Inspiring others to do great things requires a range of communication, interpersonal and practical skills. And although some people are born with a knack for leadership, even they need training to maximize their abilities.
Whether you consider yourself a born leader or are exploring ways to break through career ceilings, a Master of Leadership could be your next career step. This program, sometimes called a Master of Organizational Leadership, prepares you to work in a variety of organizations, from governments and nonprofits to the military or even your own company.
Students in SNU’s Master of Leadership (MOL) program cite a myriad of reasons for going back to school. Some are ready to change organizations or careers. Others have hit career ceilings that only the right education can break. Many are already in leadership positions, but need a degree to get full credit for their knowledge and skills.
No matter who you are or what path you walk, you can gain the skills necessary to be an inspirational, transformative leader. Check out these interesting and diverse career paths you might pursue after graduating with your Master of Leadership.
Consultant
Consultants help other people with their organizations and projects. This might mean helping an aspiring change-maker set up a successful nonprofit. Or it could mean advising a multinational conglomerate on how to grow efficiently and economically. Consultant roles vary as much as the people who hold them, but they all require an astute understanding of organizations, human relationships and business.
Consultants themselves can work in various roles and settings. You might join a consulting firm and climb the internal ranks thanks to your exceptional leadership skills. With the right experience, you might freelance on the side to pad your income. Or you could start your own consulting firm, working for yourself and on your terms. For this reason, there’s no single average consultant salary or experience. The role is what you make it.
Government Administrator
When you think of government, you might think of elected officials, endless political campaigning and social media arguments. But virtually every government runs due to the support of a permanent or semi-permanent staff of organizational leaders. This includes city managers, urban planners, finance and business experts and public servants committed to making governments work for the people they are intended to serve.
Governments need experts on a wide variety of topics, from facilities management to city planning. And those experts need the leadership and communication skills that working with different administrations, political viewpoints and budgets requires. A Master of Leadership offers exceptional preparation for public service.
Healthcare Administrator
Careers in healthcare are rapidly growing, and healthcare administration is no exception. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, these roles are projected to explode by 28% between 2021 and 2031. With median annual earnings of just over six figures, these jobs offer an enticing salary that may offer a path to a better life for you and your family. And now, thanks to the aftershocks of a global pandemic, the need for strong healthcare administrators who can make the most of scant resources is more apparent than ever.
Healthcare administrators work in many roles, from small local clinics to academic institutions and massive hospital systems. This could be the perfect career path if you’re interested in public health, improving the healthcare system and health innovation.
Nonprofit Director
We tend to think of nonprofits as charitable organizations committed to doing good. However, they’re also businesses that must thoughtfully use often-limited resources. And some nonprofits are large multinational organizations with numerous partnerships, a large board of directors and a mandate to remain accountable.
A Master of Leadership prepares you to give back to your community as an executive director of a nonprofit. Whether you’re serving your local church or joining an international charity, exceptional leadership matters, and it begins with the right education.
Marketing Manager
In 2021, marketing managers had median annual earnings of just over $133,000. Marketing campaigns have gotten increasingly complex as businesses develop digital strategies across dozens of platforms and channels. Marketing managers take a big-picture approach to marketing campaigns while overseeing a team of creatives.
This is a great role if you already have experience in marketing or hope to harness your creativity to help businesses thrive. To succeed in this role, exceptional communication, genuine concern for the people you manage and an interest in helping brands thrive are key. The right education may be the missing ingredient in the recipe for cooking up this exciting career.
C-Suite and Other Executive Roles
A Master of Business Administration (MBA) opens a path to numerous business leadership roles, such as chief executive officer and chief financial officer. For some leaders, though, the focus is less on the financial and organizational aspects of business and more on the people who make the business what it is. If this sounds like you, a Master of Leadership might offer a better path to a career you love.
You probably already know that the C-suite earns an exceptionally good living. With stable growth, these careers are highly competitive. Make yourself stand out with a degree that shows your commitment to exceptional leadership.
Human Resources Manager
A business is nothing without the human beings who help it thrive. Human resources (HR) managers help businesses manage their human resources. You may oversee benefits, ensure the business remains compliant with relevant laws and regulations, help onboard people, oversee hiring and firing and much more. HR managers often play a key role in building functional workplaces and rooting out office toxicity, so if you’re on a mission to improve the world, you might want to start with improving work. After all, we spend a third of our lives at work.
With stable growth and median earnings of $126,230 in 2021, a job in human resource management may help you lead a more financially secure life, with job opportunities scattered across the globe. Work in a large business, a nonprofit, a municipal government or even in your own human resources consulting firm. A Master of Leadership degree increases your versatility and hireability in human resources.
SNU: The Ideal Place to Pursue Your Master of Leadership
A leadership degree can change your life and empower you to change the world around you. At SNU, we believe in offering rigorous programs that craft exceptional leaders. But we also know that learners need support and guidance, so we built our leadership program with busy adult students in mind.
Most of our students get some financial assistance to attend school. Want to learn about your options for funding your dreams? Download “The Complete Guide to Financial Aid” today.
