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Posted May 19, 2026

Studying an MBA alongside a full-time career

Studying an MBA alongside a full-time career

When I signed up for an online MBA, I had a demanding job, a life I enjoyed, and a quiet curiosity about what I could do if I pushed myself a bit harder. Five and a half months in, I can already say it’s one of the best decisions I’ve made. It’s also a lot harder than I expected, and I think both things are worth saying in the same breath.

Let me start with what’s gone well, because there’s plenty. An MBA changes the way you think about your work. A framework I read about on a Tuesday evening turns up in a Wednesday morning meeting, and suddenly I’m seeing problems from angles I would have missed a few months ago. My MBA classmates, scattered across industries and time zones, have become one of the most interesting groups of people I’ve ever spent time with. We argue about strategy, swap stories from our jobs, and check in on each other when the workload gets heavy.

The flexibility of studying online is what makes the whole project possible. I can fit study around my work, around the people I care about, and around the parts of life that won’t pause for a degree. That flexibility is a genuine gift, and I don’t take it for granted.

It’s also the part that asks the most of you. Without a lecture hall pulling you in at 6pm, the discipline has to come from inside your own head, every single week. So how do I balance it? Honestly, by using all of the day. Early mornings, before the inbox starts pinging, are my sharpest study hours. Lunch breaks become reading time. Evenings are for group calls that often run longer than planned, because the conversation is too good to stop. Weekends absorb the longer pieces: the essays, the financial modelling, the strategy work that needs a proper stretch of focus. Some hobbies are on pause, and I made that trade with my eyes open.

What’s surprised me most is the mental load. Holding down a full-time job and an MBA at the same time means moving between worlds throughout the day. One minute you’re in a client conversation, the next you’re reading about corporate finance. One minute you’re reviewing a piece of work, the next you’re picking apart a marketing case from 2014. At first it felt scattered. A few months in, it’s starting to feel natural, and I can see how the two sides feed each other.

If you’re thinking about studying an online MBA alongside your career, here’s my honest advice. It will ask more of you than the brochure suggests, and that’s part of the value. Plan for the intensity. Protect your sleep. Talk to your employer early because most are more supportive than you’d expect. Lean on your cohort and let them lean on you. And trust that the effort pays off, even on the weeks you’re running on fumes.

I’d sign up all over again tomorrow – it’s intense 🤪

Ana NovorodjinAuthor’s bio: Ana Novorojdin started her career in banking, moving from customer-facing roles into product development, where she led initiatives, such as launching digital platforms, scaling card programs, and managing large-scale infrastructure migrations. Along the way, she has built and managed cross-functional teams, aligning technology, compliance and business priorities to deliver faster go-to-market execution and long-term client success.

Ana has consistently focused on creating solutions that are both scalable and inclusive, from social benefit payment cards to digital onboarding models that address the needs of migrant populations. Today, as Founder of Finyards, she advises FinTech businesses and financial institutions on cross-border payments, regulatory frameworks and product strategy.

Ana is currently studying an Online MBA at Warwick Business School.

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