Nearly 2 in 5 alumni currently work in an industry they never considered prior to starting business school.
In today’s rapidly evolving business landscape, fortune favors those with the flexibility, preparation, and skills to seize upon new opportunities. For many, part of the value proposition of a graduate management education is that it can serve as a portal to such new opportunities and career paths. Data from the 2017 Alumni Perspectives Survey illustrate that for a large portion of business school graduates, their education expanded their career horizons and exposed them to professional possibilities they had not previously considered.
More than half the alumni survey respondents are currently employed in an industry or job function they did not have prior to entering business school. In fact, 2 in 5 alumni (39%) currently work in an industry they never even considered prior to starting business school.
A slightly higher share of women (43%) than men (39%) report currently working in an industry they did not consider prior to business school. High proportions of just such alumni work in industry sectors that include nonprofits (51%), manufacturing (45%), and products and services (43%). Examining the data by business school program type reveals that graduates of Master in Management (47%) and full-time MBA programs (46%) are more likely to work in an industry they did not consider prior to business school compared with graduates of part-time MBA (35%), Master of Accounting (30%), and executive MBA (28%) programs.
For more information on graduate business school alumni career outcomes, download the 2017 Alumni Perspectives Survey Report at gmac.com/alumniperspectives.