Earning an MBA from a top-ranked business school can provide a wealth of advantages, including a high salary, strong career prospects, and a versatile skill set. As one of the most sought-after credentials in job applicants, an MBA can open doors to a challenging career as a manager or top executive.
MBA graduates commonly pursue careers in corporate finance, investment banking, and management consulting. However, an MBA can also pave the way to less conventional careers. Degree-holders may wish to deviate from the typical MBA path to pursue a passion or make a greater social impact. Conversely, individuals with a non-business degree may go for an MBA to boost their earning potential or academic credentials.
MBA graduates who seek an unconventional business career path enjoy strong job prospects. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projects a 17% growth in employment for social and community services managers and a 32% growth for health services managers from 2019-2029, significantly higher than the national average.
Our rankings below describe the 10 best nontraditional business jobs for MBA graduates. We also consider what makes a business career path nontraditional, which sectors regularly hire in these positions, and how an MBA can be conducive to the skills these jobs call for.
The Top 10 Unconventional Jobs for Business Grads
Architectural and Engineering Manager | Natural Sciences Manager | Public Relations and Fundraising Manager | Training and Development Manager | Medical and Health Services Manager | Postsecondary Education Administrator | Construction Manager | Postsecondary Teacher | Emergency Management Director | Social and Community Service Managers
What Makes a Business Career Path Nontraditional?
A nontraditional business career is not conventionally associated with an MBA degree. Typically, we think of MBA programs as fostering expertise and career prospects in management, corporate finance, and securities.
However, MBA graduates can enter other fields as well. An MBA helps build skills like leadership, creativity, and problem-solving, which apply to a variety of nontraditional roles. Owing to these skills' versatility, an MBA can give job applicants an edge over the competition, regardless of industry.
The best MBA programs let students use elective courses to explore nontraditional aspects of business. Graduates can use the skills from these classes to pursue nontraditional business careers.
The 10 Best Nontraditional Business Jobs
Our rankings below describe the 10 best nontraditional business jobs in 2021. To create this list, we first identified occupations rarely featured on our site that require the expertise typically cultivated in an MBA program. From this pool, we then ranked the 10 least-featured positions using BLS salary data.
The Nontraditional Job Hunt for Business Majors
Students seeking nontraditional business jobs should consider using already-available resources. Job fairs, for example, provide an excellent opportunity for discovering atypical career paths while gaining first-hand information about companies' open positions and the responsibilities associated with them.
Career-focused websites like Indeed, Glassdoor, LinkedIn, and Google Job Search are also useful for job hunters. The value of these online spaces goes beyond their job postings. Some job boards provide templates for application materials and advice columns, and some allow job-seekers to upload their application materials for future recruiters to review.
With new technology and innovations and impending health and environmental crises, the list of nontraditional business jobs will likely shift. New occupations and industries may rise to prominence as society's needs change. Only the future can tell what this jobscape will look like, but traffic controllers for self-driving cars, operations directors for drone airports, and robot rights officers seem inevitable.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why should an MBA graduate get an unconventional job?
MBA graduates may wish to deviate from the conventional career path in order to pursue a passion, contribute to humanitarian causes, or make a lasting social impact.
How is a nontraditional business job different from a traditional business job?
We commonly think of MBAs as delivering expertise in management consulting, corporate finance, and investment banking. A nontraditional business career is one that lies outside such conventional fields, such as leadership positions in nonprofit organizations.
Can a business major have a freelance career?
Yes. Many business majors and MBAs pursue careers as entrepreneurs of their own consulting firms, which allows them to work for other companies on a freelance basis.
What can I do with an MBA with no business experience?
MBAs with no business experience qualify for many lower managerial jobs that can help provide the business experience required for higher managerial roles. To gain professional experience, MBA graduates can also pursue internships.
