The MBA was once known as a “one size fits all” graduate degree for mid-career professionals with dreams of the corner office. As the demographic skewed younger — thanks to a tight job market — some are passing on the MBA for more tailored options: MS degrees in specialized concentrations. But is one better than the other?
All handwringing over the plight of the millennials notwithstanding, this is a great time to be graduating from college. The Great Recession is receding. Major stock market indices are achieving all-time highs. And the most recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics shows that unemployment among college graduates is down to 4 percent, close to the level considered to be full employment, even as unemployment for those with a high school education and no college remains >8 percent.
How can it be that in 2013, women currently hold just 10 to 15 percent of the senior leadership (C-Suite) positions in corporate America?
And why haven’t we made more progress, given that women now represent 58 percent of our college graduates and hold 50 percent of middle-management positions — with 40 percent holding positions that include purchasing authority?
Bentley University’s preparedness research documents a desire by employers for millennial graduates who can make an immediate impact with their professional and technical qualifications while also demonstrating creativity, problem solving, and interpersonal skills, all of which are required in senior level leaders.
Easier said than done, some believe.
