Thinking MBA? 9 Successful Black Women Discuss the Impact of the Degree on Their Career
Tammy ‘T-Time’ Brawner – Harlem Globetrotter, MBA in Global Business Management, from Dominican University of California, May 2011
Madame Noire: What impact has your MBA degree had on your career?
Tammy ‘T-Time’ Brawner: My degree has served me very well. As an athlete, many people have the misperception that my degree has become useless. The truth of the matter is, my degree has taught me several things that are applicable to my life as a professional athlete… Not only did my degree teach me how to be resourceful, but it also taught me how to be disciplined, work hard, speak in front of crowds, manage my time, and finish what I start. All of the preceding qualities help to better serve me as Globetrotter and in my regular day-to-day affairs.
MN: What made you want to pursue an advanced degree?
TB: I decided to pursue an advanced degree to make myself more competitive and because I wanted to become adept in business, global business in particular. When you look around the world today, you see that nearly every business is global in some form – so understanding the phenomenon of global business while also giving me some leverage in the work field was an opportunity that I took.
MN: Given today’s economic climate, would you recommend this path to other African-American women?
TB: Our daily lives should be conducted like a business. [Getting an MBA] is a long-term investment in that business. We will not see the return on our investment today or tomorrow, but it will surely become evident in the future. With that being said, I would recommend African-American women pursue an advanced degree. As African-American women, we know that at times we have unfavorable variables working against us in the workforce. We have to best position ourselves in order to minimize the effects of these variables. The best way to do that is to become more qualified, knowledgeable, and educated. Not only will we as African-American women break down barriers in the work place, but we will also increase our pay scale. It’s a win-win situation.
