I am currently enrolled in an MBA program Part Time.

Sindy Ortiz Pimentel

April 7,2021 at 11:58PM UTC

Welcome to Fairygodboss!

We’re the largest online career community helping women achieve their career goals. Gain access to articles, jobs, events, and a supportive network of women and allies. Membership is free, always.

I am currently enrolled in an MBA program Part Time. I am sure you ladies are extremely busy but if any higher ups or anyone in tech, healthcare have any free moments would love to hear your thoughts on key skills you see future employees for strong comapnies and healthcare companies in general having that can set them apart from the rest. I am starting to think about how to better position myself to bring the most value in the future with a particular interest in digital care, health tech, social enterprise - so would appreciate any thoughts on what knowledge I can gain now and practice to increase my value!

Why women love us:

Daily articles on career topics
Jobs at companies dedicated to hiring more women
Advice and support from an authentic community
Events that help you level up in your career
Free membership, always

7 comments

Share your insight

Join an authentic community that helps women support each other at work. Share your professional experience or ask for advice — you can even post anonymously.

7 Comments

Join the conversation

Pooja TalaulikerApril 8,2021 at 2:56AM UTC
What type of role do you see yourself in in these industries? Desirable skills can vary by role and function.
Like
AnonymousApril 8,2021 at 10:15PM UTC
Congratulations on being proactive about this! I have the same question as Pooja. What are you currently studying and what would you like to do?
Like
Sindy Ortiz PimentelApril 9,2021 at 12:14AM UTC
I haven't declared a concentration yet but am leaning towards a few different things. I was hoping based on the important needed skills it might help me align to a certain direction based on my interests. My currents concentration interests are regulatory affairs, biotechnology enterprise and international business management and health disparities research. Quite a bit so want to focus in!
Like
AnonymousApril 13,2021 at 9:21PM UTC
Those are pretty varied interests. I would look at job descriptions for positions at companies you would like to work for that are related to the different interests and see what the preferred qualifications are. You will start to see like 3-5 pop up consistently in each.
It might also be good to think abstractly about what your standard day looks like. Are you sitting behind a computer analyzing data? Are you in the field working with people? Are you working with people in different countries? Etc. This combined with the job descriptions will help you narrow it down a bit.
Like
Vicki YangApril 13,2021 at 8:43PM UTC
One piece of great advice a friend gave me for an MBA program was to take courses that leaned into my strengths. The reasoning was that when people are stuck, they do what they do best, not what they're not good at. That's not to say don't take any classes in areas you're weak in, still develop a general understanding there. But also make friends with people who are better at the areas you're weakest in so you can call them when you need help!
I'll caveat this with I don't have experience in healthcare companies, but generally when hiring, most managers don't care what concentration the MBA was in. An MBA tells us what you've gone through and a level of knowledge that you've likely attained. What's more important is how the person can show what they've done with that knowledge in the real world.
Like
JennieApril 14,2021 at 6:24PM UTC
An MBA is a wonderful opportunity to get exposure to areas you may not have even known existed. I'd make and effort to take a few courses in a variety of broad functional areas such as marketing, some sort of financial course, organization, economics, entrepreneurship etc. Having a broad exposure will be important as you rise up because your roles will likely become broader, and you'll want to understand how your particular job might impact other parts of the organization. An MBA is meant to help make better business leaders who see the big picture. So even if you aren't an expert in financial analysis for instance, you at least have been exposed to it and you can ask the right questions, and if needed at some point could feel comfortable hiring someone who is an expert.
Like
Corinne BurchApril 15,2021 at 2:53AM UTC
You might consider taking advantage of seminars or talks at school or in the community that have to do with topics like emotional intelligence, personal branding, project management, public speaking or something else that exposes you to things beyond the scope of an MBA. You could see if it would be possible to audit a class for free and without course credit in an area that is unfamiliar to you. Think of something that broadens your horizons, increases your coping skills, allows you to practice self care (art class, yoga) or increases your professional presentation. There are a lot of possibilities that will show you take initiative and are actively working to increase your skillset, worldview and make you even more attractive to employers.
Like