It worked out. Hulu CEO Mike Hopkins is pictured. Todd Williamson/Invision for Hulu/AP Images Mike Hopkins, now CEO of Hulu, was working in sales at Fox when he realized he wanted to grow in his role — so he looked into pursuing an MBA.

While business school often acts as a launch point to a different career, Hopkins really wanted to gain skills that would help him succeed in his then-current role.

"When I was at Fox, I really wanted to learn," Hopkins told Alex Grodnik on the Wall Street Oasis podcast. "I wanted to develop more skills. I wanted to understand a broader array of things around business, and I wanted to go back to school, so I went back part time," he continued.

Hopkins worked full time at Fox while studying at UCLA Anderson. It took him three years to finish his degree, rather than the usual two for full-time students.

"Quite frankly, it gave me a lot more confidence," he said, which allowed him to accomplish more at Fox.

Often, prospective MBA seekers go to business school precisely to find a network to help them land a job that is out of reach. Business schools have strong on-campus recruiting and students are attracted to the network they provide.

But this wasn't what brought Hopkins to Anderson.

"I think for me, the benefit of the school was much more about the confidence-building and the learning and a little bit less about the network, mainly because I stayed in the role that I was in when I graduated," he said.