Why did you choose Rice Business? 

While researching possible business schools, my top priorities were proximity to home, an exceptional network and reputation, and a nurtured sense of community. I wanted a top-ranked institution that had a relatively small class size to leverage interpersonal relationships with my professors and classmates. Those priorities landed me with a clear answer, which was Rice Business.

What are you most proud of from your time at Rice Business? 

Image

Though I relished getting to meet and learn from my extraordinary classmates and professors, I am most proud of successfully navigating a career pivot and leading the largest student organization at Rice Business. The consulting internship recruiting cycle is rigorous, it takes a great deal of preparation and networking. I landed an internship which led to a full-time offer with a Big Four firm. I leveraged my recruiting experience as an opportunity to pay it forward through leadership of the Consulting Association.

How has Rice helped you in your career? 

In addition to making a career change, I gained the understanding of evaluating a business from the outside in. Rice allowed me to obtain an abundance of information on macro-business analysis. Foundational courses such as accounting, finance and strategy will play a major role in my career progression, as I plan to apply lessons learned from case studies and lectures. Additionally, Rice Business’ nationally ranked entrepreneurship program has increased my knowledge on how to effectively manage my business. Being able to interact with guest speakers who have created or led successful businesses was a highlight of my Rice experience. As the founder of DOCUMENTED.CO (a clothing and lifestyle company), I began my MBA seeking to learn more about scaling my business. Rice allowed me to gain fresh insights on ways I could improve my business operations, from pricing to marketing and much more. 

What advice would you give prospective students who are considering an MBA? 

Everyone will have a unique path leading up to the decision to earn an MBA. I would advise dedicating time to reflect on what you want out of an MBA program. Whether it is a career pivot, rising within your current organization or just gaining some necessary business skills for an entrepreneurial journey, you should have an idea of what you would like to gain from the program. Networking is a key component of the MBA program experience. The relationships you build as a student can last throughout your career. You may be seeking new career opportunities, in which your peers may become your future colleagues and your lecturers could become your references. I suggest taking time to get to know people who share your path.

What do you think organizations should do better to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization? 

Image

Building an organization that promotes diversity, equity and inclusion starts with fostering a space that sees it as a strategic priority. Diversity of representation is shown to have a positive impact on a variety of areas, including innovation, employee satisfaction, and even the bottom line. The leadership team should make it a strategic priority with clear goals that are being reviewed regularly. An adjustment in hiring practices will have a positive impact in achieving a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization. During the hiring process, a diverse slate of candidates is necessary, but an organization should consider maintaining a diverse hiring team to ensure an objective and fair process. Finally, the leadership team should be held accountable. Once an organization sets clear DEI goals and measures results against them, hold the leadership team accountable to those results.  

What suggestions do you have to work with allies within the workplace or at school?

Working with allies ultimately means showing up consistently. Not once, twice, or just when it’s easy, but every time, until the workplace or school is equitable. Being open to learning is crucial when working with allies, as you will encounter situations where you may not be familiar with how to react. Being an ally means listening to what individuals in a marginalized community need and recognizing how you can be part of a positive change. Working with allies requires you to consistently evaluate your behaviors and biases to make sure your actions are aligned with creating a more equitable environment. 

Do you have any other comments or anecdotes you would like to share? 

Rice Business was recently ranked #5 as the best MBA for consulting by Princeton Review, moving up five spots from the 2022 ranking. This is an important moment for me as I conclude my MBA. Upon taking on the role as president of the consulting association in 2022, it was a goal of mine to get that ranking to the top five. I am grateful to the Career Development Office, my great leadership team and the second years that made this possible. 

Photo credit: @riaotherworld on Instagram  

Why did you choose Rice Business? 

Rice reminds me of home. In some ways, the community reminds me of Texas A&M, where I received my first master's degree. While at Prairie View A&M, I became accustomed to a small, close-knit community and was fortunate to find this at Rice University. Also, Rice is in Houston, where most of my network is based. Since I already have a vast community of people from my previous school, family and fraternity in the Houston area, who I know are very supportive, I knew Rice would provide the best opportunity to advance my career.

What are you most proud of from your time at Rice Business? 

Image

One accomplishment I am most pleased with is my ability to step out of my comfort zone and meet people with like-minded views. Rice taught me the principle of sharpening iron with iron by emphasizing the willingness to help others and the courage to seek assistance. As a result of this valuable lesson, I have encountered people willing to support others through difficulties in school and other life challenges. Thus, after my year at Rice, I know that courage and service are essential to winning. No one is an expert in everything; to win, we must work together.

How has Rice helped you in your career? 

Rice's MBA program taught me how to overcome imposter syndrome. I started the program with doubts about what I could achieve and whether I was in the right place. It was undoubtedly a challenging path. However, over the past year, I have learned that discomfort is essential to growth. During my time at Rice, there were moments when the only options were to give up or to get strategic about how to succeed. With the proper support and lessons, I thankfully chose the latter option.

In addition, Rice has prepared me to be an effective leader by equipping me with practical skills and interpersonal knowledge. I understood that everyone is unique and comes with a different perspective, and I developed a skill that is essential for all leaders. I learned how to discover people's superpowers and utilize their talents to create masterpieces in the marketplace.

What advice would you give prospective students who are considering an MBA? 

I encourage every prospective student to understand their "why." Why do you want an MBA? What drives you? Is this MBA going to make a difference in your career? If you want to take this route, you must answer all three questions. An MBA is akin to starting a new job; everything and everyone is unfamiliar. Also, you must start over without compensation to learn something that will advance your skill set in the long run! There are less challenging programs; however, they come with different and fewer benefits than Rice. This choice is what we call an opportunity cost in business. You have to give up something to gain another. Remember your why when things get tough in school. Be confident and trust in yourself to overcome all obstacles.

Image

What do you think organizations should do better to build a diverse, equitable, and inclusive organization? 

Diversity, equality and inclusion are necessary for the workplace and should be continually emphasized. One area most organizations can improve is providing mentorship to their minority employees. This mentorship should cover the training and coaching they need to climb the success ladder and eliminate the need to work ten times more than their counterparts to achieve the same results. 

What suggestions do you have to work with allies within the workplace or at school?

My approach to working with allies at work and school is to be amiable, show your humanity, ask them how their day is going, and genuinely care to know. It is possible to open doors just by building a relationship with someone. Building a relationship can start as simple as asking them to grab a coffee or commenting on something about their work or something else that matters to them. Also, I value people's opinions, especially if they are an ally in a group setting. You can significantly impact others by listening more and talking less.

Do you have any other comments or anecdotes you would like to share? 

There will be people who do not understand why you chose the path you did in life. There are times when people give you advice on what you should do. This uncertainty is scary for prospective students, but if you've been thinking about it for a while, go for it. As you build your network, don't be afraid to make a move if you believe it will benefit your family or community in the long run. Yes, dreams come true, but only when you get up and take action!

During the summer before the one-year Rice Master of Accounting program, Rice MAcc student Jasmine Lee interned with EY, one of the “Big Four” public accounting firms. She writes firsthand about her experience.

Initial Expectations

Image

As a psychology major who had taken just three accounting courses by the time I completed my bachelor’s degree, I came into my summer audit internship at EY not knowing what to expect. Many of my soon-to-be coworkers had graduated as accounting majors, and a few of them had even previously completed other accounting internships. I initially wondered whether I was going to be behind, but my concerns disappeared as we began our training. Critical thinking, the ability to learn and adapt quickly, and an engaged mindset were really the core of what we interns needed to be successful. Once I understood this, I realized there was no reason to be afraid of falling behind or making a fool of myself. All I had to do was ask questions when I had them and stay engaged as I learned.
 

The Work Environment

When I started my EY internship, the other interns and I completed our training virtually. Nevertheless, we came into the office to meet with our teams for most of the week. I worked from home on Mondays and Fridays while commuting to the EY office or the client’s site for the remaining three days. This balance was amazing! Most public accounting firms are transitioning into this hybrid environment, and I believe it is likely to remain in the long run because employees have responded so well to it. I enjoyed the opportunities to work in-person with my team because it allowed me to build closer relationships with them and really experience what it is like to work as an auditor at EY.

I had two clients during my ten weeks, a technology company and an oil & gas company. Though my internship was during the summer, which is typically a slower season in the audit service line, I still learned a lot through my work. I sat in on update meetings, learned about the different steps in the audit process, and produced worksheets of my own that I got to sign off on at times! I appreciated feeling like my team trusted me to take on challenging tasks, especially when using database applications like PowerBI that I had never used before. I asked questions freely and made sure to take detailed notes whenever a “senior” explained a task to me.

Plentiful Future Opportunities

Throughout the summer, EY hosted several networking events, including an international intern conference. The conference in particular allowed interns to get to know each other better, which I really appreciated because they are people likely to be my future coworkers. EY had a myriad of engaging speakers at the conference who demonstrated how versatile and expansive a career at a Big Four firm can be. It was eye opening. It struck me that as someone continues working, different experiences in different projects will present opportunities to pursue arenas that suit their strengths and interests. 

By the end of my time with both client teams, I felt welcomed by everyone like I had been working with them for longer time than I had. I made wonderful friends and connections with not only my teams, but also with fellow interns! While I didn’t experience the most technical aspects of an audit in my summer internship, the environment that EY facilitated gave me insight into what it would be like to work at this firm. They provided the skills to succeed and the confidence to be ready for a full-time job. Beyond the professional aspect, I formed relationships I will rely on into the future. I know that many of my fellow interns had a similarly good experience, and I will be working with many of them at EY as staff after I graduate with my Rice MAcc degree! 
 

EY extended Jasmine a full-time job offer at the end of her internship. She will start as an audit associate following her graduation from the Rice MAcc.
 

Interested in learning more about our program or the career opportunities the Rice MAcc opens up? Email us at RiceMAcc@rice.edu.

By Professor Scott Sonenshein, originally published in The Conversation

One thing that’s become clear in the past few tumultuous – and for many, traumatic – years is that it’s easy to feel like there is no control in our lives. Control is a basic psychological need that helps people feel like they have agency, from how they live to where they work. One area where people have tried to wrestle back control is around work.

As a Rice University business school professor and author, I’ve examined through my research, teaching and readership the complex relationships between employees and their employers for nearly two decades. The aftermath of the pandemic is the latest iteration of a timeless negotiation between labor and management over control that took on added significance these past few years.

The pandemic accelerated a development that began years ago when workers realized they needed to take on more responsibility for directing their careers. This major shift reflects a potentially exciting but also unnerving reality for millions of workers.

From lifer to independent worker

For decades, employers had the upper hand in negotiating terms with employees. People exchanged unconditional loyalty to an employer for lifetime employment and a secure retirement. That model started to erode with an increase in corporate restructuring in the 1980s and 1990s. With the prospects of a secure job and comfortable retirement more elusive, employees switched jobs to regain some control. They sought the promise of a higher salary and a better work life. In the past decade, the average tenure at an employer dropped nearly 10%.

During the pandemic, a tight labor market allowed employees to use job mobility to feel greater control over their lives. Additionally, the freedoms afforded by remote work offset some of the losses of control caused by the pandemic. But the reality is that while changing jobs leads to a short-term boost in job satisfaction, that feeling is usually only temporary.

In a post-pandemic world, a new model is emerging that reflects concerns of a slowing economy and more uncertain future. Employees are increasingly rejecting the belief that a single job can satisfy all of their financial and psychological needs. Instead, people are turning to building a portfolio of simultaneous roles to create their career.

With “career portfolioing,” employees become free agents, relying increasingly on themselves to carve out a meaningful and rewarding professional life. They put together a mosaic of positions to collectively fulfill their aspirations around income, advancement, skill development and enjoyment. They are no longer subject to a longstanding relationship with a single, lifetime employer, or dependent on a strong job market.

One sign of the rise of career portfolioing is the increase in side hustles. In 2021, 34% of Americans reported having a side hustle, and over 60 million people planned to start one. As inflation rose, side hustles provided extra income in the face of soaring prices. But people also turned to side hustles for new learning opportunities (28%) and to find more enjoyable work (38%).

In research I’ve been conducting on side hustles in the sharing economy, I am finding that many people take these gigs to compensate for limited control in their “traditional” jobs. Although gig work comes with its own set of challenges – lack of benefits is a key one – people feel liberated by greater control over where, when and how they work. Switching on an app shifts allegiance from one company to another. Turning off an app ends the workday in an instant. People rely on side hustles to earn additional income but also because of the freedom that comes from being an independent worker.

Another benefit of portfolioing is hedging risk. Sudden layoffs, such as those recently affecting the tech industry, leave people feeling exposed to financial hardship and identity loss from being involuntarily sent to the exit. When facing difficult times at one job, people can turn to other parts of their career portfolio for security and stability.

Taking action on values

During the pandemic, people’s sense of mortality increased as the threat of serious illness or even death spread. Such times often prompt a deep reflection on values, including the purpose of work. When people took stock of their jobs, many did not like what they saw and quit at record numbers. Or, if they stayed, they increasingly pushed employers to align better with their values.

Historically, business organizations stayed quiet about controversial social issues, such as LGBTQ rights, racial justice and abortion – unless there was a very direct profit motive. That’s changed dramatically as employees increasingly demand clarity on company values – and actions to back them up. Sixty percent of workers approve of business leaders speaking out on social and political issues, and one quarter of respondents to a recent survey reported turning down a job opportunity because of a company’s position on social issues.

Employees, too, appear to be more comfortable expressing their views. At the beginning of the century, I conducted one of my first research studies on understanding how employees convince their workplaces to take a stance on divisive social issues. I found that employees concealed their values by framing them as economic opportunities. For example, sustainability initiatives around energy efficiency were cast as good for the bottom line.

When I recently ran a similar study, the dynamics had shifted. Employees were much more willing to talk about moral values and less willing to translate social issues into business issues. Such a dramatic reversal reflects employees’ growing sense of empowerment to make work more aligned with their needs. It’s hard to feel in control of your life if you need to suppress or even contradict deeply held values at a place where you spend most of your waking day.

A better future for work

Career portfolioing reflects a future in which uncertainty is too high to rely on a single institution to fulfill basic needs, and a failure of modern work organizations to deliver what employees truly value.

For employees, career portfolioing means more latitude over how their career unfolds. Instead of rising to the next rung of an often pre-defined and inflexible corporate ladder, they might instead think about the next addition to their portfolio, whether starting a new part-time job, taking a new class or pursuing a business idea. Elements of a career portfolio not only get added to produce income or personal growth, but also to support a person’s values.

No doubt, there are potential obstacles. Taking responsibility for a career portfolio requires additional effort. In our book “Joy at Work,” co-author Marie Kondo and I find that it’s all too easy to take on too many tasks and subsequently burn out. People get trapped into thinking the more they do, the better they’ll feel. Avoiding burnout starts with anchoring a career portfolio based on values and an ideal work life.

For employers, career portfolioing means competing for the full attention of their own workforce. I believe it should prompt a deeper reflection about how to better meet the needs of employees – or else they may leave or quiet quit.

Scott Sonenshein, Organizational Behavior Area Coordinator and Henry Gardiner Symonds Professor of Management – Organizational Behavior, Jones Graduate School of Business at Rice University

For the latest insights, check out our post on the return on investment (ROI) of the Rice MBA.   

We know your decision to earn an MBA is a big step. You want your degree to pay off in meaningful ways — and not just in the short term. That’s why Rice Business is committed to helping you accelerate your career at any stage and supporting your professional growth long after graduation. And, when it comes to earnings potential, the numbers show investing in a top-ranked MBA program is well worth it.

Numbers Have Shown the ROI of an MBA is Strong

Over a 35-year career, MBA graduates reported earning a median cash compensation of $5.7 million, according to a PayScale analysis for Poets&Quants. In contrast, those with only an undergraduate degree earned $2.3 million less in lifetime earnings.

The study used salary data shared by graduates from the country’s top 50 business schools. The compensation figure is considered a low estimate, given that it does not factor in other earnings like stock-based compensation or the cash value of retirement benefits.

Seasoned business school graduates agree that earning their degrees was a smart move. More than 85% of graduates surveyed over 12 years said their graduate business degrees offered a positive return on investment, according to a Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) report featured in this article in Fortune.

Want to crunch the numbers yourself? Let our professor of finance James P. Weston show you how to estimate ROI for the full-time MBA program (since the professional, hybrid, online and executive programs are fully employed while earning their degrees). In this quick video, Weston explains why he considers the MBA “one of the greater return-on-investment degrees you can earn.” 

Powerful Community and Career Services That Grow With You

When you choose to pursue an MBA at Rice Business, you also gain full access to our Career Development Office, which has a proven track record of helping students accelerate their careers. We remain in your corner as your career advances. From one-on-one coaching to targeted programming and workshops, we offer individualized career services for alumni at all levels of experience as they pivot, grow and evolve.

Plus, as a graduate, you’ll have access to a slate of robust lifelong learning offerings, including opportunities to officially audit classes that pique your interest, or take an Executive Education course at a reduced alumni rate. Great leaders never stop learning.

But one of our most powerful resources remains our alumni network. When you graduate from Rice Business, you join a network of more than 10,000 alumni working around the world and across every major industry. One word comes up repeatedly when describing our community: responsive. That’s why we’re constantly connecting alumni whose paths may inform each other, or matching alumni to job postings submitted by other alumni.

Over and over, we hear the same feedback from Rice Business graduates across class years: The alumni community is one of their most valuable tools. Relationships built here last a lifetime.

Enduring Value in a Dynamic Landscape

Your MBA also offers an edge when it comes to leadership advancement as well as flexibility in an ever-shifting professional landscape. According to the GMAC survey cited in Fortune, 38% of business school graduates reported changing industries after earning their degrees. Further, 90% of corporate recruiters plan to hire talent with an MBA, according to a 2025 GMAC survey.

Our podcast, Owl Have You Know, is one way to hear directly from alumni (and others) about the impact of the Rice Business experience. During a September episode, Pierre Aristide ’22 described how the Executive MBA program gave him the tools to leverage his 27-year career in the military and private sector experience to pivot toward entrepreneurship. Aristide is committed to improving mental health treatment and is the co-founder and CEO of Impireum Psychiatric Group, as well as other ventures.

To get started earning a degree with staying power, check out our many MBA program options — including full time, online, professional, hybrid and executive.

Explore Our Rice MBA Programs