The MBA Curse

You may want to sit down for this one. If you have earned your Master's in Business Administration, the coveted MBA, don't tell any one. Well, you should tell your friends and family, but no one else.

I told you that you'd want to be sitting.

Yes, after spending thousands of dollars and countless hours working on what might be your proudest achievement, I am suggesting that you keep it a secret.

Now, for starters, let me just say that this applies to the general MBA, and for those whose roles don't need a graduate degree. The operative term being "need".

Yes, it is true that many jobs require an under-graduate degree, and you should tell everyone that asks that you have one.

But consider this. You may be applying for a job where you have more education than the hiring manager. No sense in risking potentially one-upping the person that can say yes, or no, to you.

If you went to graduate school to earn your MBA, you should have walked away with some great knowledge, some practical skills that should make you stand out as an employee. Use those skills to earn your worth.

An MBA is your chance to show, rather than tell, your prospective boss that you have the skills they need.

The piece of paper that says "MBA" isn't worth as much as the education. Resist telling everyone you have your MBA and wow them with your skills. When you hit a home run at work, and someone asks how you did it. Then tell them that it was something you picked up in school.