Sarah, a marketing coordinator with five years of experience, watches her colleagues with MBA degrees get promoted to management roles while she remains stuck in the same position. Despite her proven track record, she lacks the strategic business foundation that today’s employers demand. Sarah’s situation reveals an uncomfortable truth: experience alone no longer guarantees career advancement.
An online Master of Business Administration (MBA) General degree offers the flexibility and broad business foundation needed to thrive in virtually any industry. Programs like the online MBA General program from Pittsburg State University (Pitt State) are becoming increasingly valuable for career growth.
Why Your Career Needs More Than Just Experience
Modern business operates under constant pressure to adapt and evolve, requiring leaders who can think strategically beyond their immediate responsibilities. While hands-on experience teaches you how to execute tasks within your current role, it rarely provides the comprehensive business perspective required for executive decision-making.
Today’s employers seek professionals who understand how different business functions interconnect. You might excel at managing customer relationships, but do you understand how those relationships impact financial planning and long-term strategic positioning? An online MBA program bridges these knowledge gaps by providing a holistic view of business operations.
The Skills Gap That’s Costing You Opportunities
According to the Graduate Management Admission Council’s 2025 Corporate Recruiters Survey, 99% of employers express confidence in graduate management education’s ability to prepare students for organizational success. The skills employers value most in leaders include:
- Strategic thinking: Analyzing complex business scenarios and developing long-term solutions
- Problem-solving: Identifying root causes and implementing effective remedies
- Business analytics: Interpreting data to make informed strategic decisions
- Leadership and soft skills: Communicating, motivating teams and driving organizational change
Many working professionals possess strong technical skills within their specialized areas but struggle with cross-functional collaboration and strategic decision-making. An MBA program addresses these deficiencies by teaching students to think like executives rather than specialists.
General vs. Specialized: Why Flexibility Wins
Choosing between a general MBA and a specialized program often comes down to career flexibility versus deep expertise. A general MBA provides comprehensive education across various business disciplines, creating transferable capabilities for diverse sectors and roles.
Specialized MBA programs funnel your expertise into one specific area, which can create roadblocks for future career transitions. If you earn a specialized degree in accounting but later want to move into marketing, you may encounter significant barriers.
General MBA programs sidestep this limitation by providing foundational knowledge across finance, marketing, operations and strategic management. They also welcome a wider range of applicants from diverse backgrounds, unlike specialized programs that often demand experience in specific fields. This approach benefits career changers and professionals seeking broader business exposure.
The Financial Reality of Higher Education Investment
Salary data from Glassdoor (July, 2025) shows that MBA graduates in the United States earn a median total compensation of $197,000 annually. This represents a $25,000 premium, per GMAC, over candidates coming from other organizations without advanced degrees. GMAC also reports that U.S. MBA graduates are expected to receive even higher starting salaries in 2025.
The financial benefits extend well beyond starting salaries. MBA graduates typically qualify for management and executive positions that not only offer higher base salaries, but also performance bonuses and other financial benefits that dramatically increase total career earnings.
Online Learning: Breaking Down Barriers to Success
Full-time MBA programs demand that students pause their careers for two years, creating substantial financial and professional challenges. Online MBA degree programs eliminate these obstacles by allowing working professionals to earn their degrees while maintaining their current employment and income streams.
GMAC also discovered that most global employers believe MBA skills are more important in today’s remote and hybrid work environments. Students who succeed in online programs demonstrate the self-discipline and digital communication skills that employers value.
Online program delivery has gained widespread acceptance among employers, particularly in the technology sector where remote collaboration represents standard practice. The determining factors are program quality, accreditation and the institution’s reputation.
Your Path to Business Leadership Starts Here
The convergence of employer demand, earning potential and accessibility makes pursuing an online MBA General degree a strategic career investment. Pittsburg State University’s AACSB-accredited program addresses all these factors while providing additional advantages that set graduates apart in the competitive job market.
The program’s 100% online format allows you to earn your degree in as few as 12 months while continuing your current employment. With cost of tuition totaling just $11,970, Pitt State’s online MBA program offers exceptional value. The university’s 50-year history of awarding MBA degrees demonstrates institutional commitment to business education excellence, while the 99% job placement rate for recent graduates provides confidence in career outcomes.
Learn more about Pittsburg State University’s online MBA General program.
