Kellogg MBA Program: Professional Life Essay - Career Goals and Plans

This essay, written by an MBA student, outlines their professional aspirations and career goals, focusing on leadership development and the pursuit of a CEO or Managing Director position. The student emphasizes the importance of management training, especially within corporate industries, to refine leadership skills and expand knowledge. They plan to influence others positively through empowerment and motivation, enhanced by strong interpersonal skills and openness to suggestions. The essay highlights the value of volunteering and the benefits of the Kellogg School of Management, including its programs that align with the student's personal, professional, and educational goals, along with the opportunities offered by the alumni network for global networking and continuous learning to sharpen leadership and management skills. The student also discusses the importance of extracurricular activities and contributing to the success of other students within the institution.

Running head: Professional Life 1
MBA
Student’s name
Institutional affiliation

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Question 1
When it comes to my professional life, I want to explore different management training
opportunities and increase my knowledge in the finer details of the different industries especially
corporate industries so as to help me become a refined leader. The experiences and the
knowledge that I will be gaining throughout my professional life will help me towards achieving
my goal of being a CEO or a Managing Director in one of the business firms locally and across
the borders. With this, the training opportunities will not be limited to the needs of the local
firms but should be focusing on extended horizons such as international organizations. I am
convinced that with adequate skills and proper guidance, I can be in a position to explore any
industry.
Additionally, with my professional life, I intend to positively influence other people with
similar dreams and goals. This will be achieved through empowerment and motivation in regards
to leadership and management. Empowering and motivating others will be after I have gained
sufficient knowledge and skills regarding management and leadership (Epstein, Verbeeten &
Widener, 2018). In my working environment, I would also consider the employee-employer
relationship. This means that, I should be in a position to practice stronger interpersonal skills by
being inclusive. Besides, in my line of duty, I will be open to any suggestions to help me build
my career path.
In order to reach to my expectations, constant volunteering in organizations was
mandatory. Therefore, after my completing my undergraduate program, I volunteered in a local
organization where I was assisting the assistant Human Resource Manager in planning and
organization of the needs of the company. I worked with the Assistant Human Resource
Manager for about four months. During my time in the organization, I was able to acquire

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managerial skills which were significant towards achieving my dreams and developing my
professional life. I was able to learn management skills by observing the different ways in which
the managers were handling the needs of the organization (Rothbard & Brett, 2017).
Additionally, I was able to assess the different ways in which the top executives were coming up
with strategies which could eventually shape the performance of the organization. Some of the
skills I was able to gain include: communication skills, problem solving skills and teamwork.
Kellogg is an institution which has been known for offering different distinct options
when it comes to a student earning their MBA (Northwestern Kellogg, n. d). As a result, they are
in a position to offer an opportunity where students can pursue their personal, professional and
educational goals. Additionally, their program is focused on achieving career goals which is my
key interest. With training expertise, I can be able to develop my leadership skills, management
skills and work on my career goals without doubt.
Question 2
Kellogg is an institution with the sole purpose of educating, equipping and inspiring
brave leaders with an objective of building strong organization hence creating a lasting value in
the market (Baker, Kueng, Meyer & Pagel, 2018). When it comes to the programs that they
offer, their MBA programs have been helping students find their ideal balance among
professional, personal and educational goals. From this explanation, Kellogg offers a conducive
academic ecosystem being supplemented by more than 120 clubs. It is important to note that
Kellogg will be offering a basket full of opportunities that will help sharpen my leadership and
management skills. Through the Kellogg’s program being offered, I will be able to select a club
that is within my interest. With this, I will be able to interact with other people having similar
goals. As the saying goes, birds of the same feathers do flock together, I believe that, Kellogg

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will be a place of building my future and direct my career path towards an industry of my choice.
With the experiences and educational opportunities being offered, I will able to participate in
extra curricula activities such as helping in the organization of Worldwide Experiences and
Service Trips with an objective of exploring the global diversity with other members of the
fraternity (Bryne, 2017). The exposure being given in this institution will be a step towards
learning the existence of many business cultures not only locally but globally.
The presence of the Alumni network will help in meeting new people and developing an
expansive global network that helps in the shaping of leadership and management perspectives.
In this scenario, I look forward towards being a member of the Alumni network which is made
up of more than 60,000 members in more than 100 countries (US News, n.d). This will be an
opportunity to interact beyond the borders and learn different leadership and management
experiences. In the Alumni community, there are more than 70 clubs which allows graduates to
connect with others within the same community. Therefore, being a member of one of the clubs
will keep me involved in different activities and continuously interacting with like-minded
individuals within our community (Bryne, 2017).
Through continuously learning, I will be in a position to sharpen my leadership and
management skills. This is a great opportunity to be offered. As a member, I will also participate
towards shaping the career of other people who have currently joined the institution to ensure
that they live up to their goals and embrace the knowledge that they have learnt while at Kellogg.
Being a strong ambassador and a representative of the school will help in attracting people to
come and pursue their interests in a place where they will not only develop their career but also
their educational goals (Bunderson & Van der Vegt, 2018).

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References
Baker, S. R., Kueng, L., Meyer, S., & Pagel, M. (2018). Measurement Error in Imputed
Consumption (No. w25078). National Bureau of Economic Research.
Bryne J. (2017). Kellogg Topples Booth to Capture First In 2017 Economist Ranking. Retrieved
from: https://poetsandquants.com/2017/10/26/top-mba-programs-best-business-schools-
in-2017-economist-ranking/
Bunderson, J. S., & Van der Vegt, G. S. (2018). Diversity and inequality in management teams:
A review and integration of research on vertical and horizontal member differences.
Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5, 47-73.
Epstein, M. J., Verbeeten, F. H., & Widener, S. K. (Eds.). (2018). Performance Measurement
and Management Control: The Relevance of Performance Measurement and
Management Control Research. Emerald Publishing Limited.
Northwestern Kellogg (n.d). KELLOGG SCHOOL OF MANAGEMENT AT NORTHWESTERN
UNIVERSITY. Retrieved from: https://www.kellogg.northwestern.edu/programs/full-
time-mba/career-path/alumni-network.aspx
Rothbard, N. P., & Brett, J. M. (2017). Promote equal opportunity by recognizing gender
differences in the experience of work and family. The Blackwell handbook of principles
of organizational behaviour, 403-419.
US News (n.d). Northwestern University (Kellogg).Retrieved from:
https://www.usnews.com/best-graduate-schools/top-business-schools/northwestern-
university-01071