The first thing you might ask when considering to study your MBA, is why? These days it seems like every man and his dog is doing a MBA at some business school, whether it is through a South African university, online, through a satellite campus or oversees.

For me personally the decision was mostly based on the fact that I actually got into a fantastic business school abroad as well as the desire from logistics and supply chain into other industries. As an industrial engineer I would never be taken seriously if I wanted to move into marketing without an MBA. Also going for strategy consulting roles have proven pretty difficult in my previous attempts before I started the MBA programme. That being said, everyone in the MBA has a different story to tell about their industry experiences and add value in a very real way.

According to me an MBA will add loads of value towards gaining the required respect and skills to apply for any position that you might desire. Obviously there are some limitations, you can’t expect to study a MBA and then get the perfect graphic designer job you have always wanted. You have to have a keen interest in business and how businesses operate, but with regards to industries your choices are virtually endless.

So why attend Cambridge? Even if we do not like to admit it, “brands” matter. And the University of Cambridge is a fantastic brand to be associated with. The university and the business school have a great reputation and the added bonus is that with this brand comes a sense of security about the quality of the education you are going to receive. It also doesn’t hurt that you are going to attend school in a beautiful city that is almost twice the age of South Africa, where bicycles rule the streets and every old building could either be a lecture theatre, college or pub.

A MBA was the next step I required to enhance my career and it might even be the same for you. All I know is that this is my once in a lifetime opportunity and others may not always realise the importance of it to someone from South Africa and the doors that it will open for me in the future…