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Distinguish Yourself After Getting An MBA By Going To Vocational School

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Getting an MBA can help you qualify for open management positions at many companies, but an MBA itself may not set you apart from other qualified candidates. According to Fortune, 191,571 people earned an advanced business degree in 2011-2012. Lots of people vying for mid- and upper-management positions have MBAs. There is an easy way to set yourself apart from other MBA graduates, though. Going to vocational school after earning an MBA can make you stand out from other applicants who have MBAs. 

Going to Vocational School Will Make You Unique

Enrolling in a vocational program in the industry you want to work in will differentiate you from other applicants. While others may have the same business training, few students with an MBA also have hands-on vocational training in the field they work in. Completing a program or earning an associate degree at a vocational school will show that you don't only know how to run a business -- you're also intimately familiar with the field.

When prospective employers see that you know both how to run a company and how to do a job in the field, they may offer you an interview so they can hear more about your unique perspective. 

Hands-On Experience Will Give You a Grassroots View

While you some MBA programs let you choose a specific concentration, even these don't give you the same perspective as a first-hand experience learning to work within your chosen industry.

MBA programs are concerned with big-picture problems. They pursue a top-down approach, examining how managers can improve a company or organization.

Spending some time learning how the techs or service providers in your industry do their job will give you a grassroots experiences that will be valuable when you're making management decisions. You'll have an appreciation for how the people lower in a company's hierarchy do their job. This may impact your business decisions, and it will help you identify with more employees in a company. Other applicants who don't have formal vocational training won't have this perspective.

If you're looking to work in a specific industry after getting an MBA, enroll in a vocational program (such as New Mexico Institute of Dental Assisting) within that industry to set yourself apart from other applicants. Getting a first-hand experience of the workers within an industry will help you be a better manager, and it will make companies and organizations more interested in hiring you. It will make you different from the hundreds of thousands of people with MBAs, and that will make you more valuable. 


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