Could you be an MBA mom? Why get one and how

Thinking about a new job? Maybe you should get an MBA first. An advanced business degree can dramatically improve the trajectory of your work life. Not only can you supercharge your career by going back to school, but your family can benefit in many ways, including some you may not have considered. 

The pandemic’s effect on working women

You may be one of the millions of working moms who left the workforce during the pandemic. More than half a million women still haven’t returned.1

Changing careers, and MBA can help

Perhaps you’re working outside the home again but are unhappy with your job situation. Women have historically been over represented in low-wage, part-time jobs and industries, and many are now seeking new career options.

Reentering the workforce after a life change

Or, maybe you suddenly found yourself the single head of a household and are searching for a way to support your family better. The average MBA graduate can earn $3 million more than a worker with a bachelor’s degree over a 35-year career. That extra money can create a better life for you and your family.2

Moms going back to work

Whether you want to return to your previous field, change careers, or even start your own business, an MBA will help you update your skills and build your resume, and that’s not all. Learn more about how you can manage an MBA and why you should. 

Model Success for Your Kids

Your children will soak up your attitudes toward education and achievement. Seeing you come up with creative solutions to scheduling issues and overcoming obstacles will teach them resilience. Watching you study or, even better, studying alongside you, can develop their lifelong thirst for knowledge. Additional household chores they may take on can teach them responsibility and independence.

Do it for yourself

Additional stressors for moms, including extra family responsibilities and financial worries, caused women to report increased mental health challenges more than twice as often as men during the pandemic.3 

Combat depression and anxiety by taking charge of your future. There’s a clear reward at the end of the finite time commitment for an MBA. You can complete the Online MBA from Seattle University’s Albers School of Business and Economics in as little as 2.5 years, with a part-time workload of about 90 minutes a day.

Update your skills and expand your network

The Seattle U Online MBA, with its integrated leadership challenges, helps you master in-demand soft skills and cross-functional business knowledge with immediate practical application. Build connections with our tech-forward alumni community to propel your successful return to work. 

Getting together with classmates on Zoom or in person has meant a lot to Yvonne Griffin, a student in the 2022 MBA cohort. “Especially on Sunday evening,” she said, “where everyone would come to the Zoom computer with a glass of wine and discuss how things were going. It was really a blessing for me to get through COVID, just to have that connection.” 

Yvonne also has high praise for the networking opportunities outside of class. “The mentor program at Seattle U is excellent. I’ve met with my mentor several times and my group in person and online. So there are definitely opportunities for team building and for bonding.” 

OK, but how? Tips for creating your grad school success

Yes, getting an advanced degree like an MBA is challenging, but many working moms have done it and are glad they did. Here’s a short list of tips and tricks from others who have successfully navigated graduate school.

1. Be sure the degree supports your goals

If you want to take a leadership role in business or pursue an entrepreneurial path, an MBA may just be what you need. To clarify what you want, think about your interests, strengths, and goals. This introspection will not only help you choose your path, but you can also leverage it in your admissions materials and job search.

2. Get your family on board

Once you’ve clarified your goals, share them with your family, then explore together how to adapt family routines and responsibilities.

3. Plan for contingencies 

Preplan how you will handle school breaks and other events that may pull you away from your coursework. Recruit members of your extended family and friends to cover for you as needed.

 4.  Choose a school that supports you

Just because you want to further your career doesn’t mean you’re willing to ignore your family. Seattle University’s mission is to support the whole person, and you can do coursework on your schedule and around your family commitments in our flexible, AACSB-accredited Online MBA program. Learn more about how we can help you become an effective, ethical business leader ready for whatever the future brings.