Executive MBA Blog

Career Changers Must Find the Career That Fits Their Personality to be Successful

 

(March 2008 by www.EMBAWorld.com) For many professionals, advanced education is a tantalizing answer to a career change. New, challenging projects or more responsibility may be the answer because a career change really is a big decision and has to be done for the right reasons.             

People who genuinely feel little or no passion about their work and simply go through the motions are candidates for career change. People who believe in the importance of making a meaningful contribution in ways that provide personal, internal pride and satisfaction are the people who should explore career alternatives.

            

• However, career changers frequently make common mistakes.
• They assume they must reinvent themselves rather than seek understanding of who they are.
• They take a very broad approach to “what is out there” rather than establish a clear focus.
• They put too much emphasis on finding security, rather than learning, challenge and growth.
• They focus on less cosmetic matters such as title or staff size, rather than satisfaction and enrichment.

            

It is important to also think about those qualities that go beyond quantifiable skills. Leadership, dealing with pressure, listening skills, and cross-cultural sensitivities are a few examples of abilities or soft skills that can contribute to success in new careers. Understanding those skills and experiences and the values that accompany them form a baseline that provides a direction and focus for that new endeavor.

            

Non-essential considerations, such as job title, organizational hierarchy, staff size and others pale in comparison to the essential need to find a career path that provides personal fulfillment.

            

Finally, with the insights that an advanced business degree delivers, there is a reasonable expectation of growing security and confidence because as the individual grows in the new career the toolbox of expertise through learning and experience can grow.

            

As reported by Marie Field of QS Networks, an international media agency that focuses on MBA and Executive MBA programs, suggests the EMBA is a highly desired program for the over thirty group, as it equips the experienced manager with a sophisticated set of diverse skills and strategic thinking that can be immediately applied on the job . While full-time traditional MBA programs are theoretically focused, the EMBA offers a broader understanding of the business world with attention to confidence, leadership and communication skills required to reach the C-suite. Further, the executive programs are tailored to the professional with a tight schedule – weekend classes or modular weeks of study are the norm.

            

Another appealing factor of the EMBA is the networking and the opportunity to learn about business methods practiced in other industries and countries. “With the diversity of companies, functional areas, and geographical representations, students gain insight and unique perspective from their classmates. It’s like having potentially 87 free consultants looking at a problem – not to mention expert professors!” explains Arnold Longboy, Director of Recruitment and Corporate Relations at Chicago GSB

            

Find the career that fits your personality. Take steps to find the right career and a leap over the challenges you may currently face as the economy and career stagnates.

            

EMBA World is a New York City-based organization dedicated to helping employees and employers understand options regarding graduate level business education and in particular the Executive MBA. Jason A. Price, MS, MBA, is Director of EMBA World and author of The Executive MBA: An Insider’s Guide for Working Professionals in Pursuit of Graduate Business Education. Jason is a frequent speaker to media on graduate business education issues and publishes industry articles periodically on the subject. The Insider’s Guide can be found at online bookstores or at EMBA World www.EmbaWorld.com. You can reach Jason A. Price at Jason@embaworld.com.

Executives Head Back to the Classroom

Executives head back to the classroom – Further education may be your best investment yet.

By Marie Field, Dec 2007

If you’ve told yourself that changing careers or going back to school simply are not options for established professionals, you may miss out on the one thing that will bring back the enthusiasm of a fresh graduate.

Executive education may be what you need to surpass that career plateau. Whether it’s enrolling in an Executive MBA (EMBA) course or simply taking a 15-day course in management skills, business education can only brighten your career outlook, even if this just means meeting people outside of your regular network. The realm of executive education encompasses a huge range of options. You may want to improve your negotiation skills or take a class on leadership, or focus on personal development. If you’re looking to pick up new skills - whether in finance, marketing, or information technology - there is sure to be a business school that can help.

The Executive MBA As Business schools continue to respond to strong demand for their EMBA programs, the results of a recent survey confirmed the return on investment for those who have made the commitment to an Executive MBA. The percentage of students who received promotions increased from 34% three years ago to 43% last year, according to last year’s Executive MBA Council Survey of their member schools. The EMBA is a popular program amongst the over thirty group, as it equips the experienced manager with a sophisticated set of diverse skills and strategic thinking that can be immediately applied on the job. In comparison to full-time MBA programs, the EMBA is focused on gaining a broader understanding of the business as a whole, with the confidence, leadership and communication skills required to reach the C-suite. Further, the executive programs are tailored to the professional with a tight schedule – weekend classes or modular weeks of study are the norm.

The other attraction of the EMBA is the networking and the opportunity to learn about business methods practiced in other industries and countries. “With the diversity of companies, functional areas, and geographical representations, students gain insight and unique perspective from their classmates. It’s like having potentially 87 free consultants looking at a problem – not to mention expert professors!” explains Arnold Longboy, Director of Recruitment and Corporate Relations at Chicago GSB Most EMBA programs are open only to those with comprehensive experience in the professional world. Many courses exist, from 18-month programs to 24-month programs, to programs with specific focuses like global business.

The Global Executive MBA at Duke, for example, focuses simply on this area through sending its students to “Asia, South America, Europe and the United States with Internet-enabled distance learning allowing students to live and work from anywhere in the world,” in addition to offering conventional classes.

Jason Price, Director of EMBA World (www.EMBAWorld.com), and an EMBA graduate from Fordham University, explains how the EMBA is much more than just “an MBA for older people”: “The beauty of the EMBA is that you will not only study a company facing real challenges but the chances are that you will also have classmates who have worked in that company and were involved in senior-level decision-making.” For Jason, the reward of the EMBA was phenomenal. “I feel the EMBA classes and projects are what helped me win the 2001 Microsoft Global Technology Award and build a solid and fast growing consulting firm.”

The Executive MBA may just give you that extra push. Take, for example, a 43 year-old IT manager who wants to make it to Director status but doesn’t yet have the organizational or analytical skills to pull it off. This is exactly what the EMBA is for. “The Executive MBA gives you the extra push you need to make it to boardroom prominence.”, says Nunzio Quacquarelli, Director of QS, the educational and career specialist network that organizes ExecMBA Villages in many US locations as part of the World MBA Tour, “After gaining a number of years work experience, the EMBA is maybe the only thing that will give you what you need to reach your professional goals. Entering an EMBA program after being in the professional world for a number of years presents you with a unique advantage over a 27 year-old with a lack of experience of business dilemmas and undeveloped management skills.”

Marie Field of QS Network and TopMBA can be reached at marie@qsnetwork.com and www.TopMBA.com. This article is brought to you in partnership with EMBA World which can be reach at info@embaworld.com and www.EmbaWorld.com.

The Middle Manager Squeeze

The Middle Manager Squeeze

How the Executive MBA can create career options

Much has been written about the disparity in income growth between the top 1% and the rest of the working population.  Wages, adjusted for inflation, have remained generally flat for all but highest paid over the past 35 years.  The growing economic burden in the form of a “middle class squeeze” is described by the media and debated by politicians with little in the form of policies to address the issue. Breaking out of this squeeze is not easy as after-tax dollars as a percentage of net income must cover the increasing cost of health care, housing, college and other essentials.  For example, during a recent typical period in which health care insurance premiums rose 64% and college tuition rose 23%, wages held steady with only a 2 percent increase adjusted for inflation.

This squeeze of the middle class is also a squeeze of the middle manager. The class of workers referred to as “middle management” represents a broad group of approximately 24 million workers, as defined by the United States Bureau of labor Statistics, with about half in white-collar occupations such as technology, finance, healthcare, media and other areas.  As a class, these professionals are working harder, faster and smarter for a relatively flat financial reward.

While demand for competent middle managers continues to grow, salaries and bonuses are generally not commensurate with the workload, hours demanded and increased responsibilities. High salaries and mega-bonuses for a relatively few tends to obscure the very real problem most managers have in maintaining consistent growth in compensation and benefits.  This is even a problem at the executive level.  In fact, ExecutNet, an executive networking firm found in a poll that 77% of executives were increasingly concerned about their careers or job security.

Executives reported:

• 22% are afraid their employers will merge with another company or downsize

• 17% are concerned about limited advancement opportunities
• 16 said their companies are not doing well
• 14% said the company’s culture is not good
• 10% said their industry is having problems
• 9% said their boss is not a good match

“Despite recent economic growth job security remains a luxury that neither companies nor executives can afford,” says David Opton, chief executive of ExecuNet.

Consequently, if the guy who signs your paycheck and approves your bonus has job anxieties what does this mean for you?

One proven solution is professional development. It is generally axiomatic that greater education commands greater salaries and facilitates career growth.  Certainly a degree from Wharton or Kellogg or any of the world-class business schools can add an entirely new dimension to career and compensation. However, not everyone, especially those professionals who are already in the work force, can attend these schools.  As an alternative, an increasing number of working professionals are turning to the executive MBA.

The growth of the Executive MBA began to accelerate in the last decade with more middle managers applying and more business schools launching EMBA programs. This highly sought after training offers working professionals – middle managers – the option of returning to school while maintaining full time employment.  It is designed for the middle manager or other professional with work experience and is structured to accommodate the full time employee, and for many, full time parent.

Forgoing a paycheck for two years or attending business school day programs part time is not an appealing option for many. The alternative, an Executive MBA program, is designed specifically to accommodate their needs. These working managers and other professionals, even working mothers, who seek to maintain their current level of activity, can earn this excellent business degree. Here are a few considerations:

• The hallmark of an executive MBA is the unique learning experience shared by highly motivated working students combined with a competent, seasoned faculty. Executive MBA students garner a rich learning experience while remaining employed and can often apply complex business concepts at work and make an immediate impact on the job raising the value of the employee.

• Network opportunities with a group of high-achievers. Classmates are known for hiring or recommending each other for job openings. Furthermore, with years of work experience, EMBA grads are better positioned to launch businesses as potential funding, business contacts, and willing customers are already in place.

• EMBA training enables the student to keep job skills current and applicable at work. They are exposed to new technologies, business practices, and business environments encompassing both domestic and international projects.  Many programs provide the benefits of a global academic campus.

• The degree possesses inherent value in the job market, enhancing personal standing and professional positioning for promotion, salary increase or new opportunities. An MBA is a degree that is respected.  Top MBA’s recruiter survey, graduates commanded a 27 percent jump in pay in 2004.

Education is an option that more white-collar workers are pursuing to increase their career marketability and mobility offering a genuine, vigorous MBA program tailored to the work life of a professional. This program offers a resource for those who crave greater professional development as well as those who view themselves in a middle manager squeeze.

Jason A. Price, MS, MBA, is Director of EMBA World, a New York City-based organization dedicated to helping employees and employers understand options concerning graduate level business education and in particular the executive MBA. He is author of The Executive MBA: An Insider’s Guide for Working Professionals in Pursuit of Graduate Business Education. He can be reached at Jason@embaworld.com or visit www.EmbaWorld.com.