my career prospects?
My plan is to stay working at the university for the free tuition, excellent benefits (fantastic health insurance), interesting and supportive work environment, and time to spend working on other projects. I just don't want to shoot myself in the foot.
I think you should keep the university job that allows you to get free tuition. That is a huge break right there. Outside of your employment you can network with others that are in the field that you eventually want to get into (perhaps use student organizations as a stepping stone into this).
I do not have experience in the healthcare industry, but I would think it would be a definite "Yes". Stick with it. Take advantage of the perk of free tuition and pursue what you are most interested in. Your volunteer time in conjunction with your work experience will be a valuable asset on your resume. Even though you do not have healthcare experience, you do have experience working in a similar type of institutional setting.
I think exactly what you said. Don't shoot yourself in the foot. Stick with the job, get whatever degree interests you, then put feelers out. Degrees are fine, but experience is where you really get the most bang for the buck. Your experience in a similar field is worth something.
If you work at Brandeis University, and get free courses, why not just work there, build up a good reputation, take the non-profit management MBA, and then move into a management position with the school?
Perhaps switch over from marketing to something more involved with daily operations of the school. And then, assuming you are a good employee, I would figure you would be a shoe in when a management position you want opens up if you got an MBA from the school, worked there, and have good recommendations from people in the University.
I am pursuing an MBA in nonprofit management from the Heller School at Brandeis University. I work full time at Brandeis which qualifies me for free tuition for 3 classes a term, and I'm hoping to leverage the fact that I was also an undergrad at Brandeis and that I've lived through extraordinary medical circumstances to get grant money to allow me to take more classes (so it won't take me 5 years to get the MBA).
I have worked in alumni relations at Brandeis for the past year focusing on marketing, social media, and communications. I might enjoy staying in development communications/marketing as a long term career, but I really just fell into this right after graduation as a placeholder until I passed the foreign service exam or joined the Peace Corps. Now neither are options because being a cancer survivor bars me from gaining medical clearance for 5 years (don't get me started on how ridiculous that is).
So, my question:
I am considering concentrations in either healthcare management (a new interest since my battle with cancer) or social and environmental impact (corporate social responsibility was my passion in college). However, I will not be able to complete internships in either field because I do work full time in a different field. I do volunteer extensively within cancer-related organizations, speak at cancer & young adult illness events, lead a group and have connections at many major Boston area hospitals through the cancer connection. Will a focus on such niche fields without experience hurt my career prospects?
My plan is to stay working at the university for the free tuition, excellent benefits (fantastic health insurance), interesting and supportive work environment, and time to spend working on other projects. I just don't want to shoot myself in the foot.
Thoughts?
I have experience in the nonprofit world, albeit not with healthcare or corporate social responsibility. I think your plan sounds very reasonable. You DO have experience within the healthcare field, even if not as a formal internship; I would not worry about it. Your current position in alumni relations, even though not at a health-related organization, is directly relevant to many potential positions. Your personal experience and volunteering will more than make up for any lack of internships or jobs in a health industry. When you're ready to make the career switch you'll have extensive contacts from your volunteer work, not to mention a free MBA under your belt. Many people in the nonprofit world, particularly those in management, tend to spend time in a variety of different types of nonprofits; while expertise or passion for the mission of the organization is obviously beneficial, the more relevant issue is often whether or not you know how nonprofits work. Learn what you can from both your current work as well as your school, keep up the volunteering, and in the end you will probably be able to find yourself a prime candidate for a diverse range of desirable nonprofit management positions.
If you want to build your resume even more (and can squeeze it in!) you may also want to consider joining a nonprofit board; I think being on the other side of the equation is very educational, it looks good on a resume, and it would give you some more opportunities to really put into practice what you've been learning at both work and at school. The bigger boards tend to be more about giving money, but there are plenty of smaller, worthwhile organizations that need dedicated, talented people who can get out there DO the work, not just raise money. Something to think about, anyway; perhaps there's a need for some new board members somewhere where you already volunteer?
Thanks everyone! I realized I failed to verbalize my concerns well. I think they break down as the following:
1. The MBA program is not as prestigious as I believe I could get into otherwise.
2. I adore marketing and communications. I believe I would like to use the professional writing skills I have gained to propel my career. I am significantly less interested in business operations.
3. Since I am attending the MBA program on a very part time basis (1 class a term), it is difficult to meet other MBA students. I know that a big part of the MBA are the connections you make and I am concerned that I will struggle to make those connections since the MBA is only a very small slice of the commitments I have made. 95% of students are full time.
But I also recognize the power of tuition remission. I graduated from undergrad debt-free and I would like to continue that trend. Some of my fears about being overly-specialized have been relieved. Thanks everyone!
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