Is an Online MBA Your Next Best Investment? February 19, 2013My MoneyOff

You’re thinking an MBA is the key to your next big promotion.

The thing is, you can’t fathom balancing a class schedule with doctors’appointments, dance recitals and weekly work meetings – which is why an online MBA might be just the ticket for you.

Working at your own pace, cutting your commute time down to zero and flexible class schedules are a few of the benefits offered by online education.

Additionally, the cost of text books and supplies tends to be less than traditional MBA programs.

Women are also getting on board because online classes give us options.

You can travel the globe, coach a soccer team or grow your business – all while advancing your education, which could, arguably, make for a better overall educational experience.

Consider this: You could land your dream job now.

That’s what Julie Lee Elliott, Sales Engineer at Samasource did.

“I have a career background in IT and Project Management,” Elliott says. “But, I was interested in broadening and deepening my business skill set so that I might use my strengths to one day build something that will better the world and its people.”

Elliott enrolled in the MBA@UNC program January 2012. At the time, she was living and working in China as an IT project manager.

“The quality of my online education is absolutely on par if not exceeding what I received in a classroom,” she says.

“During the program’s San Francisco immersion, I was connected to my current job with Samasource – a nonprofit that seeks to connect people living in poverty with dignified work via the internet,” says Elliott.

“I am bringing women and youth above the poverty line through innovative use of technology already beginning to fulfill my career aspirations,” says Elliott.

However, there is one major downside to online education: the social experience, or lack thereof.

Capturing the collaborative energy of learning and sharing with others is still a challenge in the online education space.

Bonus PINK Link: Ready to go from MBA to CEO?.

How has your MBA helped you succeed?

By Sonya Washington

“I didn’t get there by wishing for it or hoping for it but by working for it.”
Estee Lauder

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