Here’s the scenario: you’re working, getting a part-time MBA or thinking about getting your MBA, and you start to think: “Maybe I prefer accounting to advertising,” or “I’d really like to move into marketing instead of project management.” Or maybe your field is plateauing and you want to better position yourself for the current and future job market but you know you can only go back part-time for your MBA. Can you change career tracks while working and getting a part-time MBA? Career counselors, employers and students we talked to agreed that self-assessment is the crucial first step to making any important life decision such as a career change. Let’s start with the student perspective.

 Srikanth Yellapregada is a student at the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University. He is also working for a company that produces software for retail applications, dealing with the financial side of the software packages. His background is more on the technical side, but, as he learned, his interests lay more on the financial side of the business.

Yellapregada said that going into his MBA program, “the biggest obstacle that I faced was to find out exactly what I really wanted to do. I knew I wanted to modify my career a little bit, but to actually find out what you’re really interested in is one of the hardest things I’ve ever done.”

Yellapregada said the coursework he did during his first year of the MBA really got him thinking about a new path. By the start of the second year, he felt pretty sure he knew which way to go: into finance.

Next problem:  how could he parlay his technical background into a financial services career path? Yellapregada’s conundrum wasn’t unique. Many part-time MBA students find new passions as they study. But without time off for a summer internship or a part-time job in a new field, they don’t know how to transition and to attract the attention of recruiters and companies in their new chosen field.

That’s the perfect moment to pay a visit to the career services experts associated with your MBA program. With a lot of work ahead, and your career path at stake,

Alan Resnik, Professor of Marketing at the School of Business Administration at Portland State University suggests you do a great deal of self-exploration. “I try to get at the underlying reason why they want to switch jobs,” Resnick said. “Is it that they want more intellectual challenge? A higher salary? A better schedule, less travel, more travel?”

Jeff Rice is the Executive Director of the Office of Career Services, Fisher College of Business at Ohio State where Yellapregada is a student. Rice says there is a trend on many campuses toward personal consultations. Students take a serious look at career advancement, their aspirations, and develop marketing plans around this information.

They also take career assessment tests, which help them get a clearer picture of their interests, values and abilities, then integrate those results into specific career path choices.

Yellapregada knew he needed just that kind of help when he started applying for analyst positions with financial companies.  “I was getting very disheartened,” he said.  “A lot of financial companies were choosing people with hard-core finance experience as first pick.” Yellapregada was competing with people from his program who had started their careers in finance — bond traders or investment bankers. He needed help figuring out how to get what he wanted with the background he did have.

Fisher College of Business’ Office of Career Services helped him connect his skill set to his goals, and point both toward a realistic and achievable career path. Yellapregada worked hard to pick up the financial skills he needed to blend with his technical software background. His is a resounding success story; he’s already secured a position with a huge software company – Oracle – to work with financial applications.

Let’s look at this from the employer’s perspective. How do part-time MBA students who want to change careers stack up, and how can they improve their job prospects? Cross training at their current companies can be a big plus for part-time MBA students, according to Stella Ringer, College and Association Relations Manager with Coca Cola.

 “I know it’s more difficult for them to get an internship,” Ringer said. But since they already have jobs, why not try to get the experience they would get from an internship from within the company they currently work for? “For example,” Ringer said, “if a person is in finance and they’re getting their MBA in marketing, can they get some cross-functional work at their current company in the marketing department?” Ringer said Coke hired someone for a marketing position who came from a financial background, but had interned at a consumer package goods firm. The job candidate was able to blend the two experiences into a new career position – another success story.

Another approach career-changers can take is to come into a company leveraging the background you do have, then do cross-functional work once you’re there to gradually transition into the area you want to move to. Ringer of Coca-Cola said if a candidate has passion and is the right fit for the company, many things are possible.

Which fields are most open to career changes? Alan Resnick at Portland State University said the career landscape changes pretty rapidly. “Someone going part-time for three or four years might find a very different career environment when they finish their degree,” he said.

He advises career-changers to keep their eyes open, and to realize that career changing, while ultimately rewarding, is hard work. “Having done it myself, I know that you finish with a job; you’re working hard all day and now, you have to not just attend class, but there’s a considerable amount of homework to do with each class,” Resnick said. “A rule of thumb is for every hour of class there’s at least two to three hours of outside work that has to be done. I’m not trying to discourage people. Again, they just have to realize that this has a significant impact on their families.”

 Srikanth Yellapregada, the part-time MBA student who changed his field and landed a great job while still a student, has some parting advice for others like him. “Start an MBA with an open mind,” Yellapregada said. “The idea behind an MBA is to increase your tool kit. Make sure you come out with a set of tools. Build relationships with your classmates. Finally, it’s important to have a schedule. The part-time program is pedal to the metal; know early on what you’re getting into, and let your family know, too.”

Yellapregada also had some less-tangible, but inspiring advice for would-be career changers and part-time MBA students: “Keep in mind that everything is possible and that the impossible just takes a little longer. Here’s my recipe for success: study while others sleep, work while others are idle, prepare while others play, and dream while others are still wishing.”

To listen to the full podcast show featuring the guests below click here:

Can You Get a Part-Time MBA and Still Change Career Tracks?

• Alan Resnik, Professor of Marketing at the School of Business Administration at Portland State University
• Jeff Rice, Executive Director of the Office of Career Services, Fisher College of Business at Ohio State
• Stella Ringer, College and Association Relations Manager with Coca Cola
• Srikanth Yellapregada, recent graduate from the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State University

Support for this show comes from Kaplan Test Prep. MBA Podcaster listeners can save 10% on Kaplan Test Prep courses by using the code MBAPOD10 at kaptest.com/mbapodcaster or when you call 1-800-KAP-TEST.