Defeating the “MBA Bully” to Gain a Successful Career

School and bullies often go hand-in-hand, which is a real shame because school days are, as our parents tell us, “the best of our lives.” So, it seems disconcerting that some suffer at the hands of bullies. Thankfully, with age and some maturity, bullies typically fade away and the students grow older and wiser. But does that mean the bullying ends? Well, in many cases, no. Perhaps the physical aspect of bullying is removed, but the mental may continue with further education-based courses, such as an MBA.

Even though it may feel like bullying, MBA’s are designed to “push you around” in the right way to further your learning to a successful career. If a student wants to take an MBA course, he or she is mentally challenged at stage one: doing well on the GMAT (Graduate Management Admission Test). This is a priority as the higher the GMAT score, the better your chances of getting accepted in to a prestigious business school. Once you’re accepted, you will be pushed at every other level with an MBA, using technical skills for finance and accounting, analytical skills for corporate strategy and strategic planning, and interpersonal skills to motivate marketing, operations and sales. All these levels will then push you on to gaining a job as a graduate once qualified. And, with a high GMAT score, who would not want to employ you and give you a career.

Most of us have a strive to do better and reach any potential goal that is put in front of us, but sometimes the fence we have to climb can challenge even the brightest individual. An MBA course, in many ways, can be a metaphorical bully.

Dealing with the MBA Bully

Student life is tough enough as it is, but when a student opts for an MBA, that’s when it’s really time to knuckle down. Despite some people’s viewpoint on students—that they are lazy binge drinkers—there is a lot of work for students to complete and a lot of deadlines they’re required to meet. The HealthyFit group at the University of Vigo in Spain recently conducted research that showed that 51 percent of females were binge drinkers and 41.3 percent of males were binge drinkers; yet, both groups were still actively finishing their courses at the university. Student binge drinking is frowned upon and it is a stressful situation to be in, but why do students resort to this activity in the first place? Could it be due to the pressure of courses like those taken for an MBA, course that have far too much work to handle? Or is it just a student looking for social acceptance? This is why it can look like a student is being bullied, but drinking is never the answer.

Thankfully, the students of today have a large amount of resources— Internet, libraries and the most popular mobile phone apps— to utilize and defeat the bully and not turn to drinking. Some may even say they have everything at their fingertips, but is beating a bully that simple? It is indeed; accessible information and research exist and can be used as self-defense weapons. Students will spend more time addicted to their technology to learn more, which can fight away any temptation to drink and instead they learn more on the go. For those considering an MBA as a course choice, it may feel like a mental bully of decisions, but resources are available to help MBA students find out more about their end career goals and what MBA is best suited for them. Interactive tools, such as the QS Scorecard, allow students to create personalized MBA rankings gathered from data of hundreds of business schools. Students can rank MBA programs based on what criteria is most important to them, taking into consideration entry level requirements, return on investment, scholarships, locations, duration and costs.

An MBA can be hard work, as the MBA can be seen as pushing the student around by constantly forcing him/her to hit deadlines and produce work of the highest order. It could be judged as picking on students by continually testing them to their limits, almost until they crack. An MBA is tough and not meant to be easy.  It is a master’s degree that requires serious dedication and hard work. The brain will be overloaded with fear, similar to how a bully makes a person feel. However, bullies can be stopped in their tracks! It is how a student approaches his/her course with disciplines that stops a bully in their tracks.

The core success of passing an MBA course lies with studying areas of business related to accounting, finance, operations management and marketing. Students these days do receive a lot of negativity, being branded as “‘tax-dodgers”’ and “lazy kids,” but, as you can see, they do have other worries too. It is a pressure cooker of emotion, pain, mental strength, intelligence and deadlines that all combine to create a unique situation for any young adult. It is how that individual deals with the pressures and expectations that will help shape their future careers.

MBA’s have the potential to produce successful careers. Ever heard of Shaquille O’Neal? He is a retired professional basketball player who is a four-time NBA champion and has an MBA from the University of Phoenix. How about George W. Bush, you all must know this former president? Well, he too has an MBA from the Harvard Business School. Whether it is sports or politics you end up in, as you can see, this degree can lead to a successful future.