NextBillion - An Initiative of the William Davidson Institute at the University of Michigan

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

As MBA students, we became acutely aware right at the start: the teaching is geared toward a career as an investment banker, a consultant, or a marketing expert. MBA programs are highly competitive, measuring achievement to a great extent by career placement and salary. So, like most other students, we never thought that we would focus on social enterprise as a main part of our MBA experience.

Fortunately, the Hult Prize is going a long way toward legitimizing social enterprise as a valid career choice for MBA students. It channels the competitive spirit into an intense competition that forces thousands of students to reimagine business in a social context, but still backed by a strong financial reward. It feels great to work on a problem that could have a positive impact in the world, and it really doesn’t feel like I’m losing out by forgoing a more traditional path.