????三級跳是MBA學生最難完成的壯舉。它甚至很可能是許多人一輩子都最難克服的挑戰。只有極少數人嘗試這樣做，而大功告成者更是少之又少。這是一種徹底重塑自我的行為。

????不是利用MBA學位完成職業生涯的一項或兩項改變——比如，確保獲得晉升機會或者從一家小型金融服務公司跳槽至摩根士丹利(Morgan Stanley)——三級跳健將要同時改變三個變量：國家、工作職能和行業，所有這一切都是在一個高度壓縮的時間期限內完成。

????乍一聽，這似乎不算一個特別大膽的舉動，但試想一下，從一家印度半導體公司的產品營銷工程師轉身變為一家加拿大醫院的戰略咨詢顧問是怎樣一番情景。三級跳健將不僅要面對學術、人際網絡和求職等傳統障礙，還要跨越語言、簽證和文化障礙等壁壘。畢業后，他們必須跟擁有多年行業經驗的東道國學生競爭上崗。

????很少有商學院鼓勵這種做法。如果哪位申請人足夠坦誠地告訴招生官員，自己打算一次性地改變工作國家，職能和行業，他或她很可能會被許多商學院拒絕。三級跳健將面臨的風險確實太大了：就算他們往往利用暑期實習來減輕這些不尋常的職業變動帶來的沖擊，成功的天平也未必就會偏向他們一方。商學院非常明白，不成功的畢業生通常會變成心懷怨懟的校友。幾乎沒有哪家商學院希望自己的畢業生因找不到工作而變得心灰意冷，因為這種情形最終會損害它們的排名。

????一個罕見的例外是多倫多大學(University of Toronto)羅特曼管理學院(Rotman School of Management)。它支持足夠大膽（或者說簡直瘋了）的學生去直面成功幾率令人氣餒的三重轉型挑戰。羅特曼管理學院位于一個移民政策寬松的國家，或許是出于這一原因，這所商學院擁有一種更具融通性的氛圍。但這依然是一項危險而且幾乎沒有保障的提議。“這件事的確難度很大，但并非不可能，”羅特曼管理學院全職MBA項目就業服務中心主任莉?高蒂爾說。“我堅信，MBA學位是專業才俊開啟全新職業生涯的絕佳跳板。我們想提供支持，但我們不會描繪一幅美麗的畫卷，讓他們覺得這樣做是小菜一碟，不會碰到任何問題。”

????高蒂爾認為三級跳的MBA版本與這項奧運賽事本身非常相似。“你給自己一直在做的事情按下暫停鍵，然后全身心地投入你的研究、事業和訓練之中，”她解釋說。“你正在做一切需要做的事情，以期在有限的時間內實現目標。盡管很難做到，但它的確是一種鼓舞人心的嘗試。”??

????The triple jump is the most difficult thing an MBA student can pull off. For many, it might well be the hardest challenge they'll tackle over a lifetime. Just a select few attempt it -- and even fewer succeed. It is the ultimate act of reinvention.

????Instead of leveraging the MBA to make one or even two career changes -- such as securing a promotion or moving from a small financial services firm to Morgan Stanley (MS) -- triple jumpers shake up three variables all at once: country, job function, and industry -- and they do all of this in a highly compressed timeframe.

????At first blush, it may not sound like a particularly bold move, but imagine switching from product marketing for a semiconductor firm in India to strategy consulting for a hospital in Canada. For triple jumpers, the traditional hurdles of academics, networking, and job hunting are compounded by language, visa, and cultural barriers. Post-graduation, they must compete against students with more years of in-country and industry experience.

????Few B-schools encourage the practice. Applicants candid enough to tell admissions that they want to change countries, disciplines, and industries all at once are likely to be rejected by many schools. Triple jumpers are simply too risky: The odds are not exactly in their favor, even when using a summer internship to ease these unusual career moves. As schools know too well, unsuccessful graduates usually turn into unsatisfied alumni. Few business schools want to graduate jobless, disenchanted students who could ultimately hurt their rankings.

????A rare exception is the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. It supports students bold, or simply crazy, enough to face the daunting odds of making a triple transition. Rotman's location in a country with a pro-immigration policy makes it a more accommodating environment. But it's still a risky proposition, with few guarantees. "It is a difficult thing to do, but it's not impossible," says Leigh Gauthier, Rotman's director of careers for full-time MBAs. "I do believe that the MBA is a very good way for a young professional to start a new career. We want to support that, but we don't paint a rosy picture that it's going to be a cakewalk -- that you can do it with no problem."

????Gauthier compares the MBA version of triple jumping to the Olympic one. "You take a pause from whatever you're doing in your life, and you're 100% focused on your studies and your career and your training," she explains. "You're doing everything you need to do to achieve your goal in a finite period.... It's tough to do, but very inspiring to watch."????